The Catholic bishops of the United States and Japan have warned that rising nuclear threats and expanding modernization programs are weakening the global Non-Proliferation Treaty. The warning came in a joint April 27 statement during the Eleventh Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to OSV News.
The bishops, including church leaders from Seattle, Santa Fe, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, said that nuclear-armed states continue to expand arsenals instead of pursuing disarmament. Reports noted that growing investments in modernisation aim to retain nuclear weapons indefinitely. They also highlighted that this undermines decades of disarmament efforts despite long-standing non-proliferation measures.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres also raised concerns, noting that arms control frameworks are weakening. He cautioned that nuclear warhead numbers are increasing for the first time in decades and that testing is back on the table. He added that proliferation drivers are accelerating and called for renewed commitment to the Treaty.
According to the bishops, the nine nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea — have failed to meet their disarmament obligations. Data from the Federation of American Scientists shows that Russia holds about 5,420 of the world’s 12,331 nuclear warheads, while the United States holds about 5,042 as of 2026.
The bishops also cited moral guidance from Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, saying atomic deterrence is rooted in fear rather than justice. They expressed concern that recent diplomatic review talks have failed to produce concrete disarmament steps. However, they voiced hope for progress at the upcoming U.N. meeting on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, OSV News reported.