Nuclear weapons are 'an evil', says Church leader ahead of Hiroshima's 75th anniversary christiantoday.com

The Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly has added his name to a statement calling for a world free of nuclear weapons ahead of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima.

6 August will mark three-quarters of a century since the attack on the Japanese city, which instantly killed over a hundred thousand people and caused the death of countless others afterwards as a result of the long-term effects of radiation sickness. Hiroshima was followed three days later by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands more.

The statement, organised by the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said the bombings had caused "suffering which many people continue to live with today".

It calls on the UK Government to "make every effort" to engage in "meaningful international disarmament", and cancel plans to replace Trident.

"Shortly after the bombings the international community came together at the United Nations to say 'never again' and pledged to work for the elimination of nuclear weapons around the world," he said…