The Interfaith Open Letter in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is sent this day to the Prime Minister of Australia and all Members of Parliament. This letter has been signed by 58 faith organisations in Australia and represents an important initiative towards gaining Peace on Earth.
Interfaith Open Letter in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
To: the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition, August 2020
We, the undersigned leaders of religious organisations and faith groups, express our grave concern with the persistent global threat posed by nuclear weapons.
In each of our faith communities, we believe we are called to pursue peace and to love and care for all humanity and all creation. Collectively, our faith leads us to reject weapons designed to cause mass death and destruction and instil terror and fear. It is this faith that compels us to act for the eradication of weapons of mass destruction.
Seventy-five years on from the horrific atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the whole earth remains under the threat of nuclear weapons. Well-intentioned efforts over the decades have failed to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons or to achieve total nuclear disarmament.
We believe nuclear weapons are illegitimate, inhumane and indiscriminate. They have the power to extinguish in minutes everyone and everything that humankind holds dear.
We continue to witness massive investment in existing and new nuclear weaponry and are deeply concerned that nine heads-of-state hold such power over the global community. Nuclear arms control agreements are expiring, languishing or collapsing.
We are heartened by the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Negotiated by a majority of nations, the new treaty champions collective security beyond nuclear weapons. It sets the new highest standard for nations seeking nuclear abolition, to ensure these weapons are never used again. It is a treaty that cannot be bent to suit the wishes of the nuclear-armed.
Australia claims to support nuclear disarmament yet, to our deep disappointment, our nation remains outside the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
As people of faith across Australia we join together in one voice to urge the Australian Government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Our future depends on the successful implementation of this treaty.
Signed,
The Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith
Archibishop of Adelaide and Primate Anglican Church of Australia
Australasian Muslim Times
Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Chairperson,
Bishops Commission for Social Justice
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Right Reverend Professor Stephen Pickard, Executive Director,
Australia Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University
Australian Jewish Democratic Society
Australian Raelian Movement
Australian Student Christian Movement
Ballarat Interfaith Network
Believing Women for a Culture of Peace
Brigidine Sisters Kildara Centre
Judith McKinlay and Jared Mitchell, Co-Chairs
Canberra Region Presbytery, Uniting Church in Australia
Carmelite Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation
Commission for Australia & Timor-Leste
Fr. Peter Smith, Justice and Peace Promoter,
Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Br Peter Carroll FMS, President, and Anne Walker, National Executive Director,
Catholic Religious Australia
Christians for Peace Newcastle
Rev Dr Patrick McInerney, Director,
Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations
Dr Patricia Madigan OP, Executive Director,
Dominican Centre for Interfaith Ministry, Education and Research (CIMER)
Phil Glendenning AM, Director,
Edmund Rice Centre
Rev Dr Gordon Preece, Chair,
Ethos: Centre for Christianity & Society
Michael Wells, PSM,
President Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils
Hashomer Hatzair Australia
Rev Shigenobu Watanabe,
Hongwanji Buddhist Mission of Australia
Inner West Chavurah
Mohamed Mohideen, President,
Islamic Council of Victoria
Jewish Labour Bund
Jewish Voices for Peace and Justice NSW
Jewish Voices for Power
Justice and Peace Committee, Tasmanian Quakers
Rev Dr Gordon Preece, Chair,
Melbourne Anglican Diocese Social Responsibilities Committee
Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church
Father Claude Mostowik msc, Director,
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre (Australian Province)
Stancea Vichie, Congregational Leader,
Missionary Sisters of Service
Philippa Rowland, President,
Multifaith Association of South Australia
Muslim Charitable Foundation
Muslim Women’s Association of South Australia
Bishop Phillip Huggins, President,
National Council of Churches in Australia
NSW Ecumenical Council
Office of Justice and Peace, Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Pace e Bene Australia, Inc
Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary
Pacific Conference of Churches
Rev Dr Manas Ghosh, Minister,
Parramatta Mission
Father Claude Mostowik msc, President,
Pax Christi Australia
Dr Carolyn Tan, Chair,
Public Affairs Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia
Queensland Faith Communities Council
Religions for Peace Australia
Ann Zubrick, Presiding Clerk,
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia
Shepparton Interfaith Network
Jatinder Singh,
Sikh Youth Australia
Sr Monica Cavanagh, Congregational Leader,
Sisters of St Joseph
Chris Steains, General Director,
Soka Gakkai International Australia
Temple Society Australia Regional Council
Dr Deidre Palmer, President,
Uniting Church in Australia
Rev Dr Gordon Preece, Honorary Director,
University of Divinity, Religion and Social Policy Network
Swami Sunishthananda, Vice President,
Vedanta Centre of Melbourne
Victorian Quakers
Alexander Scutt, Leader,
Wellspring Community Australia
Whittlesea Interfaith Network
Download the Interfaith Open Letter
