Church of England rejects unilateral A-disarmament

February 11, 1983

The governing body of the Church of England overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that Britain unilaterally give up nuclear weapons. During the debate, Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, warned that a move toward unilateral disarmament in the church would undermine current peace talks and have a ''traumatic effect'' on NATO. The church synod did approve an amendment cautioning that first use of nuclear weapons - even a small-scale one - could never be morally justified.