Forbidden

Theologians and thought leaders' prescribe how to achieve Pope Francis' vision of a world without nuclear weapons

In 2017, Pope Francis became the first pontiff to condemn possession—declaring that deterrence did not meet the standard of moral acceptability. The pope's statement at a Vatican symposium on nuclear arms in 2017 was praised by many of the 11 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of church leaders, diplomats, scholars, and civil society representatives. But the Pope had his critics too, who saw the statement as too idealistic.

Forbidden moves beyond the conceptualization of a ban on nuclear weapons to the implementation of the Pope's teaching. This book interweaves the essential witness of survivors of nuclear attacks and test explosions with the voices of thought leaders who provide needed context for Pope Francis's condemnation of nuclear weapons. The contributors explain how, with Pope Francis' leadership, Church teaching on nuclear weapons has evolved from a carefully calibrated acceptance of nuclear deterrence, to a blanket condemnation of both the weapons and the systems that support them. These collected essays then call on readers to engage with or rethink just-war analysis, conscience formation, and moral education. Chapters from the perspectives of missile personnel and the military chain of command, industrialists and legislators, moral and pastoral theologians and citizen activists show how these communities can each do their part to help achieve a nuclear-free world.

Forbidden, a companion to A World Free from Nuclear Weapons: The Vatican Conference on Disarmament Edited by Drew Christiansen and Carole Sargent (Georgetown University Press, 2020) will prepare military professionals, policymakers, pastoral workers, and everyday citizens to make decisions that will lead to disarmament.