December 20, 2022
His Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City
Your Holiness,
Greetings from the grouping of Political and Social Leaders of the World to Stop the Danger of Nuclear War, initiated by the Schiller Institute in Germany.
We have met on three occasions to discuss the impending danger of nuclear war and global Armageddon resulting from the war between Ukraine and Russia, with a view to taking whatever action necessary to stop the war and to bring peace. On 17 November 2022, our group issued a Declaration to Stop the Threat of Nuclear War, signed by legislators and former legislators from Latin America, the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa.
In that declaration, we highlighted Your Holiness’s call for a negotiated, peaceful solution. We further welcome Your Holiness’s offer of the Vatican as a possible neutral ground for peace talks – without any preconditions – between Russia and Ukraine. Our group wishes to support this initiative in any way we can, including gathering together all who wish for peace and the prevention of nuclear war.
We note that others in Europe and the United States have also offered venues for the Russian and Ukrainian leadership to negotiate peace. We believe it is urgent to unify all such efforts into a globe-spanning movement to bring resolution to this conflict, taking into consideration the valid security interests of all parties.
In that spirit, we hereby sign this letter to indicate that support, and call on other political and social leaders around the world, regardless of differences in ideology or religious faith, to add their signatures as well.
We intend to convene a Fourth Seminar of Political and Social Leaders of the World to Stop the Danger of Nuclear War in early 2023 to further this push for peace and to stop the danger of nuclear war, and we extend an invitation to a representative from the Vatican to attend.
INITIATING SIGNERS | ||
Donald Ramotar | Guyana | Former President |
Dr. Kirk Meighoo | Trinidad & Tobago | Former Senator |
Helga Zepp-LaRouche | Germany | Founder, Schiller Institute |
Diane Sare | United States | Candidate for U.S. Senate from New York State |
Karl Kroekel | Germany | Founder, “Craftsmen for Peace” |
Dr. Rodolfo Ondarza Rovira | Mexico | Former member, Mexico City Legislative Assembly |
Nick Brana | United States | Chair, People’s Party |
Maria de los Ángeles Huerta | Mexico | Former Congresswoman |
ADDITIONAL SIGNERS | ||
Tse Anye Kevin | Africa | Vice President, State55, Afrika |
Dr. Smaine Djella | Algeria | Ph.D. in International Studies; Assistant Professor, University of Algeria; researcher, translator |
Enrique Juan Box | Argentina | Social communicator |
Roberto Fritzsche | Argentina | Professor, Dep’t of Economic Science, University of Belgrano |
Rubén Darío Guzzetti | Argentina | Professor, Argentine Institute of Geopolitical Studies |
Carlos Pérez Galino | Argentina | Lawyer |
Juan Francisco Numa Soto | Argentina | Legal counsel to Yacyretá Binational Entity; former professor of Constitutional Law, University of Buenos Aires |
Gustavo Russo | Argentina | Lawyer; Professor of Juridical Sciences |
Clive Ettia | Australia | Premium Science Trade |
Erich Fankhauser | Austria | International Associate, Peace through Culture Association |
Christian Dierick | Belgium | Engineer, International Science and Technology Collaboration |
Clinton Canul Luna | Belize | Columnist, Amandola newspaper |
Edwin de la Fuente Jeria | Bolivia | Former Commander in Chief, Bolivian Armed Forces |
Osman Vladimir Escobar Torrez | Bolivia | Human Rights Secretary, Bolivian Labor Confederation (COB) |
Max Yecid Ibáñez | Bolivia | Former Secretary of Grievance Resolution, National Federation of Electrical and Telephone Workers of Bolivia |
