Andy Drozdziak
A seminarian has warned of the ‘catastrophic’ consequences of nuclear weapons use at a prominent United Nations meeting.
Aaron Humphriss, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has represented The Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at international nuclear disarmament talks in New York, as diplomats and leaders reflect on the most recent review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The meeting, which is taking place at the headquarters of the United Nations, was initially scheduled for August 2020, but was delayed until now due to Covid-19. As well as statements from politicians and talks between diplomats, side events have discussed specific areas of nuclear weapons policy.
During the trip, Mr Humphriss, who has previously worked with the Holy See Mission to the United Nations, put questions to the Governor of Hiroshima, the United States Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and other leaders. In his first week, he met with survivors of the atomic bombings in 1945. One man, Kido Sueichi, was just five years old when the bomb exploded through Hiroshima.
“Hearing the testimonies of survivors reminds us of the catastrophic long-term consequences of nuclear weapons use,” Mr Humphriss told the Universe.
“To honour the memory of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must continue to work towards the total elimination of stockpiles across the globe.”
Mr Humphriss also met Her Excellency Elayne Whyte Gómez of Costa Rica. She chaired negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was agreed upon at the UN in 2017 and became law in 2021.
He spoke of the ‘hope’ he saw during the meetings, whilst calling for further action.
“It has been great to represent Christian CND in New York for the past ten days,” Mr Humphriss said.
“The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has been a cornerstone of arms control measures, but for too long, there has been a lack of progress towards disarmament. Much of what I saw in civil society meetings offered hope, but it also needs political will from the nuclear-armed states, including the UK, for progress to be made.”
He added that Christian CND will pray for a breakthrough as the meetings continue throughout August.
- Follow Aaron Humphriss on Twitter: @AaronHumphriss
Picture taken at the headquarters of the United Nations. Aaron Humphriss with Mr Kido Sueichi (right of Aaron), and Mr Hamasumi Jiro (left of Aaron), who lost his father in the blast at Hiroshima while in his mother’s womb.