{"id":119265,"date":"2026-07-27T18:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T22:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schillerinstitute.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/letter-to-archbishop-john-wester-to-urge-pope-leo-xiv-to-call-for-a-peace-conference\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T22:23:10","slug":"letter-to-archbishop-john-wester-to-urge-pope-leo-xiv-to-call-for-a-peace-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schillerinstitute.com\/de\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/letter-to-archbishop-john-wester-to-urge-pope-leo-xiv-to-call-for-a-peace-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter To Archbishop John Wester, To Urge Pope Leo XIV to Call for a Peace Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following Letter to US Archbishop John Wester to Appeal to Pope Leo XIV to Call for a Peace Conference was sent on July 24, 2026. The Letter was initiated by Jack Gilroy in the International Peace Coalition meeting # 162, July 10, and has been endorsed by many individuals and organizations, expressing great urgent concern about the growing danger of nuclear war. Circulation of the Letter will continue over the coming days to galvanize increasing support for this Appeal.<\/em><\/p>\n

July 24, 2026<\/p>\n

Most Reverend John C. Wester, D.D.<\/p>\n

Archdiocese of Santa Fe<\/p>\n

Dear Archbishop Wester:<\/p>\n

Congratulations on being named Pax Christi USA\u2019s Teacher of Peace for 2026! It is such a well-deserved honor. Ever since your first trip to Japan and your pastoral letter, \u201cLiving in the Light of Christ\u2019s Peace: A Conversation toward Nuclear Disarmament,\u201d you have become a leading voice for the abolition of nuclear weapons in the Catholic Church and throughout the U.S. Establishing the \u201cPartnership for a World without Nuclear Weapons\u201d has extended that reach even farther. We are so pleased that you will be receiving this award in the coming months.<\/p>\n

As you know, the threat of nuclear war seems to be increasing daily despite the 100 nations that have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), 75 of whom have also ratified it. This year\u2019s Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference was a disappointment once again. New START was allowed to expire. Russia, the U.S., and Israel, all nuclear states, are at war. Finland\u2019s president recently signed legislation to allow the import and transit of nuclear weapons. And Lithuanian leaders are said to have agreed to amend the constitution to allow Lithuania to host nuclear weapons in the future.<\/p>\n

In short, we are getting as close to nuclear war as we were during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. That crisis ended with diplomacy that saved the planet, and Pope John XXIII was a key figure in making that happen. His influential role is not well known, but it was he who spoke out to set the needed moral tone that helped each side to act for peace.<\/p>\n

This is how it developed: In fall 1962, Journalist Norman Cousins convened in Andover, Massachusetts, an informal discussion group of Soviet and American academicians. Providentially, they met on October 22<\/strong>, the evening Kennedy addressed the nation on the Soviet nuclear missile threat in Cuba and ordered the Navy to intercept any additional shipments.<\/p>\n

Included among those invited by Cousins was a Vatican adviser to Pope John XXIII, Rev. Felix Morlion. He asked if a papal intervention might help defuse the situation. Cousins phoned the White House; a Soviet member of the informal group phoned Moscow. Both got a nihil obstat<\/em>. Fr. Morlion notified the Vatican.<\/p>\n

On October 25<\/strong>, Vatican Radio broadcast a strong appeal by Pope John for peace to world leaders, in particular Kennedy and Khrushchev. It stated in part: \u201cWith your hand on your conscience may each one hear the anguished cry which is raised to the skies from all parts of the earth: Peace, peace! We renew this solemn plea today.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Pravda <\/em>immediately printed the Pope\u2019s message with a banner headline. And on October 28<\/strong>, when Khrushchev announced the pull-out of the missiles from Cuba, Pravda<\/em> reprinted the Pope\u2019s message, praising the Pope\u2019s \u201crealism on the question of peace.\u201d In turn, the United States withdrew missiles from Turkey. Hundreds of millions gave a sigh of relief, and negotiations between the U.S. and the USSR led to the first nuclear test ban in 1963.<\/p>\n

Weeks later, Khrushchev told Cousins how much he admired Pope John, saying: \u201cDuring that week of the Cuban missile crisis the Pope\u2019s appeal was a real ray of light. I was grateful for it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Several years after that, Khrushchev\u2019s son Sergey said that the words of Pope John XXIII were strongly persuasive on the consciences of people, especially those of his father and Kennedy.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, we were thinking it might be time for something similar to happen today. Might Pope Leo XIV call for a Peace Conference to withdraw nuclear weapons from the Russian border and call for the abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide? He already suggested something along these lines at the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when he prayed that those bombings would \u201cserve as a call to the international community to renew its commitment to pursuing lasting peace for our whole human family \u2014 \u2018a peace that is unarmed and disarming\u2019\u201d Perhaps the Vatican or another neutral location such as Vienna or Geneva could be the venue.<\/p>\n

Would you be able to help bring this recommendation to Pope Leo? We believe you, as a strong and highly-respected advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons, would be the ideal diplomat to encourage Pope Leo to bring Heads of State Putin, Trump, and Xi Jinping together to plan an end to nuclear weapons and to pave a new road of economic conversion from a war economy to economic development for all people everywhere. Your intercession and the strong leadership of Pope Leo could move us away from the sheer madness we are now experiencing.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

Jack Gilroy<\/strong>, Pax Christi New York State Council; Veterans For Peace;
Ban Killer Drones; International Peace Coalition of the Schiller Institute<\/p>\n

Rosemarie Pace, <\/strong>Ed.D., PCNYS Coordinator; USA Palestine Solidarity Working Group; Pax Christi International Sudan Working Group<\/p>\n

In collaboration with The Pax Christi New York State Council<\/em><\/p>\n

Pax Christi USA (PCUSA) Teacher of Peace Honorees who have endorsed this letter:<\/em><\/strong> (See more on these in the complete listing of endorsements below.)<\/em><\/p>\n