In a letter to President Obama, USCCB President Cardinal Francis George stated, "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) welcomes the signing of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and the Russian Federation."
           
“The horribly destructive capacity of nuclear arms makes them disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons that endanger human life and dignity like no other armaments. Their use as a weapon of war is rejected in Church teaching based on just war norms,”
           
Based on a moral imperative to rid the world of nuclear weapons, Cardinal George said the bishops will be steadfast supporters of strong and bipartisan action on the new START Treaty as an important and essential step toward a nuclear-weapons-free future.
           
In 1991, the first START treaty was signed by U.S. President Reagan and the Soviet Union.  That treaty limited the number of warheads and delivery vehicles each country could deploy.  Today the US and Russia still hold about 90 percent of all nuclear weapons, many of which are still on immediate alert status.

Catholics are asked to contact their Senators and urge them to give bipartisan support to the New START Treaty by visiting http://capwiz.com/catholicbishops/issues/alert/?alertid=14958456 or the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.