Jairo Dias Carvalho | Brazil | Professor of Philosophy of Technology, Federal University of Uberlândia |
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | Brazil | Journalist; Researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant. |
Raphael Machado | Brazil | Political analyst; president, Nova Resistência |
Paulo Augusto Pinho | Brazil | President, Association of Petrobras Engineers (AEPET) |
Gabriel Tincani Ramos | Brazil | President, Campinas chapter, Socialist Youth Union |
Renata Welinski Da Silva Seabra | Brazil | Former UNDP Executive Director, UN Global Compact Brazil; Ph.D. candidate in international environmental law – Belt and Road Initiative |
Lassane Ouedraogo | Burkina Faso/Ireland | Former Chairman, Board of Directors, Africa Solidarity Center, Ireland |
Julian Fell, Ph.D. | Canada | Biolgist; Co-Director Area F, Nanaimo Regional Government, British Columbia |
Sherri Lange | Canada | CEO, NA-PAW (North American Platform Against Wind Power); Vice President Canada, Save the Eagles International |
Enrique García Dubón | Costa Rica | Economist |
Enrique Ramírez Guier | Costa Rica | Biologist; consultant |
Alex Krainer | Croatia | Author, “Grand Deception: The Truth about Bill Browder, the Magnitsky Act, and Anti-Russian Sanctions” |
Gregory Caimares | Dominican Republic | Communicator, “Hora 22” TV program |
Ramón Emilio Concepción | Dominican Republic | Attorney at Law; Presidential Pre-candidate for PRM party (2020) |
Dr. Roque Espaillat | Dominican Republic | Physician, social activist |
Dante Ortiz Nuñez | Dominican Republic | Historian |
Msgr. Norberto Polanco Pérez | Dominican Republic | Missionary Archbishop, Fidelitas Vetero-Catholic Apostolic Church |
Rafael Reyes Jerez | Dominican Republic | Journalist |
Eddy Rafael Ruiz Peña | Dominican Republic | Certified Public Accountant |
Enrique Antonio Sánchez Liranzo | Dominican Republic | Lawyer, writer, poet |
Mario Brito | Ecuador | Journalist, author; former minister |
Ernesto Pazmiño Granizo | Ecuador | Human Rights Defender; Former Minister of Justice of Ecuador |
Alexis Ponce | Ecuador | Rights advocate, National Association of Patients and Vulnerable Families of Ecuador. |
Napoleón Saltos Galarza | Ecuador | Univeristy professor; former Legislator (Diputado) |
Jacques Cheminade | France | President, Solidarite et Progrès; former presidential candidate |
Col. Alain Corvez (ret.) | France | Consultant, International Strategic Affairs |
Gen. Dominique Delawarde (ret.) | France | Former French Liaison Officer with U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS |
Uwe Behrens | Germany | Logistics expert, author |
Dr. jur. Wolfgang Bittner | Germany | Author |
Joachim Bonatz | Germany | Vice President, East German Board of Trustees of Associations (Ostdeutschen Kuratoriums e.V.), Berlin |
Dr. Ole Doering | Germany/China | Professor of Philosophy, Culture and Ethics |
Jochen Gueniker | Germany | Spokesman, parish team of St. Aegidius, Mannheim-Seckenheim |
Holger Huettel | Germany | Chairman, Die Linke, Sangerhausen |
Prof. Dr. Karin Kulow | Germany | Professsor Emeritus of Middle East Political Sciences; conflict researcher, peace activist |
Fokko Muenck | Germany | Psychologist; peace researcher |
Maj. Florian D. Pfaff (ret.) | Germany | Spokesman, working group “Darmstaedter Signal” |
Rainer Sandau | Germany | Technical Director, Satellites and Space Applications, International Academy of Aeronautics (IAA) |
Prof. Wilfried Schreiber | Germany | Oberst a.d., Prof Dr. Phil et sc.oec.; Senior Research Fellow, World Trends Institute for Internationl Policy, Potsdam |
Michael von der Schulenburg | Germany | Former Deputy General Secretary of the United Nations for UN Peace Missions |
Bartholomew Chirapanga | Ghana | Legal advisor; language interpreter |
