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Christian CND - 'an important witness for a nuclear-free world'

  • Ellen Teague

More than 90 people joined an online meeting on 12 July to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CCND). Catholic peace campaigners were there in force, including Bruce Kent, Valerie Flessati, Pat Gaffney, Fr Rob Esdaile, Ann Farr and Joan Sharples. Several members of the Executive of the National Justice and Peace Network were also present, including the Chair and Vice Chair, Paul Southgate and Anne Peacey. A keynote speaker summed up the feeling of the meeting by saying CCND has been "an important witness for a nuclear-free world."

Revd Tony Miles spoke first from Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, where the historic first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was held in January 1946, and which saw the first resolution passed calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons. He spoke about many Christians supporting CND as part of their vocation.

Bruce Kent and Valerie Flessati gave highlights of CCND campaigning. We saw photos from a 1970 vigil: 'Stop pollution at Porton', the British research establishment for chemical and biological warfare. In 1972 the international community reinforced the post-World War 1 ban on chemical and biological weapons. Then a photo from 1973 of Easter protests at Faslane, the Scottish home of Britain's nuclear weapons, showing an exorcism service. "Christians brought into CND a new way of looking at things, naming the evil of nuclear weapons for what it is, and applied Church tradition, our symbols and liturgical drama to nuclear weapons," said Valerie. In the 1980s, Christian CND assembled several thousand people to surround the Ministry of Defence in London, where preparations were and are made for nuclear war. Speakers at events over the years have included Fr George Zabelka, the peacemaker who did an about-face on nuclear weapons some years after serving as a chaplain to the US air crew who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and giving them his blessing. She said, "it has been a privilege to work alongside those inspirational people."

One participant said, "I will never forget Bruce turning up at Greenham Common - the site of cruise missiles - to bring chocolates and some warming Scottish 'water of life' during the biblical 40 days of rain after the caravans were evicted in September 1982, and many times after that!" Bruce Kent was the general secretary of CND from 1980 to 1985 and is today an honorary vice-president.

Marie Dennis of Pax Christi International spoke about the Vatican and nuclear weapons, and the role of Pax Christi. "For a long time the Vatican called for nuclear disarmament but was ambivalent about nuclear deterrence," she said'; "it is Pope Francis who has profoundly questioned the moral justification for nuclear deterrence and this is a shift in Catholic teaching." The Holy See participated actively in negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and was among 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption in 2017. The Holy See signed the TPNW when it opened for signatures on 20 September 2017 and deposited the Holy See's instrument of ratification on the same day, making the Holy See the first state to ratify the treaty. Pope Francis condemns the possession of as well as the threat to use nuclear weapons. Marie said, "Pax Christi International has been working for nuclear disarmament since we were founded over 75 years ago. we are strongly supportive of the TPNW and every other move toward abolition and we are active members of ICAN - the International Campaign to abolish nuclear weapons."

Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal, the Methodist Honorary President of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, felt CCND has been "an important witness for a nuclear-free world." And singled out Bruce Kent as "a great inspiration." He was disappointed about the UK Government's position on keeping hold of nuclear weapons and even increasing numbers of weapons recently. He described nuclear expenditure as, "scandalous, especially in a world with widespread hunger." He felt the ministry of Christ is, "hospitality and healing not harming and hurting," adding that, "war is an outdated approach to resolving tensions" and "peacemaking is not a soft option for it needs hard listening and conversation." He urged anti-nuclear campaigners, "always to keep hope alive, sustained by the spirit of God."

He concluded with, "we cannot support violence as a means of building a better world."

The Church of England Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, reflected that the British government, as a nuclear weapons state, "is in contravention" of UN multilateral initiatives against nuclear weapons. "Nuclear weapons are not only immoral but illegal" he said; "from a fiscal angle there are better things to spend money on and from a military angle nuclear weapons are no use." He underlined that the most basic human instinct is love, "and Christians must witness to the peace of God which passes all understanding."

Participants heard a new 60th anniversary hymn by Sue Gilmurray and Christopher Idle, 'Let us raise our voice' and prominent on the images used to illustrate it were Patricia and Michael Pulham. They have been involved since the early 1980s and are Catholic activists in the CCND Executive. "What impressed us about CCND was the way the campaign was built around the Church Calendar," they said after the commemoration. These included the first Peace Pentecost they attended at Upper Heyford and Ash Wednesday at the Ministry of Defence alongside Pax Christi. They have been involved in interfaith prayers outside the United Nations Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty and regular visits to London Embassies, calling countries to account on their defence and disarmament policies.

The Pulhams reflected this week: "Our hopes for the future are obviously that nuclear weapons become a thing of the past, and that as a way to achieve this, our Government engages with the TPNW, and certainly does not increase its warhead numbers. We hope that peacemaking and a Nuclear Weapons-Free world become a recognised part, not only of the leadership of the Christian Churches, but of their congregations too."

LINK

Christian CND - https://christiancnd.org.uk/

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