| Letters of Support |
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The following church leaders sent statements of support to our gathering at Faslane on October 1st 2007 – “the Big Blockade” to mark the end of the year-long protest of Faslane 365. “The Scottish Episcopal church through its appropriate committee and in statements issued by myself is strongly supportive of the voice of Christians in Scotland who believe a renewal of Trident is wrong.”
The Most Revd Dr Idris Jones.
Primus Scottish Epsicopal Church 13 September 2007 “I am afraid I will not be able to attend the event on October 1st as I will be in Australia! The opposition of the Church of Scotland to nuclear weapons in general and to Trident in particular has been well known for a long time. I am pleased to say that the Very Rev Alan McDonald will be representing me at the Trident Summit which takes place later in October.”
Rt Rev Sheilagh Kesting
Moderator of General Assembly Church of Scotland 18 September 2007 “My dear friends gathered at Faslane, I wish to assure you that the position of the Roman Catholic Church with regard to weapons of mass destruction is perfectly clear and has been emphasised by myself in recent years. The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to weapons of mass destruction and has regularly spoken out against the possibility of the renewal of the Trident Nuclear Weapons system. I personally am happy to think that in the new political situation in the new Scottish Parliament, where a majority is opposed to Trident, further positive steps may be taken in Scotland to ensure that the Trident Nuclear Weapons System is not renewed. With my kindest regards and union of prayer. Yours sincerely in Christ”
Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien
Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh President, the Bishops Conference of Scotland 14 September 2007 Dear brothers and sisters, I send greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, the friend of the poor and the lover of peace. On the night before he died he said these words to his friends: Peace I give you, my own peace I leave with you, not as the world gives peace do I give to you. These words continue to challenge the powers and authorities of the world where there is still such misplaced confidence in a so-called peace that can be secured by a so-called deterrence. But these expensive and devastatingly destructive weapons cannot bring peace. They only encourage others to depend on force. They add to the instability of the world. They leech finances away from so many other things that could do so much good. Our nation is demeaned and compromised by the presence of these weapons of mass destruction on our shores. The Church of England and most of the Christian churches in these islands stand united in calling upon our government to re-think its reliance on nuclear weapons for our security. This is the peace the world gives and it is not working. Let us turn instead to the peace of Christ who bids us turn our swords into ploughshares and our trident submarines into hospitals and schools. And it is my pleasure to send greetings and prayers to those of you who are gathering at Faslane today as you lament the madness of the world and bravely bear witness to the way of lasting peace.
+Stephen Cottrell
Bishop of Reading |
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