“[The] moral power [of the TPNW] does not recognize boundaries between nations, nor lines on a map. The moral power of this Treaty is global and universal.” The Partnership of a World without Nuclear Weapons
Today, January 22, we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), ratified by 74 nations.
The Partnership for a World without Nuclear Weapons, comprised of the archdioceses of Santa Fe, NM and Seattle, WA; the dioceses of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; and other groups (Pax Christi USA is an affiliate member), has issued this statement on the occasion of the TPNW anniversary. For more information about the Partnership, use this link.
Neither the US nor Russia has ratified the TPNW, and New START, the last remaining strategic arms limitation treaty between the two countries, will expire on February 5, two weeks from today. If it expires without a replacement, the US and Russia could rapidly expand their nuclear arsenals with no limits or transparency, increasing the risks of miscalculation and escalation.
In September 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to agree to keep his nation’s nuclear arsenal within the New START limits but the Trump administration has not yet responded to his offer.
Several weeks ago, an interfaith group wrote a letter to members of Congress, urging elected officials to speak out about the importance of limiting nuclear weapons and to encourage the Trump administration to work with other nuclear-armed states to limit the spread of these weapons. Pax Christi USA and several Pax Christi regions were among the organizations representing different faith traditions which signed the letter.
The letter asks Congress to:
- Publicly affirm the continued value of arms control, including limits and verification measures on US and Russian nuclear arsenals.
- Encourage the administration to begin immediate negotiations on a New START follow-on agreement that maintains or strengthens existing limits.
- Support diplomatic engagement with Russia and other nuclear-armed states to reduce nuclear risks and build pathways toward a safer world.
The text of the letter below is offered for your information and as a model for speaking and writing to influencers in your community. Pax Christi USA urges our members and supporters to work with the other faith groups that signed the letter to advocate and educate about the grave moral and humanitarian issues that will be exacerbated by a renewed nuclear arms race.
“We refuse to live in a world of nuclear proliferation and risk-taking. We will resist, we will organize, we will pray, we will not cease, until the world’s nuclear arsenals have been destroyed.” Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archdiocese of Washington DC, August 2025
Please note: On Tuesday, January 27, 10 AM Eastern, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will release the new position of the Doomsday Clock, which indicates the potential threat of the world’s nuclear arsenal.
As faith communities across the United States, we write to urge you to put pressure on the administration to pursue a diplomatic, negotiated follow-on agreement to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) before it expires on February 5, 2026. Our diverse traditions differ in creed and practice, yet we are united in a shared moral conviction: the sanctity of human life requires that our nation take urgent steps to prevent a new nuclear arms race.
New START, which entered into force in 2011, is the last remaining treaty limiting the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. It caps the number of deployed long-range nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia may possess and provides for inspections and data exchanges that allow each nation to verify the other’s compliance. These limits and verification measures reduce the risks of miscalculation, escalation, and catastrophic war. For more than a decade, New START has anchored global stability and demonstrated that diplomacy can succeed even in times of tension.
If New START expires without a replacement, the United States and Russia would be free—within months—to expand their arsenals without any limits or transparency. Such a vacuum would heighten mistrust, increase the likelihood of dangerous misunderstandings, and invite a costly and destabilizing arms race. From a moral standpoint, this is unacceptable. Our faiths teach us to prevent needless suffering, steward resources wisely, seek peace over violence, and protect future generations from avoidable harm.
Across many faiths—including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Indigenous, and Humanist traditions—moral teachings converge on a shared conviction: nuclear weapons violate the dignity of life, the integrity of creation, and the foundations of peace. From churches and Quaker meetings, synagogues to mosques, gurdwaras to temples, sanghas to Indigenous councils, communities of faith affirm that humanity is capable not only of inflicting apocalyptic harm but also of choosing cooperation, justice, and peace.
Arms control is therefore not an end in itself but a necessary step toward a world where nuclear weapons no longer threaten humanity or creation. A world free from nuclear weapons is not merely a political aspiration—it is a moral imperative rooted in our deepest spiritual commitments and in our shared responsibility to safeguard life, protect creation, and build a future grounded in justice and peace.
We are deeply concerned that, absent congressional leadership, the world is drifting toward a moment of avoidable peril. Nuclear weapons—whose destructive power threatens all life on Earth—cannot be treated as ordinary instruments of national competition. Their use, whether intentional or accidental, would inflict indiscriminate and irreversible devastation. The mere pursuit of arms racing diverts public resources from urgent human needs, undermines global cooperation, and corrodes the trust essential for lasting peace.
We therefore call on Congress to:
- Publicly affirm the continued value of arms control, including limits and verification measures on US and Russian nuclear arsenals.
- Encourage the administration to begin immediate negotiations on a New START follow-on agreement that maintains or strengthens existing limits.
- Support diplomatic engagement with Russia and other nuclear-armed states to reduce nuclear risks and build pathways toward a safer world.
At this critical moment, we ask Congress to act with moral clarity. The decisions made in the coming months will shape whether future generations inherit a world marked by escalating nuclear danger—or one guided by courage, restraint, and a commitment to peace.
Sincerely,
All Souls Church Unitarian, Washington DC
Alliance of Baptists
American Friends Service Committee
Archdiocese of Santa Fe
California Council of Churches
Catholic Worker, Norfolk, VA
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Felician Sisters of North America
First Presbyterian Church
Franciscan Action Network
Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, Iowa
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Hindus for Human Rights
Hope 4 All Interfaith Community
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
Madison Mennonite Church
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee US
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Churches
New Neighbors Interfaith Alliance, Pax Christi
Norfolk Catholic Worker
Northern Lancaster County Nichiren Buddhist Community
Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN)
Pax Christi Long Island New York
Pax Christi New York State
Pax Christi Pacific Northwest
Pax Christi Pittsburgh
Pax Christi USA
Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
Religions for Peace USA
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Soka Gakkai International – USA
Sowers For Justice Hampton Roads
The Episcopal Church
United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons