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ECHOING POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE in HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI…Stand with Pope Francis and Phila. City Council Supporting UN Nuclear Ban Treaty
November 23, 2019 @ 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm
ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS – SUPPORT THE UN NUCLEAR BAN TREATY!
Pope Francis Will Go to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in November
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-will-go-to-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-in-november/
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-will-go-to-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-in-november/
Holy See urges ratification of Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-10/holy-see-united-nations-auza-prohibition-nuclear-weapons.html
ECHOING POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE in HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI…
Stand with Pope Francis and Phila. City Council Supporting the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty (full text below
Saturday, November 23, Noon – 2:30p.m., Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral Basilica in Phila., head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Phila., 18th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia.
Banners, Signs provided, Bell-Tolling, and more.
First Public Reading of recently adopted Phila. City Council
in support of the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty.
in support of the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty.
Song, prayer, and reflection in repentance for all the victims of our nuclear “countdown”, and celebration of our circle of peace.
Join the Echo on the Parkway! Brandywine Peace Community, Catholic Peace Fellowship; Germantown Friends Meeting Working Group for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, Granny Peace Brigade Phila.
Other groups are encouraged to be listed as endorsers, please e-mail Brandywine Peace Community by this Monday, Nov. 18.
Possibility of a Presence with banners outside the Basilica during the Sunday Mass on Nov. 24, the day of the Pope’s Mass in Hiroshima, TBA!
Brandywine Peace Community
P.O. Box 29674, Phila., PA 19144
On October 31, 2019, Halloween 2019, Philadelphia City Council adopted by unanimous vote, Resolution No. 180322, supporting the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty]. Complete text of the resolution, signed by City Council president, Darrell L.Clarke, below
The Germantown Friends Meeting Working Group to Abolish Nuclear Weapons which scripted and organized the resolution’s appeal, gives thanks to city council person at-large, Helen Gym, and her wonderful staff, as well as the resolution’s co-sponsors, Squilla, Bass, and Green, for bringing the resolution to the floor.
Groups Listed as Endorsers of Phila. City Council Resolution Supporting UN Nuclear Ban Treaty.
*Asian Americans United *Brandywine Peace Community *Catholic Peace Fellowship *Coalition for Peace Action *Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends *Granny Peace Brigade Phila. *Greater Phila.. Branch of WILPF, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom *PA. Nuclear Ban Alliance *Phila. Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League *Phila. Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends *Physicians for Social Responsibility, Phila., PA *The Shalom Center *United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia *Veterans for Peace, Phila., Chapter 31
The resolution has become a significant part of a reawakening to the horror of nuclear weapons. Cities, towns, and municipalities across the U.S., alarmed by the facts of nuclear weapons and the threat of their use, are resolving to support the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty. For much more on this campaign visit Back from the Brink https://www.preventnuclearwar.org/
People are beginning to reawaken to the reality of a final nuclear darkness, with memories of mushroom clouds and the undeniable cataclysm of climate change, that looms unless we act to save ourselves, and, in the love of humanity, our children’s future.
We hope that your group will share the Phila. City Council resolution with your members and supporters, through website posting, e-mail distribution, and whatever outreach you have in order to build the movement to abolish nuclear weapons.
Melissa K. Elliott, clerk, Germantown Friend Meeting Working Group to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Robert M. Smith (staff organizer, Brandywine Peace Community), member, Germantown Friends Meeting.
Full text of the Philadelphia City Council resolution in support of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [also known as UN Nuclear Ban Treaty]
City of Philadelphia Council of the City of Philadelphia
Office of the Chief Clerk Room 402, City Hall Philadelphia
(Resolution No. 190841)
Office of the Chief Clerk Room 402, City Hall Philadelphia
(Resolution No. 190841)
RESOLUTION
Urging the United States of America’s federal government to enter the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons among all United Nations member states, to prevent the threat of nuclear war and devastating humanitarian consequences to Philadelphia and our international neighbors.
