Bishops Urge Government to Decommission Nuclear Weapons

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has called upon the government to set an example to the international community by decommissioning its nuclear weapons. The call came one day before Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that a white paper on the issue will be published before Christmas.

In a statement released yesterday, the Bishops warned that the UK now stands at a "moral and strategic crossroads" on the issue of its nuclear weapons arsenal.

"The Church has always been clear in its teaching about the vital necessity for eventual total nuclear disarmament. Our judgement is that, by decommissioning its nuclear weapons, the UK now has a unique opportunity to offer the international community an approach to security and legitimate self-defence without the unconscionable threat of nuclear destruction.

"At the same time it could give a new impetus to the wider process towards total nuclear disarmament."

The Bishops appealed for "courageous leadership" from the government on the issue of nuclear arms renewal, which some critics fear is already a foregone conclusion.

"We recognise the government's grave responsibilities in these matters of security, both for our countries and the wider world. We urge the government to take a long-term view and act with courageous leadership by seeking to make this breakthrough towards total nuclear disarmament," they said.

The statement from the Bishops came just before Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed on Wednesday that a government white paper on Trident, Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, will be published before parliament rises on 19 December.

Tony Blair publicly expressed his support for Trident replacement saying that it was "important" the UK maintains its independent nuclear weapons system.

Meanwhile the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said that activity at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston - which includes building work costing £1bn - "suggests the decision to go ahead with a new generation of nuclear weapons has already been taken".