Pope Leo urges Russia and US to renew last nuclear arms treaty

VATICAN CITY, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Wednesday urged leaders in Russia and the United States to renew their last arms control treaty, New START, which caps the number of strategic nuclear weapons deployed by each country.

Leo, the first U.S. pope, said during his weekly audience at the Vatican that the current world situation "calls for doing everything possible to avert a new arms race."

"I issue an urgent appeal not to let this instrument lapse," said the pope. "It is more urgent than ever to replace the logic of fear and distrust with a shared ethic, capable of guiding choices toward the common good."