The service, due to be held on Friday 3rd May, is invitation-only and will ‘recognise fifty years of continuous at sea deterrent’ according to Westminster Abbey’s website.
The Royal Navy are planning a series of events to ‘celebrate’ the patrols of submariners since 1969.
However, the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament states the event should not go ahead as it is at odds with the Church of England’s policy to “work tirelessly” for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
General Secretary for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Kate Hudson told Premier: “Many people feel that it’s absolutely inappropriate that weapons of mass destruction are being thanked for in a place of worship.
“Weapons of mass destruction are indiscriminate killers, if they were ever used that would be contrary to international humanitarian law.
“Hundreds of thousands if not millions of innocent civilians would be killed.”
The organisation says the government is also ignoring its obligations to the International Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – a treaty signed by the UK in 1968 agreeing to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons worldwide.
“Round about the time that these patrols came on the stream 50 years ago, Britain had also just signed up to the NPT saying that we would be getting rid of our nuclear weapons.
“And of course, we haven’t done that. And in fact, we’re now on to building our third nuclear weapons system.
“It shows that not only are we out of step with current…
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