12 September 2014
Churches campaign for abolition of Trident ahead of Peacemaking Sunday
- Resources for Peacemaking Sunday available here
As diplomatic initiatives gather pace to build a framework for a
nuclear-weapon-free world, three British Churches are reiterating
their call for the abolition of Trident. The call comes in advance
of Peacemaking Sunday, which falls on 21 September this year.
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.
The Peacemaking resources prepared by the three denominations centre on the theme 'The politics of praying for peace' and include prayers of confession and intercession together with sermon ideas, such as 'What good does forgiveness do?'