Anglican Archbishop of New Westminster, B.C. sends message of support to Peace Train

 

The Anglican Archbishop of New Westminster, B.C., has sent a letter to Peace Train participants supporting their efforts to ban nuclear weapons by attending the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). 

The letter from John R. Stephens, who is also the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of B.C. & Yukon, is below. 

Dear Friends, 

Canada has often prided itself on being a country of peace that has brought hope to many nations around the globe. This background of peacekeepers and peace-builders has been less evident in the world of today and it is important that we work to change that. 

Christians are called to be peacemakers. We are called to turn our swords into ploughshares. We are called to be people of forgiveness and to love our enemies. These are difficult words to live into, but we take them very seriously. They shape who we are and how we live and walk in this world. They affect how we view other people and how we want to be viewed. It is important work that seems to have less traction in a time when moving to an escalation of war seems our only option. Canada has historically tried to find ways of diplomacy rather than violence and it feels like the right time to re-ignite this important role for our country. 

The Peace Train is on its way to the United Nations in New York to participate in the Third Meeting of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Its mission is to urge the Canadian government to sign and ratify the treaty and to advocate for a leadership role within NATO in shifting away from the "mindset of war" that NATO has encouraged. 

I am grateful to the group that will meet up with members of our government, those who will travel on the Peace Train, urging a better response to the threat of war. Our world needs this, our country needs this, we as individuals need this. 

Go in peace.

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