Pope Benedict XVI, praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at Castel Gandolfo on 29th July 2007, urged nuclear disarmament, suggesting that resources thus saved could be used to help the poor.

Recalling the second article of the agency’s statutes, the Holy Father observed that among its objectives, this U.N. agency seeks “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world.”