A Cut Trident CND banner on Waterloo Bridge pictured in 2011 Duncan Harris/flickr.com
Britain’s nuclear deterrent, Trident, should be abolished and the money saved used elsewhere – that’s the verdict of leaders from three of Britain’s biggest Churches. The call comes in the run up to Peacemaking Sunday, which runs on September 21.
Steve Hucklesby, speaking on behalf of Baptists Together, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, said: “Trident is a product of the Cold War era and we believe that it cannot meet the security needs of our world today.
“The Humanitarian Consequences Conference in Vienna in December is one of a number of international initiatives that is set to change the way we think about nuclear weapons.
“The Government’s proposed spending on Trident – of £100 billion over the next 30 years – is out of step with the developing international consensus.
“It’s clear that the enormous sums of money earmarked for Trident would divert resources from other pressing priorities, such as addressing poverty at home and overseas, providing affordable and energy efficient homes, and investing in health and education.”
It’s likely that Peacemaking Sunday will have a special significance this year; not only because 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, but also as a result of the wars being waged across the Middle East and elsewhere in the world today.
Earlier this month, senior Church leaders joined with leaders of other faith groups for a vigil at Westminster Abbey in solidarity with all minorities suffering in Iraq. The Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Churches have issued calls to prayer relating to the ongoing crisis in Iraq and Syria.
