Pope Francis expressed support for the nuclear deal between Iran and the 5+1, further emphasizing the need for a ban on all nuclear weapons.
The Pope said of the Iran/5+1 agreement in his UN General Assembly address: “The recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in a sensitive region of Asia and the Middle East is proof of the potential of political goodwill and of law, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy.”
He added: “There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons … with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons.”
The remarks came a day after the Pope was welcomed by the U.S. Congress, which has been mostly critical of the Iran/5+1 deal and even attempted to vote it down.
Pope Francis went on to say: “I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved.”
The Pope had harsh words for the persistent economic and social inequality in the world, saying: “A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.”
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church is also set to lead an inter-religious prayer at the site of the September 11 attack in lower Manhattan.
This year, as the UN is celebrating its seventieth anniversary, the General Assembly has drawn an unprecedented number of world leaders.
