British bishops, Catholic groups criticize upcoming gun fair

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Manchester, England – A major gun fair in London has drawn fire from Catholic bishops and justice and peace groups who say the arms trade fuels conflict around the world.

In a joint statement, they criticized the DSEI arms fair, which will bring together more than 1,600 companies that develop, manufacture and sell a wide range of weapons.

They said such events, which will take place in London’s Docklands from September 14 to 17, were part of a trade that Pope Francis said was “drenched in blood.”

“We recognize the right of every country to defend itself against attacks, but we must never ignore, or allow ourselves to become complicit in, the destruction of human life and violations of human dignity made possible by the sale of weapons. “said the Seventh 7 joint statement.

“The conflicts fueled by this trade harm the poorest communities, force people to flee their homes as refugees and have devastating consequences for our environment,” he said.

“We stand alongside all those people of goodwill who are campaigning peacefully against the arms trade and we join in prayer with the Holy Father for our leaders to commit to ending it, in search of the peace and protection of our entire human family. “

The declaration was signed by Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton, chairman of the Department of International Affairs of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales; Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, Scotland, president of Justice and Peace Scotland; retired Auxiliary Bishop William Kenney of Birmingham, England’s principal bishop for peace and disarmament matters; and Auxiliary Bishop Paul McAleenan of Westminster, Senior Bishop for Migrants and Refugees.

It was also signed by representatives of Catholic peace groups, Pax Christi England and Wales and Pax Christi Scotland; the Catholic overseas development agencies CAFOD and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund; and by the leader of the National Justice and Peace Network.

The DSEI arms fair, one of the world’s largest, is supported by the UK Department of Defense and UK Defense and Security Exports, part of the government department for international trade.

On its website, it claims to connect “governments, national armed forces, industry thought leaders and the entire global defense and security supply chain.”

An estimated 30,000 delegates will attend the event, which will showcase weapons from tanks and sniper rifles and provide an opportunity to discuss possible sales of combat aircraft and warships.

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