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Week of September 26, 2016

Statements

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

On September 26, the Holy See delivered a statement at the High-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

In its statement, which was delivered by Msgr. Tomasz Grysa, newly arrived at the Mission, the Holy See, which is a Party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said the international community has a moral and humanitarian imperative to advance the elimination of nuclear weapons, encouraging States that possess nuclear weapons to abolish them and dissuading non-nuclear possessing States from obtaining them. The Holy See also condemned nuclear deterrence as a justification for States possessing nuclear weapons, stating the “uneasy peace” promised by nuclear deterrence a “tragic illusion,” rather, lasting peace requires progressive efforts towards nuclear disarmament.

The statement can be found here.

 

Upcoming Events

Carl Anderson and the Knights of Columbus to Receive Prestigious Path to Peace Award
Path to Peace Gala Dinner to take place on October 12 in Manhattan

NEW YORK, September 28 — The Path to Peace Foundation, founded in 1991 to support the work of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, will be holding its annual Gala Dinner on Wednesday, October 12, at The Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.
 
The President of the Foundation, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, will be presenting the 2016 Path to Peace Award to the Knights of Columbus and their Supreme Knight, Mr. Carl Anderson, for their life-saving work on behalf of Christians and other persecuted minorities in the Middle East and for their humanitarian work throughout the world.
 
“Through the Supreme Knight’s vigorous leadership, the Knights of Columbus not only has been responding to the cries for help coming from the Middle East and elsewhere but used their resources to put together a compelling 300-page report on the violence against Christians in the Middle East that compelled U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to declare what was happening to Christians, Yezidis and other religious minorities in the region a genocide,” said Archbishop Auza.
 
“Mr. Anderson also brought that message to the United Nations at a Holy See sponsored conference in April, urging the international community to exercise its Responsibility to Protect and stop the genocide and other violent attacks against defenseless people taking place there,” Archbishop Auza added.
 
“The Path to Peace Board of Directors wanted to acknowledge the Knights’ powerful leadership in seeking to help restore peace in the region ravaged by ISIS, assist the victims to get their lives back to together and to create the necessary conditions for peace.”
 
Since this year’s Gala Dinner coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Path to Peace Foundation, there will also be special recognition given to His Eminence Cardinal Renato Martino, whose work as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN from 1986-2002 led to the creation of the Foundation to support and advance the Mission’s efforts.
 
The Gala Dinner is the main fundraiser for the Path to Peace Foundation each year. It is normally held on the premises of the United Nations. Last year, however, the Gala drew a record crowd of 619 attendees, which is now too big to be celebrated in any of the UN spaces. The Foundation decided to move the Gala to The Pierre.
 
Those interested in attending the Gala Dinner are able to sign up for it online at holyseemission.org/2016Gala. It is possible to obtain individual tickets or to reserve whole tables. There are also opportunities to support the Path to Peace Foundation by becoming Benefactors, Patrons, and Sponsors.
 
Past recipients of the Path to Peace Award include UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1993), His Majesty King Baudoin I of Belgium (1994), President Corazon C. Aquino of the Philippines (1995), President Lech Walesa of Poland (1996), President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1997), President Rafael Caldera of Venezuela (1998), President Carlos Saul Menem (2000), Secretary General Kofi Annan (2000), Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (2001), Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha of Bulgaria (2002), President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão (2003), Cardinal Angelo Sodano (2004), Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Fra Andrew Bertie (2005), Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg (2006), President of the 61st Session of the General Assembly Sheika Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (2007), President Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez of El Salvador (2008), Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, Iraq (2009), U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon (2010), Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Fra Matthew Festing (2011), Queen Sofia of Spain (2014), and Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein of Dubai (2015).