Dr. Panagiotis Ioannides | Greece | Member, International Academy of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Athens |
Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos | Greece | Ambassador ad honorem; Secretary General, Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (2006-2010) |
Raúl Aníbal Marroquín Casasola | Guatemala | “Pupil of Heaven” Citizens for Peace Observatory |
Beatriz Solórzano León | Guatemala | Lawyer; Parliamentary staff, Congress of Guatemala |
Otto René Quiñónes Carías | Guatemala | Former Congressman |
Jhonny Estor | Haiti | Founder, Renaissance Haiti |
Andrea Szego | Hungary | Former Professor of Economics |
Koushik Das | India | Journalist |
Dr. A. K. Merchant | India | Joint Secretary, Shanti Sahyog – Centre for Nonviolence & Peace |
Sam Pitroda | India/United States | Telecom/IT Innovator |
Zahra M. Ali | Iraq | Member, Iraqi Council of Representatives (Parliament) |
Saud Al-Saedi | Iraq | Member, Iraqi Council of Representatives (Parliament) |
Mustafa Jabbar Sanad | Iraq | Member, Iraqi Council of Representatives (Parliament) |
Mario Agostinelli | Italy | Trade unionist; Chairman, Fondazione Energia Felice; former General Secretary of CGIL, Sesto San Giovanni |
Alberto Arecchi | Italy | Architect; Art historian; Founder and President, Liutprand (a Northern Italian Cultural Association) |
Pino Arlacchi | Italy | Former Director, United Nations Drug Control Program; Professor of Sociology, University of Sassari |
Prof. Bruno Brandimarte | Italy | Professor (ret.), Applied Biophysics, Univ. of Rome, Tor Vergata |
Liliana Gorini | Italy | Chairwoman of Movisol |
Giancarlo Guaitani | Italy | Former mayor, Fara Gera d’Adda |
Maria Elena Lacquaniti | Italy | Coordinator, GLAM Globalization and Environment Commission |
Federica Mancini | Italy | Nuclear engineer, Atoms for Peace, Italy |
Pierangelo Monti | Italy | President, Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione (MIR), Italian branch of International Fellowship of Reconciliation |
Carlo Pettirossi | Italy/Germany | Nuclear engineer, Atoms for Peace, Italy |
Alessia Ruggeri | Italy | Comitato per la Repubblica |
Antonella Visintin | Italy | Member, Commission on Globalization and Environment, Protestant Federation |
Vincenzo Romanello, Ph.D | Italy/Czech Republic | Senior Nuclear Researcher and Project Manager, National Radiation Protection Institute (SURO) |
Sutou Shizuyo, Ph.D | Japan | Professor emeritus, School of Pharmacy, Shujitsu University |
Mohammed Peter Davis, Ph.D. | Malaysia | Biochemist; biotechnologist; architect; Consultant, deep tropical agriculture |
Adam Ouologuem | Mali | Washington D.C.-based journalist |
Celeste Sáenz de Miera | Mexico | Secretary Gerneral, Mexican Journalists Club |
Mouris Salloum | Mexico | Director General, Mexican Journalists Club |
Samo Fernando Soares da Manhiça | Mozambique | Executive Director, International Alliance for Development – Mozambique |
Prof. Bishnu Pathak | Nepal | Professor of Peace, Justice and Security Studies, TRANSCEND Peace University |
C. (Kees) le Pair, Ph.D | Netherlands | Physicist, Univ. of Leiden; Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |
Fletcher Glass | New Zealand | Property development |
Bolívar Tellez Castellón | Nicaragua | Lawyer; university professor |
Mahamadou Habou | Niger | Focal point, Lake Chad Basin youth network; young entrepreneur |
David Ajetunmobi | Nigeria | Trade union leader, auto sector |
Adeshola Kukoyi | Nigeria | Founder, Equilibrium Perspectives/University of Lagos |
Zubair Zubair | Nigeria | Human rights and youth advocate; radio host |
Thore Vestby | Norway | Former Member of Parliament |
Hassan Daud | Pakistan | Former Project Director, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) |
Shakeel Ahmad Ramay | Pakistan | CEO, Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development |