WHEREAS, Resolution No. 180322 adopted by this body on April 19, 2018, cautioned against the danger and potential harms of nuclear war and called on the United States Congress to prevent the President’s unilateral power to launch a nuclear first strike without receiving congressional or judicial approval; and
WHEREAS, Nuclear warheads are the most powerful weapons of mass destruction in our country’s military inventory with immense radioactivity consequences in the aftermath; and
WHEREAS, The United States, one of the global nuclear power states, has the second highest nuclear missile count and is not a signatory to or a member of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that requires nuclear disarmament and the prohibition of nuclear activities; and
WHEREAS, More than ninety percent of the world’s nuclear arms belong to the United States and Russia. Other countries known to hold the remainder of nuclear weapons are China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, Although the United States’ reduced its active nuclear weapons by more than 25,000 since the height of the Cold War, the United States still has almost 4,000 warheads in its arsenal, nearly half of which are programmed for short notice detonation; and
WHEREAS, Launching even one nuclear warhead could prompt a large-scale nuclear war, immediately kill millions of people, and cause irredeemable destruction to the world with potential casualties extending to worldwide climate disruption, global famine, species extinction, and immeasurable environmental damage from a ‘nuclear winter’; and
WHEREAS, Projections on the detonation of a 300-pound nuclear warhead with powers analogous to U.S. warheads over the City of Philadelphia would kill 280,000 and injure 450,000 people. The most massive U.S. warhead weighs over twenty times more at 6,200 pounds, threatening widespread obliteration of humanity and the earth; and
WHEREAS, The residents of Philadelphia, the birthplace of political freedom and independence in the United States, like all communities across the world, deserve to live a life free from the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear war; and
WHEREAS, Assurance by the United States government that nuclear arsenals will never be used are unreliable as under current law, the President has the sole authority to unilaterally initiate the use of nuclear weapons, global tensions escalate and nuclear-armed countries boldly taunt their nuclear power; and
WHEREAS, The taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, canceling the plan to replace the United States’ entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals will contribute to a more peaceful, secure, and stable global community; and
WHEREAS, The planned expenditure of about $500 billion over the next decade to maintain and enhance our nuclear arsenal, including developing and deploying new nuclear weapons and broadening the conditions for use, will not only increase the risk of nuclear disaster, but fuel a global arms race and divert crucial resources needed to fulfill domestic needs such as public education, healthcare, public transportation, and many more public institutions and common resources; and
WHEREAS, An alternative exists, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted by the United Nations in July of 2017 has been signed by 79 countries, and prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, transfer, use, and threat of use of nuclear weapons, and sets out procedures for nuclear-armed signatories to destroy their existing nuclear stockpile; and
WHEREAS, The United States signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons would spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first and end the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia hereby joins the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the cities of Baltimore, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Washington D.C. and the states of California, Maine, and New Jersey who all resolved that the United States sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, urges the United States of America’s federal government to enter the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons among all United Nations member states, to prevent the threat of nuclear war and devastating humanitarian consequences to Philadelphia and our international neighbors.
City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Philadelphia City Council will transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the United States Senators from Pennsylvania, each Congressional Representative from Philadelphia, and to the Governor of Pennsylvania, asking them to support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
City of PhiladelphiaCERTIFICATION: This is a true and correct copy of the original Resolution, Adopted by the Council of the City of Philadelphia on the thirty-first of October, 2019.
Darrell L. Clarke
PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Michael A. Decker
CHIEF CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Introduced by: Councilmembers Gym, Squilla and Green
Sponsored by: Councilmember Gym, Squilla, Green and Bass
___________________________________________________________
Endorsed by
Asian Americans United
Brandywine Peace Community
Catholic Peace Fellowship Philadelphia
Coalition for Peace Action
Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia Branch of WILPF, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Pennsylvania Nuclear Ban Alliance
Philadelphia Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League
Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Philadelphia, PA
The Shalom Center
United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
Veterans for Peace, Philadelphia, Chapter 31
Urging the United States of America’s federal government to enter the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons among all United Nations member states, to prevent the threat of nuclear war and devastating humanitarian consequences to Philadelphia and our international neighbors.
