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Campaigners say keep arms dealers out of Church House


On Ash Wednesday, Church House Conference Centre, which houses the administrative headquarters of the Church of England, once again hosted a military think tank, ignoring the calls from Christians to stop doing business with the organisation.

The think-tank, called RUSI (Royal United Services Institutes) is heavily funded by the arms industry. Its research and events are sponsored by, among others, AWE (responsible for delivering the Trident warheads) BAE Systems, Eurofighter, Finmeccanica, Lockheed Martin, MBDA missiles, Raytheon and Thales.

The Church of England has an ethical investment policy which rules out all the above companies. The Church earns money by hiring out part of Church House as a conference centre, so their ethical investment stance is compromised by benefiting financially from the arms trade, through hiring the venue to RUSI. It also lends its image and a veneer of legitimacy to the arms trade, by allowing them to do business in what the public see as a church building.

Christians have been trying to communicate with Church House, asking them to stop hosting events these events. In June the annual 'Land Warfare Conference', which attracts big arms sponsorship will be held at Church House.

Author and activist Symon Hill said: "Jesus said that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. By hosting events sponsored by arms dealers, Church House Conference Centre is sending a clear message that they are happy to profit from those selling weapons to the dodgiest regimes."

Emma Anthony from the Fellowship of Reconciliation says,: "It seems ironic, crude even, that on the day we're reminded of our own death and prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus, the administrative headquarters of the Church of England hosts an event sponsored by the world's biggest weapons manufacturers, to prepare for war and plan the deaths of thousands of civilians throughout the world."

A petition to Justin Welby, Archbishop of Cantebury, urging him to speak up against these conferences, can be found at www.caat.org.uk/get-involved/act-now/petition/church-house

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