Yes—Catholic doctrine gives states a serious moral responsibility to pursue nuclear disarmament, understood as progressive, verifiable steps oriented toward the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. The Church does not present this as merely aspirational policy, but as a requirement flowing from its moral judgments about nuclear weapons and from the duty to build peace by effective disarmament rather than a “balance of terror.”1 2 3

1) What the Church teaches about nuclear weapons and peace

Catholic social teaching evaluates nuclear weapons in a way that directly pushes states toward disarmament:

• The Church proposes the goal of “general, balanced and controlled disarmament.”1
• It applies the principle of sufficiency: each state should possess only the means necessary for legitimate defense, which implies that excessive stockpiling cannot be morally justified.1
• The Magisterium adds that the supposed stability of deterrence is morally problematic:
  > “The arms race does not ensure peace… Policies of nuclear deterrence… must be replaced with concrete measures of disarmament based on dialogue and multilateral negotiations.”1
• Popes have consistently described deterrence by mutual fear as not a reliable basis for long-term peace, and as transitional only—meant to lead to disarmament and ultimately elimination of the atomic weapon.3 2
• John Paul II explicitly called for “a halt to the arms race, especially in nuclear weapons,” so as to prepare for real progress toward disarmament and peace.4

2) Does that become an “obligation” for states?

In Catholic moral theology, doctrine often identifies binding moral duties even when it leaves prudential details (how fast, by what sequencing, what verification mechanisms) to responsible authorities. Here, the moral direction is clear:

• The Church’s teaching does not merely say “it would be good.” It argues that nuclear-deterrence logic is morally defective and that it must be replaced by concrete disarmament measures—which is the kind of language Catholic ethics typically uses when it is describing what must be done, not merely hoped for.1
• The Holy See also frames the duty in terms of responsibility under the UN Charter: states, especially those with nuclear weapons, have a responsibility “to take effective collective measures for the preservation and removal of threats to peace,” and that responsibility “must extend to the elimination of nuclear weapons.”5
• In the specific context of preventing nuclear catastrophe, the Holy See has called for steps such as reducing operational readiness and adopting no-first-use policies as part of efforts to avoid nuclear war and move toward disarmament.6

So, while Catholic teaching may not spell out a single “yes/no” legal rule in the sense of a binding international-law mandate, it does establish that statesmen cannot treat nuclear disarmament as optional in conscience. They must work toward it because (a) nuclear weapons are morally gravely problematic and (b) the Church rejects deterrence as an ultimate “solution.”1 3

3) What kind of disarmament does the Church mean?

Catholic teaching emphasizes progressive, balanced, and verifiable disarmament, not sudden naiveté:

• Disarmament should be general, balanced, and controlled.1
• It should respect legitimate security via the sufficiency principle (states should not disarm in a way that destroys their legitimate defense needs).^{^12}
• The moral replacement of deterrence is “concrete measures of disarmament based on dialogue and multilateral negotiations.”1
• Popes also insist on mutual, progressive and verifiable reduction and greater safeguards against misuse, again linking disarmament with legitimate security.2

4) Key nuance: prudence and legitimate security still matter

Catholic doctrine recognizes that public authorities must act prudently:

• The Church supports disarmament while urging that the independence, freedom and legitimate security of each nation be respected.2
• Thus, the obligation is not “disarm unilaterally regardless of risks,” but rather a duty to work for real, effective disarmament that is consistent with legitimate defense—through dialogue, multilateralism, verification, and staged reduction.1 2

Conclusion

Catholic doctrine does obligate states morally to pursue nuclear disarmament, because the Church teaches that nuclear deterrence and the arms race do not truly secure peace and that deterrence must be replaced by concrete disarmament measures, oriented toward the elimination of nuclear weapons through progressive, balanced, controlled, verifiable steps.1 5 2