José Antonio Benllochpiquer Castro | Peru | Vice President, Christian Democratic Party of Peru |
Dr. Carlos Francisco Gallardo Neyra | Peru | President, Christian Democratic Party of Peru |
Dr. W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz | Poland | Philosopher; professor, University of Opole; former deputy mayor of Gdansk |
Andrzej Strupczewski, Ph.D | Poland | Professor; vice chairman, Environmentalists for Nuclear Power |
Vladimir Onoprienko | Russia | Member, Noosphere Public Academy of Sciences |
Mira Terada | Russia | Chairwoman, Foundation to Battle Injustice |
Prof. Blagoje Babić | Serbia | Member, Serbian Academy of Economic Science |
Natasa Milojevic | Serbia | Political scientist; former Member of Parliament |
Jozef Miklosko | Slovakia | Former Deputy Prime Minister, Czech and Slovak Federative Republic; former Slovak Ambassador to Italy |
Meshack Maxongo | South Africa | Leader, LaRouche South Africa |
Yim Sungbin | South Korea | President, FAVORs, Seoul |
Juan José Torres Núñez | Spain | Author, poet, free-lance journalist |
Thomas Pettersson | Sweden/Iraq | Senior Advisor, Civil and Human Rights |
Hussein Askary | Sweden/Iraq | Southwest Asia Coordinator, Schiller Institute |
Georg Koch | Switzerland | Retired social pedagogue; editor, “Schweizer Standpunkt” |
Lt. Col. (ret.) Ralph Bosshard | Switzerland | Swiss Armed Forces; consultant, military/strategic affairs |
Eyup Topkaya | Turkey | Political activist |
Bishop Lubega Geoffrey Bob | Uganda | Minister, Born Again Faith |
Dr. Yurii Sheliazhenko | Ukraine | Ph.D. in Law; Executive Secretary, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement |
Joseph Ali | United Kingdon/Guyana | Engineer |
Jenifer Chambers | United Kingdom | Social Activist |
Renato Corsetti | United Kingdom/Italy | Psycholinguist, esperantist |
Timothy Hardacre | United Kingdom | International lawyer |
Bernie Holland | United Kingdom | Head of Value Creation Collective |
Mike Robinson | United Kingdom | Editor, UK Column |
Dr. Athar Abassi | United States | Major, U.S. Army (Ret) |
David Andersson | United States | Co-Director, Pressenza IPA |
Archbishop Benjamin | United States | Orthodox Church in America, San Francisco |
Victoria Bingham | United States | Retired Intelligence Analyst; Russian linguist |
Meg Bowerman | United States | Pax Christi, Norther California chapter |
Lt. (ret.) Robert E. Branca | United States | U.S. Naval Reserve |
Pastor Hugo Berger | United States | Evangelical Church of the Good Shepherd, Brooklyn, NY |
Rev. Lawrence Bernard | United States | Chaplain, Poor Clare Monastery, Roswell, NM |
Lisa Bryce | United States | Opera singer; Ph.D., Music Education; Reverend |
Leslee Coady | United States | Pax Christi, Norther California chapter |
Father Ray Chase | United States | Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Baltimore, MD |
Marjorie Cohn | United States | Former president, National Lawyers Guild; Veterans for Peace Advisory Board |
Ronald M. Converse | United States | Retired Correctional Counselor; established pioneering Drug & Alcohol Recovery Program |
Arthur Dawes | United States | President of the Board, Pax Christi, Texas |
Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos | United States | Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |
Vinnie De Stefano | United States | National Organizing Director, Assange Defense |
John Droz | United States | Physicist |
Brian A. Earley | United States | Captain (ret.), U.S. Army |
Ed Ehmke | United States | Pax Christi, Northern California chapter |
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi | United States | Islamic House of Wisdom, Dearborn Heights, MI |
John Farrell | United States | Civil Engineer; Millwright |
