In message to Nobel winner, pope says nuclear threat continues

Published: 2005-12-12

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a message congratulating the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, Pope Benedict XVI warned that the world continues to be threatened by the spread of nuclear weapons. The pope's comments came in a telegram Dec. 10 to Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the chief U.N. nuclear inspector, who accepted the peace prize the same day at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway. "Even today, 60 years after the devastating attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is clear that the peace of the world continues to be at risk from the spread of nuclear weapons," the pope said. He praised ElBaradei's service to the world in promoting nuclear nonproliferation and promoting nuclear disarmament. "I pray that God will continue to guide the efforts of all who work for peace, and especially those who seek to prevent any further use of weapons of mass destruction," the pope said.

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