Church Leaders Unite in Opposition to Trident

Church leaders from across the denominations have reaffirmed their united opposition to Trident ahead of a major debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Tom Butler, called on MPs to take into consideration the concerns of the Church of England that upgrading Trident would conflict with the "spirit of the UK's obligations in international law and the ethical principles underpinning them".

The Catholic Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Rev Patrick O'Donoghue, meanwhile, summed up the opposition of the Catholic Church to Trident saying it had "always been clear that the strategy of nuclear deterrence can only be a step on the road to complete nuclear disarmament".

Bishop O'Donoghue said that the UK's continued possession of nuclear weapons was maintaining the 'balance of terror' and fuelling the development of nuclear weapon systems worldwide. He added, however, that the Government is "facing a unique moral and strategic opportunity to build a more peaceful world", as he called for the Government to fulfil its obligations to the Non-Proliferation Treaty by decommissioning the UK's existing nuclear weapons system.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, co-signed a letter encouraging all MPs to reject the renewal of Trident along with Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland, and Dr Idris Jones, the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Rev McDonald said: "£20 billion is an obscene amount to spend on nuclear weapons, but even if a Trident replacement cost nothing, we should still have nothing to do with it. Because it's wrong, morally, and theologically wrong."

The Scottish church leaders have been vocal in their opposition to the four Trident submarines based at Faslane, each with a holding capability of 16 missiles.

Rev McDonald said, "As Disciples of Christ, our calling is to be peacemakers in the world. There can be no place for weapons of mass destruction in the world that God loves so much."