Mike Ferner | United States | Formert National President, Veterans for Peace |
John Flynn | United States | U.S. Senate candidate from Connecticut, 2022; newly announced candidate 2024 |
Christopher and Mary Fogarty | United States | Irish Support Group (Chicago) |
Graham Fuller | United States/Canada | Former Vice Chair, National Intelligence Council of the CIA for Long Term Forecasting; writer, political commentator |
Hector E. Garcia | United States | Twin Cities Noviolent, MN |
Larry Gauthier | United States | Journalist; former member, Nebraska Democratic State Central Cttee; owner, Westphalian Publishing |
Laurent “Larry” Gilbert | United States | Veterans for Peace, Chapter 136, Florida; Former Mayor, Lewiston, Maine |
Jack Gilroy | United States | Pax Christi, Upstate New York |
Dr. Bennett Greenspan | United States | Past President of SNMMI (Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging), American College of Radiology |
Rev. John Gregory-Davis | United States | Meriden Congregational Church, UCC, Meriden, NH |
Ephraim Haile | United States/Eritrea | Eritrean Cultural & Development Center (ECDC); Eritrean Diaspora, Boston |
Joyce Hall | United States | Member, Board of Directors, Texas Pax Christi |
Stephen P. Hanley | United States | Retired school principal, Framingham, MA |
Cathy Helgason | United States | Professor of Neurology |
Jim Hogue | United States | Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, Vermont, 2020 |
Albert W. Holt | United States | Marine Corporal (ret.); former electrician |
Milla Ismailova | United States | Retired Russian Linguist |
Appo Jabarian | United States | Publisher, USA Armenian Life magazine |
Ivan I. Jones | United States | Former Board Member and Shop Steward, Local 783, AFSCME, Boston MA |
John S. Jones | United States | Ward 14 Democratic Committee, Boston, MA |
Frank Kartheiser | United States | Organizer, The Mustard Seed Catholic Community, Worcester, MA |
Robert Flash Kingsley | United States | Pastor, author |
Dr. George Koo | United States | Chairman, Burlingame Foundation; retired business consultant, U.S.-China relations |
Gerald W. Kopp | United States | Founding member, North Dakota Natural Farmers Association; former U.S. Congressional candidate |
Jeremy Kuzmarov | United States | Journalist, author |
Jack Lau | United States | Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI); Pax Christi, Northern California |
Nebojsa Malic | United States | Serbian-American journalist |
Joseph Marcinkowski | United States | Chair, Military & Foreign Policy Workgroup, Houston Peace and Justice Center |
David R. Meiswinkle, Esq. | United States | Former President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry |
Kevin Menne | United States | Podcast host, “Ask the Politician”, Cincinnati, OH |
Suzzanne Monk | United States | Chair, Patriot Action PAC |
James Moore | United States | Past president, Alaska Trollers Association; Executive committee for NSRAA and AKI (aquaculture) |
Al Mytty | United States | Florida coordinator, World BEYOND War |
Jeff Norman | United States | Founder, U.S. Tour of Duty; podcast host of “Ask the Inspector” and “Scenes from the Evolution” |
Tim O’Conner | United States | Broadcast jounalist; Chairman, Otsego County, NY, Libertarian Party |
Nestor Oginar | United States | Representative, World Macedonian Congress at the UN; Member, Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archepiscopy |
John OLoughlin | United States | author of “McDuff Lives!: The Life and Untimely Death of Thomas F. OLoughlin, Jr.” |
Andy Olson | United States | Farmer; former LaRouche Democrat candidate for Governor of Minnesota; and for U.S. Congress (2nd CD – MN) |
Daniel B. Ostrowski | United States | U.S. Army Captain (ret.); member, Polish Legion of American Vets, Post 169 |
