In this interview, Bishop Gerard de Korte discusses the Catholic Church's stance on nuclear weapons, emphasizing moral opposition to their use and the Church’s complex stance on deterrence. He notes that while nuclear disarmament is important, it has taken a backseat to more pressing social justice and environmental issues, particularly in Dutch society. De Korte highlights that the Vatican and Church leaders condemn nuclear weapons, but Dutch Catholics often support NATO's deterrence strategy, reflecting a lack of unified consensus. He concludes that a nuclear-free world would still face significant security challenges due to conventional weapon threats and international tensions.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.

In his note to the CPSU CC, Gromyko writes that the Soviet MFA should reach out to Pope Paul VI about supporting the NPT. As the Pope has spoken out against the arms race before, Gromyko is optimistic that the treaty will gain support from the Vatican. This would exert influence on other Catholic countries to support the treaty as well.

This document contains instructions to the Soviet ambassador to meet with the Deputy Secretary of State of the Vatican and notify him of confidential information that needs to be brought to Pope Paul VI. In light of mutual understanding between the Vatican and the USSR on the importance of nuclear disarmament, the ambassador is requested to ask the Pope to utilize any diplomatic means at his disposal to help bring about the quickest possible conclusion to the NPT negotiations.

This document relates to the following appeal to Pope Paul VI on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation.