Scottish Catholic Observer

Cardinal Keith O’Brien led a meeting of international church leaders in Edinburgh last week to discuss plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons and to hold discussions with civic and political leaders.

The group from World Council of Churches discussed ideas about campaigns and church action with the cardinal and the former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr Alan McDonald, before going on to meet with Bruce Crawford MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy, to find out about the context of the nuclear debate in Scotland and the impact of the independence debate.

Scotland was chosen by the World Council of Churches to host the meeting as Faslane is home to the UK’s nuclear weapons arsenal despite opposition from churches and the Scottish Parliament.

The Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Kirk’s Church and Society Council, said Scotland was honoured and privileged to have been able to host such a meeting

“It is a fantastic recognition by our brothers and sisters in other countries and other denominations of the work we in Scotland have been doing,” he said. “We need to continue to press the case that nuclear weapons are inherently evil and that Britain must not replace Trident.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy said the Scottish Government remained firmly opposed to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons.

“An independent Scotland would not have such weapons of mass destruction based in its waters,” he said. “Until then, the Scottish Government is committed to building Scotland’s role in international peace building and I welcomed the opportunity to meet with the World Council of Churches and to work with others to take this important agenda forward, with and for the people of Scotland.”

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