Christian CND renews commitment to promote nuclear disarmament

Christians have “much to offer” a world where the nuclear threat persists in an era of increasing division and complexty, the annual meeting of Christian CND was told.

Delegates switched late in the day from an in-person meeting in Cardiff to an online event, due to a train strike. Attendees were described as “fully engaged” in promoting peace and justice through Christian principles.

The keynote speaker Paul Ingram spoke from significant international experience on the theme: “Connecting through faith when governments manipulate and threaten existential risk.” A British Quaker with decades of experience in international diplomacy and nuclear disarmament negotiations, he is a former senior fellow of the British American Security Information Council, a think tank focusing on nuclear disarmament based in London and Washington.

“He assured us that Christians have much to offer a world wrestling with the complexity of the presence of nuclear weapons in increasingly divided societies,” Theresa Alessandro of the executive committee told The Tablet. “He explained how he continues to be an activist but keeps striving to ‘escape the confrontational mindset’, resist binary, polarised thinking, and be open in dialogue with those who have seemingly opposing views,” she added.

He spoke about useful discussions around the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which entered into force in 2021. Paul is currently developing interfaith action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and disarmament, exploring how faith communities can challenge cynicism and offer a hopeful, collective vision for humanity.

Christian CND’s co-chair, Martin Tiller, said the executive committee will use Paul’s insights to help plan their strategy for the year ahead.  New members were encouraged, and the fee is £2 a month. Members gather twice a month online to pray for peace.

The group remembered Michael Pulham who died recently and was a driving force on the executive committee for many years.

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