States that have not yet done so should adhere to the International Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Sale of Anti-Personnel Mines and Related Destruction, and should immediately cease the production and use of landmines. With this firm recommendation, Pope Francis greets the participants in the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention itself, which opened today and will continue until November 29 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In a message signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and read by the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Pontiff defends the treaty as a “concrete example of how multilateralism can be successful and fit for purpose,” as it is firmly rooted in “the centrality of the human person and the sense of shared responsibility.”
Grief for the innocent victims
With regret, the Pope notes how, 25 years after the document came into force on March 1, 1999, “anti-personnel mines and explosive devices activated by victims are still being used,” and that “conflicts are a failure of humanity to live as one human family.” With profound sadness, Francis points out the dramatic reality of how “even many years after the end of hostilities, these insidious devices continue to cause terrible suffering to civilians, especially children, creating a further sense of fear that disrupts livelihoods and hinders reconciliation, peace and integral development”, resulting in a number of victims that has been increasing in recent years. The question that the Pontiff addresses to those present at the Conference and to the entire international community is how many more innocent people “will be forced to bear the scars of conflict”. Human lives that are sacred and whose disappearance causes the loss of all humanity.
Stop the production and use of explosive devices
Hence, the call to all States to adhere to the Convention, to stop the production and use of these devices and to “fully implement the Convention, fulfil their commitments with renewed urgency and perseverance and strengthen international cooperation and solidarity”, otherwise “any delay or setback will inevitably increase the human cost”.
The role of the Catholic Church
The message then expresses the Pope’s gratitude to all those who work dangerously in mine clearance, to NGOs and governmental organisations that provide assistance to victims and their loved ones. Among these organisations, Francis explains, “there is a significant number of religiously inspired associations: without their networks of solidarity, in many places people would be abandoned to their fate”. The Catholic Church, the Pope assures, “remains resolutely committed to helping victims and contributing to world peace”. He hopes that the Conference, “inspired by the noble objectives of the Convention, will become an important step towards a world free of mines and guarantee truly comprehensive and reparative assistance to victims.”
