Dear Friends and Colleagues,
During our recent Annual Convention in Milwaukee last weekend, I was invited to listen to a talk given by Archbishop John Wester, of Santa Fe, to the contemplative practice community at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Archbishop Wester spoke about the grave threat to our global community posed by our nuclear armament stockpiles, especially in the light of the heightening tensions between Russia, China, and the Western powers who are in possession of nuclear arms. He addressed me personally, as i had told him that i was attending our annual convention of Catholic theologians in Milwaukee, 400 strong, with open hearts and open minds, and he requested me to relay this message:
"Please consider, as among your tasks in theological reflection and education, calling attention to the current situation of our global community under threat of a cataclysmic disaster that can wipe out our lives and our entire future, should a nuclear war were to ensue. Please take steps to alert our fellow global citizens to the urgency of our task of putting a stop to this foolhardy way of conducting ourselves."
He reminds us that Pope Francis himself has taken this up as an urgent issue, warning of an "increasing risk of a nuclear conflagration," and condemning the very possession of nuclear weapons, calling on all of us to move toward a nuclear-free world. https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2017-12/news/pope-condemns-having-nuclear-weapons
Archbishop Wester has issued a Pastoral Letter to this effect, which may be accessed through this link: https://archdiosf.org/living-in-the-light-of-christs-peace
With warmest wishes, and with untold gratitude to all for the many gifts received during our recent gathering in Milwaukee,
Sincerely,
Ruben
(Ruben L.F. Habito, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, Dallas, Texas)
