For months Sisters Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert have worked together with a coalition of partner organizations, representing one hundred countries-all as part of ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
On Friday– ICAN was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. ICAN received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its role in achieving a historic nuclear weapon ban treaty and its work “to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.”
Ardeth Platte, OP and Carol Gilbert, OP joined iCAN, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and representatives from 120 countries.
Uniting efforts with NGOs, victims, thought leaders and government leaders– multigenerational, ecumenical, and diverse across many spectrum– they have endeavored to unveil, name, and remind the world about the known human and ecological damage caused by the use and testing of nuclear devices. In recent years the vision and voice of a few grew to a vision and voice of the many, culminating in the collaborative coordination and voice of ICAN.
The United Nations, with the backing of 122 countries, adopted a legally binding multilateral agreement for nuclear disarmament on July 7. The pact– which outlaws nuclear weapons and lays out a plan to eliminate them– would become law 90 days after at least 50 countries ratify it. To date, 53 countries have signed; three have ratified it. No countries possessing nuclear warheads have supported it including the United States, North Korea, and Russia.
Srs. Ardeth and Carol have been working with ICAN throughout the year in support of the treaty. And our Sisters continue working to build awareness of the issue.
- “We feel what’s going on is systemic crime… as the vast amounts of money spent on nuclear proliferation could be used instead to help the poor,” said Sister Ardeth Platte in a recent interview with The Gazette. Read the article Nuns peacefully push for peace at Colorado Springs Air Force base
- Nuclear weapons: immoral, illegitimate, illegal October 10, 2017 ICAN statement to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, 10 October 2017 https://www.icanw.org/campaign-news/nuclear-weapons-immoral-illegitimate-illegal/
Photos from Dialogue at the United Nations July-Aug 2017
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The Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids established a stance in 2007 to call upon the United States government to lead the way for global abolition of nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction. The stance states: We call upon the United States government to lead the way for global abolition of nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction by adopting a plan to lock down, dismantle, reduce, and eliminate nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction. We believe all creation, including Earth itself, to be sacred and we stand in witness to the triumph of life over death, love over hatred, and hope over fear.
Photos by UN Photographer Ralf Schlesener
