"It would be an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, to negotiate peace and, at the same time, promote or permit the arms trade"

15th May 2014: Address of Pope Francis to international ambassadors

Over recent years are decades the Catholic church has consistently spoke out against the arms trade, below is an overview of recent speeches and teaching documents.

In May 2024 the Catholic bishops conference of England and Wales published, Called to be Peacemakers, a teaching document on arms control and disarmament:

Called to be Peacemakers (May 2024): A Catholic approach to the arms control and disarmament: Called to be peacemakers

The Justice and Peace Office of the Catholic church in Australia published this article: War and Peace

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Peace (2302-2317): Catechism on Peace

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic church, Chapter 11, On Peace: (May 2006): Chapter 11

John Dear and Ken Butigan: An Overview of Gospel Nonviolence in the Christian Tradition: Gospel Nonviolence in the Christian Tradition

Pope Francis on the Arms Trade:

"War can easily be chosen by invoking all sorts of allegedly humanitarian, defensive or precautionary excuses, and even resorting to the manipulation of information. In recent decades, every single war has been ostensibly “justified”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the possibility of legitimate defence by means of military force, which involves demonstrating that certain “rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy” have been met. Yet it is easy to fall into an overly broad interpretation of this potential right.”

Pope Francis: Fratelli Tutti, 258; October 2020: Fratelli Tutti

"Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade."

24th September 2015: Address of Pope Francis to the US Congress

"To say “yes” to the Prince of Peace, then, means saying “no” to war, to every war and to do so with courage, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. This is what war is: an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. To say “no” to war means saying “no” to weaponry. The human heart is weak and impulsive; if we find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise? Today, as at the time of Herod, the evil that opposes God’s light hatches its plots in the shadows of hypocrisy and concealment. How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to many! People, who desire not weapons but bread, who struggle to make ends meet and desire only peace, have no idea how many public funds are being spent on arms. Yet that is something they ought to know! It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet-strings of war."

25th December 2023: Urbi et Orbi Message, Christmas Day 2023

Other important Catholic documents on Peace, from the 1960s:

Pacem in Terris (April 1963): Pacem in Terris

Gaudium et Spes (December 1965): Gaudium et Spes

Populorum Progressio (March 1967): Populorum Progressio

And more recently:

Bishops Conference in England and Wales' statement on the DSEI arms fair in 2023: Statement

Other articles

Rose Marie Berger: No Longer Legitimating War: Christians and Just Peace

Dr. Maria J. Stephan: Advancing Just Peace through Strategic Nonviolent Action

How should we think about war? Understanding Just War Theory (June 2015): How Should We Think about War?