Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Nuclear weapons shameful - cardinal

The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland has described Britain's nuclear weapons programme as "shameful" as he urged the Government to give it up.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien addressed representatives from churches across Scotland outside Faslane nuclear base as he joined an Easter witness for peace.

Speaking at Faslane for the first time, he said: "I've been speaking of the teaching of the Catholic Church on nuclear weapons for many years now, telling our message to whoever is willing to listen, and I'm very pleased to repeat that teaching again today.

"As you'll see, it's a consistent teaching, a central part of our pro-life stance, that has human dignity at its very core.

"And it's a message I'm all the more glad to repeat here at the gates of Faslane, which is the very heart of Britain's nuclear weapons industry.

Cardinal O'Brien said Trident was becoming obsolete, providing the opportunity to give it up.

He continued: "Here at the gates of Faslane, there is no better place to say that it is not courageous of Britain to have these dreadful weapons of mass destruction.

"It is shameful to have them. If our government wished to truly be courageous it would unilaterally give up its nuclear deterrent, giving the witness and impetus for other nations to do the same."