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I understand that you want me to say a little about the 
position of the Church of Scotland on Nuclear Weapons. 
Well I know, because I was there when our position 
changed! Since 1978, as a young Minister, already 
passionate about Nuclear Disarmament, I had always tried 
to attend the General Assembly, on Church and Nation 
Day, whether as a Commissioner or just a person, sitting 
up in the public Gallery.

The highlight for me was the annual debate on Nuclear 
Weapons. And, in the end, the Debate always seemed to 
come down to two people. The famous George MacLeod of 
the Iona Community, and a Church Elder from Elie, in
Fife, Mr G N Warnock, who was a retired Army Colonel.

 

 Every year, George McLeod, a wonderful orator, made a 
compelling case about the evil of nuclear weapons. And year after year, the General Assembly politely 
listened, and then chose to vote for the deterrent 
argument, put forward by Colonel Warnock.

 

However, at what turned out to be one of MacLeod's last 
Assembly appearances, when he was ninety one, at the 
end of his passionate speech he put forward a motion 
which said: "As of now, the General Assembly declare that no Church 
can accede to the use of nuclear weapons to defend any 
cause whatever."

As Lord McLeod slowly made his way back to his seat, the Assembly could already see the ramrod figure of Colonel G 
N Warnock walking up to the podium. However, from the 
start of his speech the Commissioners were hearing 
something different.

 

You could have 
heard a pin drop, as the retired Colonel, said that for him, 
everything had changed that year, 1986, and all because 
of Chernobyl. And he went on to say, that if he were still a serving soldier, and was ordered to press the nuclear 
button, he would not be prepared to do it, and would shoot himself first.
The Colonel returned to his seat as thunderous applause echoed around the old wooden rafters of the Kirk's 
Debating Chamber, and that day in 1986, Lord MacLeod's 
motion was carried by a huge majority.

And ever since 1986, that has remained the settled 
position of the General Assembly, of the Church of 
Scotland. That was why, in 2018 I was able to move the 
following Motion, which was adopted unanimously by the 
Assembly:

"The General Assembly:

• Reafirm the belief that 
possession, use, or threat of Nuclear Weapons is 
inherently evil;

• Congratulate the International Campaign 
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, on being awarded the 
Nobel Peace Prize 2018;

• Welcome the establishment of an 
International Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear 
Weapons,

• And urge the UK Government to engage with 
the Treaty process, as a way for the UK to disarm its 
nuclear weapons."