New Mexico Archbishop’s Dramatic Call for Nuclear Abolition

Photo: Rachel Sanner, Unsplash

On Tuesday, January 11, the Catholic Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Most Rev. John C. Wester, issued a “pastoral letter” supporting the implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This step is especially dramatic in light of the fact that the US government’s Los Alamos and Sandia national nuclear weapons laboratories are located in his diocese. 

You can read this powerful statement here.

Archbishop John Wester, Pace e Bene’s Online Hiroshima Vigil, August 6, 2020

In August 2020, Archbishop Wester joined Pace e Bene’s online vigil marking the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

“We’re united in our resolve to eliminate nuclear weapon, and to build a world that’s grounded not on fear and distrust, but on mutual respect for the life and the dignity of all,” the archbishop declared during the 2020 program, a stance that drew pushback from the New Mexico press at the time, which has traditionally supported the nuclear weapons complex in the state. (See the archbishop’s remarks delivered during Pace e Bene’s vigil here, at the 47:00 mark.)

Undaunted, Archbishop Wester has now called for the abolition of nuclear arms, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis and his recent condemnation of the possession, as well as use, of these weapons. 

Four Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have lauded Archbishop Wester’s courageous position.

In issuing this historic document, the archbishop cites the “nonviolent Jesus who calls us to be peacemakers, put down the sword, and love everyone, even the enemies of our nation.”

Below are a few of the stories published by the press about this important event, followed by all citations of nonviolence featured in the pastoral letter, which were compiled by Georgetown University’s Eli McCarthy. The archdiocese’s press release is posted at the bottom of this article.

Media

John C. Wester, “President Biden Should Let His Faith Guide Him Toward Nuclear Disarmament,” TIME Magazine, February 17, 2022

Eli McCarthy, “Wester's powerful letter part of hopeful trend: bishops arguing for nonviolence,” National Catholic Reporter, January 28, 2022

Joan Chittister, OSB: “Happy are the peacemakers who wake up the rest of us,” National Catholic Reporter, January 27, 2022

Michael Sean Winters, “Archbishop Wester enriches church teaching with letter on nuclear disarmament,” National Catholic Reporter, January 14, 2022.

Dennis Sadowski, “Santa Fe's Archbishop Wester urges nuclear disarmament in new pastoral letter,” National Catholic Reporter, January 14, 2022.

Dennis Sadowski, “Archbishop’s pastoral letter invites dialogue toward nuclear disarmament,” Catholic News Service, January 12, 2022. 

John Lavenburg, “New Mexico archbishop pushes for nuclear disarmament,” Crux, January 12, 2022.

Aaron McDade, “Catholic Archbishop Calls For Nuclear Disarmament as Church Again Wades Into Debate,” Newsweek, January 11, 2022.

Susan Montoya Bryan, “New Mexico church official urges nuclear disarmament talks,” Associated Press, January 11, 2022

Nonviolence

In addition to multiple quotes from Pope Francis’ 2017 World Day of Peace message entitled “Nonviolence: A Style of Politics of Peace,” here are uses of the word “nonviolence” in Archbishop Wester’s pastoral letter:

“I note also that Pope Francis has, for the first time, invited the Church to understand Jesus and the Gospels in light of “nonviolence,” as a fresh, new way to live out our discipleship in the nuclear age.” 13\

In light of Pope Francis’ call to live the nonviolence of Jesus, I invite us to reflect on how Jesus practiced nonviolence and how we can do the same here in New Mexico and across the United States. 15

When He began His public ministry, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). In part, He was saying the days of violence, injustice, war and empire are coming to an end. We are invited to welcome God’s reign of peace and live in God’s universal love and nonviolence here and now.

In these teachings, Jesus says that God is a peacemaker, and since we are God’s sons and daughters, we are peacemakers too, not warmakers. He says that God practices universal nonviolent love, and since we are the sons and daughters of the God of universal nonviolent love, we practice universal nonviolent love, too. There are no exceptions, no justifications for warfare, and no “just war theory.”

