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Did the Catholic conference on nuclear weapons overlook Trident?


Catholic peace campaigners have welcomed the 'Colloquium on Catholic Approaches to Nuclear Proliferation and Disarmament' which took place in London this week. But they express their disappointment that the renewal of the Trident nuclear defence system, which will be voted for in Parliament this autumn, was apparently, not discussed at the conference and "no one working in this country for an end to nuclear weapons was invited to the closed seminar."

The following statement was issued by the Bishops' Conference press office this morning:

'On May 24th and 25th, 40 bishops, Catholic scholars, and policy specialists from nine countries gathered in London to identify issues that need to be addressed to create the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, especially largely unexamined theological and moral issues. The meeting, which included a public event as well as private meetings, also highlighted policy issues on which religious leaders and ethicists have a comparative advantage or can make a distinctive contribution.

In an effort to support and enhance this religious and moral voice, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales joined The Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Ladyton and The Rt Hon the Lord McFall of Alcluith, and the University of Notre Dame's London Global Gateway in hosting this Colloquium on Catholic Approaches to Nuclear Proliferation and Disarmament.

"The technical strategic debate about nuclear proliferation and disarmament is critically important, but it must be guided by moral considerations," said Cardinal Vincent Nichols (Westminster), President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW).

"Global leaders are responsible for the security of their citizens, but faith communities have a responsibility to engage when it comes to matters that challenge and threaten our humanity and indeed, our very survival," said Des Browne, the Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Ladyton, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and served as UK Secretary of State for Defence.

"The policy debate is ahead of the moral debate," noted Bishop Oscar Cantú (Las Cruces), the Chair of the US Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, in introducing the Colloquium. He added: "We need to educate and empower new generations of Catholic leaders on the ethical and policy arguments for reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons."

This London Colloquium is connected to a US initiative to revitalize Catholic engagement on nuclear proliferation and disarmament.

At the opening public event, held at the University of Notre Dame's Global Gateway, Maryann Cusimano Love of The Catholic University of America urged that "the Church and policymakers go beyond the debate on the ethics of nuclear deterrence and consider nuclear disarmament as a challenge of peacebuilding."

Noting the fact that crucial debates about nuclear weapons are largely confined to elites, Bishop Marc Stenger(Troyes), President of Pax Christi France, emphasized the need for Church leaders "to foster among the general public a broader awareness of the challenges to peace presented by nuclear weapons by providing space for an open dialogue on nuclear deterrence."

Colloquium participants included Bishop Stephan Ackermann (Trier), President of the German Commission for Justice and Peace; Bishop Werner Freistetter, Military Ordinary of Austria; Fr Bryan Hehir of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; Patricia Lewis of Chatham House; Sylvie Bukhari-de Pontual of the Catholic Institute of Paris; Bishop William Nolan (Galloway), President of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland; Bishop Declan Lang (Clifton), Chairman of the CBCEW's Department of International Affairs; Bishop Robert McElroy (San Diego) of the US Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace; Paolo Conversi of the Holy See's Secretariat of State; Fred Frederickson, Director of NATO's Nuclear Policy Directorate; Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association; and Charles Reed, senior policy adviser for the Church of England.

This event was sponsored by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales; Deutsche Bischofskonferenz; Justice et Paix, Conférence des évêques de France; the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of International Justice and Peace; the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; Institut fur Theologie und Frieden; the Catholic Peacebuilding Network; Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

The initiative has included a major Colloquium at Stanford hosted by former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Defense Secretary William Perry (April 2014); a symposium at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters (September 2014), and public events at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (May 2015) and in Washington tied to the visit of Pope Francis (September 2015).'

Bruce Kent, vice president of CND told ICN: "As far as I know, no one actually working in this country for an end to nuclear weapons was invited to the closed seminar. At Tuesday's public meeting there was no mention from the speakers of Trident renewal. A question was put from the floor but got no answer. It is not so long ago since Lord Browne, when in Office as a UK minister, was defending British nuclear weapons.

"Though a good initiative by the Church, in practical terms this meeting in London was a major lost opportunity. Very disappointing at a time of such urgency, with the imminent decision on renewing Trident."

Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi UK commented: "As I understand it this was an international gathering looking at nuclear disarmament in its broadest sense. It is a pity that the urgency of the UK context with Trident seems not to have been addressed. It is now up to the Bishops Conference of England and Wales to draw from the gathering what is specific to UK i.e. Trident and speak out on that - as well as spelling out the immorality of the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons.

"While we all have a responsibility to be informed about church teaching on nuclear disarmament - and Pax Christi continues to play a key role here - we urge the Bishops' Conference to take a strong lead in communicating this message, and especially the clear calls from Pope Francis such as his message to the Conference on the Humanitarian impact of Nuclear Weapons in 2014:

"Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful co-existence among people and states. The youth of today and tomorrow deserve far more... Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations.'

"This is a critical time for UK citizens. A decision is likely to be made this year on the replacement - or not- of the Trident system. This is a moral issue and Catholic voices must be raised in the debate.

"Within the next week Pax Christi will be issuing a Trident Briefing to help Christians in England and Wales reflect on this for themselves."

Source: CCN/ICN

Read also: ICN 24 May 2016 - London: Bishop opens international conference with call for end to all nuclear weapons www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=30141

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