The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and the Catholic Bishops of Scotland have issued a jointstatement, calling on the UK "to forsake its nuclear arsenal" and use the savings "to alleviate the suffering of the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society, for the Common Good of all peoples." Issued in view of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons' coming into force on 22 January 2021, the statement urges support for the instrument -- which currently has 86 signatory states and 51 states-parties, none of them declared nuclear powers -- and implores the UK government to strengthen arms control regulations, "tackling the manufacture and sale of other weaponry, which continues to destroy so many lives throughout the world." The bishops' statement also quotes Pope Francis’s message to the United Nations, in which the Holy Father says complete elimination of nuclear weapons is a “moral and humanitarian imperative." The full text of the statement may be found below.