On the 80th Anniversary of the Trinity Nuclear Test

Statement from Religions for Peace’s International Executive Committee

16 July 2025

As we mark the 80th anniversary of the Trinity Nuclear Test, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.

On 16 July 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert of New Mexico, humanity crossed a perilous threshold with the first-ever detonation of a nuclear weapon. Known as the Trinity Nuclear Test, this unprecedented act carried out without the informed consent of nearby Indigenous and rural communities set into motion an era of unparalleled existential risk. Merely three weeks later, atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, claiming over 200,000 civilian lives.

We remember the Trinity Test not only as the first detonation, but as a symbol of the enduring trauma, environmental devastation, and ethical failure associated with nuclear weapons.

Faith-Based Advocacy for Disarmament

Religious communities worldwide have long spoken with a unified voice in calling for nuclear disarmament. While we acknowledge that not all religious traditions interpret nuclear disarmament in the same way, Religions for Peace has, since its founding in 1970, stood firm in promoting disarmament as an ethical and spiritual imperative—not a political stance. We also acknowledge that true disarmament is an evolving process. Yet, we remain resolute: the path to sustainable peace cannot be paved with weapons capable of annihilation. Nuclear disarmament is more than a strategic objective—it is a moral necessity. Arms that threaten entire civilizations have no place in our common future. Across our faith traditions, we affirm the sanctity of life, the pursuit of justice, and the call to peace.

Our Legacy of Action

For over five decades, Religions for Peace has stood at the forefront of global advocacy for nuclear disarmament. Through our landmark Arms Down! Campaign, we mobilized over 20 million signatures – delivered to the United Nations – in a historic demonstration of the power of faith-based grassroots action. We continue to equip religious leaders and communities with practical tools, including the 2017 Nuclear Ban Treaty Negotiation Handbook and Resource Guides on Nuclear Disarmament, to strengthen advocacy from the ground up.

We are also proud to have stood alongside hibakusha—the survivors of nuclear attacks and testing—and to partner with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to advance our shared vision of a nuclear-free world.

As early as 2015, Religions for Peace joined with parliamentarians and mayors to co-author the landmark statement, A Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: Our Common Good, commemorating the 70th anniversary of atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and celebrating the founding of the United Nations 70 years ago. The statement reaffirmed that “the abolition of nuclear weapons is a common good of the highest order,” and called on world leaders to replace deterrence with shared security and sustainable peace.

Religions for Peace has also played a critical role at the United Nations contributing to meetings of the States Parties to the TPNW such as those at the 2023 and 2025, while actively engaging with key disarmament bodies, such as the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, UN Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament.

A Renewed Call to Action

In 1970, the Kyoto Declaration at our First World Assembly warned “Man’s continued existence on this planet is threatened with nuclear extinction.” That warning rings even more urgent today.

Although only nine nations possess nuclear arsenals, seven are currently entangled in high-stakes tensions or armed conflict. The recent attacks on alleged nuclear facilities in Iran are a grim reminder of the global nuclear apartheid and illustrates how quickly conventional warfare can escalate into nuclear catastrophe. While global consensus in favor of disarmament is growing, progress remains stalled. Nearly 12,500 nuclear warheads still exist today, and massive investment in modernization continues—while human and moral considerations are absent from dominant security narratives.

Now is the time for united moral courage. We call on people of all faiths and goodwill to raise their voices for nuclear de-escalation and to champion policies rooted in human dignity and shared security.

Let the memory of the Trinity Test deepen our resolve. Let it remind us of what is at stake, and what is still possible when we act together for peace. In this spirit, we urge all nations to support the universalization of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as a concrete and essential pathway toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

As we affirm that ethics know no exceptions, we express our deep concern over the continued possession of nuclear arsenals by certain states and entities outside the framework of international treaties—particularly those that have not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or have not subjected their programs to transparent international oversight. This includes states and entities that maintain nuclear capabilities without accountability, undermining global trust and reinforcing a culture of double standards. A just and lasting peace requires equal treatment of all nations under international law and the universal, non-discriminatory application of disarmament principles. And we shall all be safer in a world rid of nuclear weapons within the framework of the Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Religions for Peace is the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, dedicated to advancing common action among religious communities for peace. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in New York City, Religions for Peace works globally through a network of over 90 national and regional Interreligious Councils (IRCs), as well as networks of religious women and youth acting at local, regional, and national level. 

For more information contact: press@rfp.org