Douglas Roche, an adviser to the Vatican on nuclear disarmament and the threat of nuclear weapons for more than two decades, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A former Canadian politician and ambassador from Canada to the United Nations Disarmament Commission, Roche was nominated by the International Peace Bureau in Geneva.
The organization, which is dedicated to ending all war, said its nomination was based on Roche’s devotion throughout his public life to disarmament.
“Aside from existing Nobel laureates, it is hard to think of a single individual who has worked as hard for disarmament as he, and with such persistence and determination, at the top levels of world politics,” the organization said on its website.
Roche has served as a member of the Vatican’s delegation to the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its preparatory meetings.
He also has worked alongside members of Pax Christi International and Pax Christi USA on disarmament efforts.
David Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA, told Catholic News Service he was excited by the nomination.
“He’s been an ally of Pax Christi,” Robinson said. “This is a big deal.”
The Nobel committee will announce its selection in the fall.
Filed under: CNS
