A special responsibility in this regard rests on those nations which have huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The stand of the Catholic church has been consistent on this issue from the very beginning of the nuclear era. There are the stages towards a general and complete disarmament which the international community as a whole should reach without delay. Disarmament is the only realistic form of national defence. War is our common enemy and all that can be done must be done against it and its root cause - the demonic evil of hatred, fear, selfishness, greed and lust.
Nuclear energy is one of the momentous discoveries of our times.
It has been always our conviction that nuclear energy must be used only in the service of people's development and peace, that nuclear research and technology must have the single objective of fighting disease and improving the quality of life. The poverty and underdevelopment in the Indian subcontinent makes it particularly imperative that the region's scientific and other resources and energies are focussed sharply on ameliorating the lot of the people. The CBCI reaffirms its commitment to peace and calls on all governments to strengthen the ambience of non-violence and security, so that our people can achieve their potential in a lasting and abiding peace, without fear and without the shadow of a nuclear threat.