On November 10-11, the Vatican hosted a major symposium entitled “Prospects for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament.” The event featured NATO and UN officials, representatives of nuclear powers, Nobel Peace Prize winners, and a handful of scholars and academics, including CPN's Gerard Powers. The event focused on support for the UN Nuclear Weapons ban, and Pope Francis denounced the moral problem of not only the use but also the possession of nuclear weapons, arguing that the stockpiling of nuclear arms "creates noting but a false sense of security" and wears away at the potential for genuine solidarity.