WHEREAS, Resolution No. 180322 adopted by this body on April 19, 2018, cautioned against the danger and potential harms of nuclear war and called on the United States Congress to prevent the President’s unilateral power to launch a nuclear first strike without receiving congressional or judicial approval; and
WHEREAS, Nuclear warheads are the most powerful weapons of mass destruction in our country’s military inventory with immense radioactivity consequences in the aftermath; and
WHEREAS, The United States, one of the global nuclear power states, has the second highest nuclear missile count and is not a signatory to or a member of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that requires nuclear disarmament and the prohibition of nuclear activities; and
WHEREAS, More than ninety percent of the world’s nuclear arms belong to the United States and Russia. Other countries known to hold the remainder of nuclear weapons are China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, Although the United States’ reduced its active nuclear weapons by more than 25,000 since the height of the Cold War, the United States still has almost 4,000 warheads in its arsenal, nearly half of which are programmed for short notice detonation; and
WHEREAS, Launching even one nuclear warhead could prompt a large-scale nuclear war, immediately kill millions of people, and cause irredeemable destruction to the world with potential casualties extending to worldwide climate disruption, global famine, species extinction, and immeasurable environmental damage from a ‘nuclear winter’; and
WHEREAS, Projections on the detonation of a 300-pound nuclear warhead with powers analogous to U.S. warheads over the City of Philadelphia would kill 280,000 and injure 450,000 people. The most massive U.S. warhead weighs over twenty times more at 6,200 pounds, threatening widespread obliteration of humanity and the earth; and
WHEREAS, The residents of Philadelphia, the birthplace of political freedom and independence in the United States, like all communities across the world, deserve to live a life free from the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear war; and
WHEREAS, Assurance by the United States government that nuclear arsenals will never be used are unreliable as under current law, the President has the sole authority to unilaterally initiate the use of nuclear weapons, global tensions escalate and nuclear-armed countries boldly taunt their nuclear power; and
WHEREAS, The taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, canceling the plan to replace the United States’ entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals will contribute to a more peaceful, secure, and stable global community; and
WHEREAS, The planned expenditure of about $500 billion over the next decade to maintain and enhance our nuclear arsenal, including developing and deploying new nuclear weapons and broadening the conditions for use, will not only increase the risk of nuclear disaster, but fuel a global arms race and divert crucial resources needed to fulfill domestic needs such as public education, healthcare, public transportation, and many more public institutions and common resources; and
WHEREAS, An alternative exists, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted by the United Nations in July of 2017 has been signed by 79 countries, and prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, transfer, use, and threat of use of nuclear weapons, and sets out procedures for nuclear-armed signatories to destroy their existing nuclear stockpile; and
WHEREAS, The United States signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons would spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first and end the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia hereby joins the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the cities of Baltimore, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Washington D.C. and the states of California, Maine, and New Jersey who all resolved that the United States sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, urges the United States of America’s federal government to enter the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons among all United Nations member states, to prevent the threat of nuclear war and devastating humanitarian consequences to Philadelphia and our international neighbors.
City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Philadelphia City Council will transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the United States Senators from Pennsylvania, each Congressional Representative from Philadelphia, and to the Governor of Pennsylvania, asking them to support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
City of PhiladelphiaCERTIFICATION: This is a true and correct copy of the original Resolution, Adopted by the Council of the City of Philadelphia on the thirty-first of October, 2019.
Darrell L. Clarke
PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Michael A. Decker
CHIEF CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Introduced by: Councilmembers Gym, Squilla and Green
Sponsored by: Councilmember Gym, Squilla, Green and Bass
___________________________________________________________
Endorsed by
Asian Americans United
Brandywine Peace Community
Catholic Peace Fellowship Philadelphia
Coalition for Peace Action
Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia Branch of WILPF, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Pennsylvania Nuclear Ban Alliance
Philadelphia Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League
Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Philadelphia, PA
The Shalom Center
United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
Veterans for Peace, Philadelphia, Chapter 31