Pope Francis: Arms Industry Profits at Cost of Human Lives
In 2000, Pope John Paul II called on leaders of wealthy nations to forgive the debts of poorer countries, aligning his appeal with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee year, a time dedicated to the forgiveness of sins and debts. During a visit to prisoners in Rome, he urged for the global abolition of the death penalty, which he described as “an unworthy punishment still used in some countries.”
Now, 25 years later, as the church prepares for another jubilee in 2025, John Paul’s goals remain far from reality. Nearly 30,000 people are on death row worldwide, and according to the International Monetary Fund, more than half of developing countries are either in debt or approaching a debt crisis.
Pope Francis, ahead of the World Day of Peace on January 1, echoed John Paul’s appeals. Early in the day of this month, he called for the cancellation of foreign debt, the abolition of the death penalty, and the establishment of a global fund to fight world hunger, financed by reducing military spending of a fund aimed at eradicating world hunger using money allocated for armaments.
Pope Francis wrote in a statement on Dec 8, I urge the international community to work towards forgiving foreign debt in recognition of the ecological debt existing between the North and the South of this world,” he added, “This is an appeal for solidarity but above all for justice.”
The pope criticised the death penalty, stating that it “not only compromises the inviolability of life but eliminates every human hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.” He suggested that creating a global fund financed from money budgeted for armaments could “eradicate hunger and facilitate in the poorer countries educational activities aimed at promoting sustainable development and combating climate change.”
Pope Francis called attention to weapons manufacturers as the prime example of an industry prioritising profit over human lives. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the global arms trade was valued at $138 billion in 2022.
The Jubilee years are rooted in an ancient Jewish tradition that was introduced by Pope Boniface VIII to the Catholic Church in 1300 and now takes place every 25 years. The 2025 Jubilee, set to begin on Christmas Eve 2024, is expected to draw over 30 million pilgrims to the Vatican, seeking spiritual renewal and forgiveness of sins.
The pope’s appeal, titled “Forgive us our trespasses: Grant us peace,” is directed especially to those who don’t have hope for the future. Francis stated, “We need to work at eliminating every pretext that encourages young people to regard their future as hopeless or dominated by the thirst to avenge the blood of their dear ones.”.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development, speaking at the Vatican news conference, presented the pope’s message on Thursday, December 12, saying he hopes people will adhere to Francis’ message to “disarm our hearts.”
In the pope’s message, he emphasised that scrapping international debt would require the creation of a global financial charter founded on justice and fraternity. Czerny recognised that with a growing portion of the debt in private hands, the issue is more complex today than it was 25 years ago.
Francis on many occasions had spoken out against the death penalty; during his Sunday prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 8, he directed his pleas to the United States, saying, I feel compelled to ask all of you to pray for the inmates on death row in the United States,” he added. “Let us pray that their sentences may be commuted or changed.”
Catholic Mobilising Network, which works for fairness in U.S. legal and justice systems, has asked President Joe Biden, a Catholic, to commute the sentences of 40 federal death row inmates before the end of his term in January.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the group’s executive director, presented the pope’s message: “Pope Francis asks for our firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life, namely the elimination of the death penalty in all nations.”. Krisanne described capital punishment as a “structural sin” in the books in 55 nations. In the United States, 27 of the 50 states practice the death penalty.
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Vito Alfieri Fontana, who ran a company that makes landmines before he experienced a personal conversion in the mid-1990s and joined the global fight against the arms trade and landmines, was also present at the news conference, and he said. “Those who work in the arms sector strive to offer clients quick and efficient solutions for war,” Fontana added.
“Instead, wars quickly drown in the mud of trenches and last for years. Perhaps there lies the trick: to continue an endless supply and multiply sales, lest ‘the front collapses.’”
Fontana, who had spent years trying to remove his former company’s landmines from the former Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, opposed the plans to open landmines in the Middle East and Ukraine. In November, the U.S. approved the supply of antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine.
Fontana disagreed, saying, It’s a useless and stupid homicide, a weapon of vengeance “We shall remove all the ones they place,” he added. “The important thing is to end this damn war!”
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Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit | https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-I-pope
