Blessed are the peacemakers

From Rev Dr John Squires
Presbytery Minister - Wellbeing

Every year, the 21st September is commemorated as the International Day of Peace. It is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the fact that, as a country, we have just scrapped a $90 billion contract with Naval Group of France for a new fleet of submarines—in favour of a currently proposed (and as yet uncosted) deal with our American and UK allies to purchase nuclear-powered submarines.

As people of the Uniting Church, we are committed to being a peacemaking people, firmly working for the cause of peace in our world. We are also a church which sees the problems inherent in the use of nuclear power—and especially, the use of nuclear power in waging war.

We should be totally opposed to this latest deal signalled by the Federal Government. It is not simply a matter of buying new nuclear-powered submarines. There are all sorts of problems with feeding the machinery of warfare. In fact, I believe that we are buying more debt, pain, and death, for future generations of Australians. We should be pressing our political representatives to urge the government to back away from this deal.

You can read my thoughts in full at
https://johntsquires.com/2021/09/21/we-are-buying-more-debt-pain-and-death-a-case-against-nuclear-powered-submarines/

Chris Walker has also published a fine blog entry on this topic at https://revdrchriswalker.wordpress.com/2021/09/21/nuclear-submarines/

And our Moderator, Simon Hansford, has spoken of our commitment to peace the International Day of Peace Service held on 21 September: https://www.insights.uca.org.au/when-peace-is-not-peace/