Sue and Bud Ozar | United States | Retired educators; Co-founders, Friends of Kenyan Orphans; Lay Missioners, Samoa Islands and Kenya |
Lorin Peters | United States | Moderator, Northern California Pax Christi |
Jeffrey S. Philbin, Ph.D. | United States | Nuclear Engineer, nuclear weapon response, Albuquerque, NM |
Cynthia Pooler | United States | Broadcast journalist; peace activist, NY |
David T. Pyne | United States | Former U.S. Army HQ Staff Officer |
Earl Rasmussen | United States | Executive Vice President, Eurasia Center, Washington D.C. |
Tara Reade | United States | Author; Producer; former U.S. Senate Aide |
Derotha Ann Reynolds | United States | former Democratic candidate for Nevada House of Representatives |
David Rothauser | United States | Filmmaker, Veterans for Peace USA – Smedley Butler Brigade, Boston |
Karl Schmidt | United States | Broadcast journalist, NY |
Peter M. Schuller | United States | Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus |
Abbot Paul Mark Schwan, OCSO | United States | Abbey of Our Lady of Clairvaux, Vina, CA. |
John Shanahan | United States | Civil engineer; editor of website AllAboutEnergy.net |
John Calvin Smith | United States | Senior Project Engineer, Dams and Levees; Earthquake Geotechnical Engineer |
Marcia Sprinkle | United States | Member, Pax Christi; Deacon, Seventh Avenue Presbyterian, San Francisco, CA |
Steven Starr | United States | MPH, MT(ASCP)BB; Assistant Clinical Professor, Univeristy of Missouri |
Barbara Suhrstedt | United States | International concert pianist, retired; President, Board of Directors, Framingham Lomonosov Association for Mutual Exchange (F.L.A.M.E.) |
Stan Taylor | United States | Treasurer, Northern California Pax Christi |
Kathleen Temple | United States | Former pastor, Mennonite Church USA |
Bruce Todd | United States | Millwright Local 715 (ret.); former Independent candidate for Lt. Governor, New Jersey |
Archpriest John Tomasi | United States | Rector, Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of America), Marina del Rey, CA |
Dr. Mohammad A. Toor | United States | Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pakistani American Congress |
Bob Van Hee | United States | Commissioner, Redwood County, Minnesota |
Therese Mughannam-Walrath | United States | California member, NorCal Sabeel (North Coast Coalition for Palestine) |
Dr. Zaher Wahab | United States/Afghanistan | Professor of Education, Emeritus; Former Advisor, Afghanistan Ministry of Higher Education |
Mary Ellen Waite | United States | Maryknoll Affiliate, California |
Alan Waltar | United States | Past President, American Nuclear Society (ANS) |
Michael Wharton | United States | Pax Christi, Norther California chapter |
Ron Wieczorek | United States | Rancher; former LaRouche Independent Congressional and Gubernatorial candidate, South Dakota; food for Peace leader |
Tom Zawistowski | United States | President, We the People Convention |
Vivian Zelaya | United States | Pax Christi, Norther California chapter |
Andrés Ramón Giussepe Avalo | Venezuela | Former member, Latin American Parliament |
Emil Guevara Muñóz | Venezuela | Former member, Latin American Parliament |
Alberto Mendoza Urbina | Venezuela | Fundamaraisa Foundation |
César Mogollón | Venezuela | National Coordinator, Central Alliance of Venezuela |
Román Rojas Cabot | Venezuela | Former Ambassador of Venezuela to the European Community |
Piero Trepiccione | Venezuela | Coordinator, Network of Jesuit Social Centers in Latin America and the Caribbean |
Manuel Felipe Sierra | Venezuela | Journalist, political analyst, author, radio and television presenter |
Edgar Rodriguez Martínez | Venezuela | Coordinator, Commission for the Study of Comprehensive Human Development, Alberto Adriani Foundation |
Munashe Chiwanza | Zambia | Civil Engineer |