The world is on the “brink” of nuclear war, Pope Francis warned on Monday, as he set off on a trip to Chile and Peru that threatens to become overshadowed by sexual abuse scandals.“Yes, I am really afraid. We are on the brink. We only need an accident to trigger war,” Francis said in in-flight comments to reporters, as quoted by the ANSA news agency.
“If we go on like this, the situation risks precipitating.
So, we need to destroy the weapons and to strive for nuclear disarmament,” he added.
The pope’s appeal came as North and South Korea held working-level talks on Monday, raising hopes that months of rising tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes may be easing.
Francis said Jan. 10 that the global community must “support every effort at dialogue” with North Korea.
Francis was expected to arrive in the capital Santiago de Chile late on Monday, and to travel on Thursday to neighbouring Peru, where an earthquake killed one person and injured dozens on Sunday.