Trident nuclear missiles evil, say bishops

LONDON - Nineteen bishops have joined a row over the replacement of Britain's nuclear weapons by warning Prime Minister Tony Blair that the possession of Trident is "evil" and "profoundly anti-God".

In a letter published in the Independent, the bishops gave weight to growing opposition among Labour MPs to the plan to approve the Trident replacement by the end of the year.

The letter says: "Trident and other nuclear arsenals threaten long-term and fatal damage to the global environment and its people. As such, their end is evil and both possession and use profoundly anti-God acts."

The signatories include the Rt Rev Peter Price, the Bishop of Bath and Wells; Dr David James, the Bishop of Bradford; Jack Nicholls, the Bishop of Sheffield; and Colin Bennetts, the Bishop of Coventry. They challenge Blair over his commitment at the Gleneagles summit a year ago to make poverty history. "The costs involved in the maintenance and replacement of Trident could be used to address pressing environmental concerns, the causes of terrorism, poverty and debt."

Church leaders have a long tradition of opposing Britain's nuclear arsenal.

- INDEPENDENT