Dr. King taught that nonviolent love toward our enemies is the only practical, realistic, political solution left today. Even if we do not fully understand Jesus’ commandment, as His followers we have no choice but to try to put His teachings into practice here in New Mexico and in our nation. To love our enemies means we have to begin the process of ending our preparations to kill them, including our preparations to drop nuclear weapons on them. 16

Jesus rebuked the disciples because they wanted to call down fire from heaven. He absolutely forbids even the thought of it. He rejects violence of all kinds, including retaliation and warfare. He will not tolerate it among His followers. Jesus wants us to be as nonviolent and loving as He is, come what may. We are not allowed to kill people.

At the Passover meal, Jesus takes the bread and says, “My body broken for you.” He takes the cup and says, “My blood shed for you.” Jesus does not say, “Go break their bodies for me; go shed their blood for me.” Instead, He says, “My body broken for you, my blood shed for you, do this.” Here Jesus offers the new covenant of nonviolence. Those of us who partake of the Eucharist enter into the way of the nonviolent Jesus, which is the preference of suffering and dying, rather than killing. 17

In the Garden of Gethsemane, as the soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, we are told that Peter violently takes up the sword to defend Jesus. He thinks his violence is justified. As he goes to strike the soldiers, Jesus issues His final commandment: “Put down the sword.” These are the last words of Jesus to His community, to the church, before He was killed; it is the last thing they heard Him say. Suddenly, they realize how serious Jesus is about nonviolence, and so they all abandon Him.

Jesus came into the world as the true light. He came to lead us out of the darkness of violence, death, and destruction. In doing so, He is the "light of the world." His light is the exact opposite of the bright light of a nuclear weapon. His light is the true light of universal love, the light of universal compassion, the light of universal peace. His light is the light of total nonviolence. 36

We must take concrete steps to begin the process of nuclear disarmament: to dismantle our weapons, to clean up our land, and to spend those enormous resources on structures of international nonviolent conflict resolution.

In this new New Mexico, we spend our resources ending hunger and poverty, improving our schools and healthcare, securing life-giving employment for everyone, and teaching everyone the life of peace and nonviolence.

Practice and study the nonviolence of Jesus daily so we can decrease our violence and become peacemakers. 42

Teach young people the Gospel lessons of peace and nonviolence. Encourage them to be peacemakers, to practice nonviolence, and to work for a more peaceful world.

Press Release

NEWS RELEASE

Archbishop John C. Wester to Hold

Virtual Press Conference on His Pastoral Letter

“Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace:

A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament” 

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

9:00 a.m. MST 

ALBUQUERQUE – Monday, January 10, 2022 – IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Archbishop John C. Wester will hold a virtual press conference to discuss his pastoral letter, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament” on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. MST. The press conference will be live-streamed at https://youtu.be/kHS2C1wIBeQ. 

Archbishop Wester will release his pastoral letter on the urgent need for nuclear disarmament and avoiding a new nuclear arms race. Pope Francis has made clear statements about the immorality of possessing nuclear weapons, moving the Church from past conditional acceptance of “deterrence” to the moral imperative of abolition. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has a special role to play in advocating for nuclear disarmament given the presence of two nuclear weapons laboratories and the United States of America’s largest repository of warheads located within its boundaries. He therefore believes the archdiocese has a unique role to play in encouraging a future world free of nuclear weapons. Archbishop Wester states, “The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has a special responsibility not only to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but also to encourage its active implementation.” He goes on to “…invite us to have a conversation together about what it means to follow the risen, nonviolent Jesus who calls us to be peacemakers, put down the sword, and love everyone, even the enemies of our nation.”

Archbishop Wester’s pastoral letter has the support of four Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize states, “We welcome the leadership of Archbishop John Wester in taking His Holiness Pope Francis’ message of support for nuclear weapons abolition and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to the heart of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise in New Mexico. Archbishop Wester courageously joins the global community of religious leaders working to make the dream of a world free of nuclear weapons a reality.”

END