Bruce Kent and Dr Valerie Flessati awarded Lambeth Cross

Bruce Kent and Dr Valerie Flessati

Bruce Kent and Dr Valerie Flessati have been awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism, "for exceptional, tireless and lifelong dedication to the Christian ecumenical search for peace, both individually and together."

Their full citation reads: Peace is one of three pillars of the ecumenical pilgrimage towards a healed world. Valerie Flessati and Bruce Kent chose spiritual warfare on all violence and war. Their passionate campaigning did not sit easily with ecclesiastical status, so Monsignor Kent felt that to rejoin the laos, the people of God, was his appropriate level of engagement. Was not their baptism into the Body of Christ the highest accolade? Marriage added the mutual support and inner strength which the struggle demands - and which love provides.

Bruce Kent's leadership of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has inspired more than one generation. The fear of nuclear war has - mistakenly - waned. The threat remains. He affirms that Trident continues to shame us. Valerie provides organisational skill and intellectual challenge. After thirteen years leading Pax Christi, her doctoral thesis traced the history of the Catholic peace movement in Britain. Her Waking the Sleeping Giant is the story of Christian CND. She was an inspired university teacher. In the shade of her husband? By no means. Together, they are a power- house.

Bruce was spared the honour of prison. But not the bitter jibes of detractors: 'Go back to Moscow where you belong.' Those of his ilk would not have lasted long in Moscow then - or now. The wind in Rome has changed. Pope Francis has simply said that even the possession of nuclear weapons is a sin. Going beyond CND, this intrepid couple have launched MAW, the Movement to Abolish War. Crazy? Bruce calls it 'utopian realism.'

The recipients of the 2021 Lambeth Awards were announced on Wednesday. The awards, which recognise outstanding contributions to the Church and wider society, have been given to over 30 individuals. They include scientists, musicians, academics, activists, peacemakers, doctors and clergy.

The recipients span the globe and the breadth of Church life, and beyond. They include Isaac Borquaye, the MOBO Award-winning rapper and author, better known as Guvna B; Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko, former Director of the Council of Christians and Jews, and the Most Revd Danial Deng Bul, former Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan.

Archbishop Justin Welby said: "During the pandemic, we have seen just how vital the contribution of churches is to the fabric of our society. As well as finding creative ways to worship together safely, churches have been feeding the hungry, reaching out to the lonely and offering hope to those struggling in the midst of the crisis.

"This year's Lambeth Awards recipients, not all of whom are Christians, embody this spirit of service - not just during the pandemic but, for many of them, through decades of faithful work. I commend them and their efforts, and look forward to the time when we meet to celebrate their contributions to society."

Archbishops of Canterbury have long recognised outstanding individuals for their efforts, and the current form of the Lambeth Awards was developed in 2016.

Read the full list of recipients and citations here: www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/sites/abc/files/2021-04/2021%20Lambeth%20Awards%20Citations%20web.pdf