An appreciation of Bruce Kent

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That this House remembers the life and achievements of Bruce Kent whilst mourning his passing; notes that Bruce Kent was a peace campaigner who served as a Vice-President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a Vice-President of Pax Christi, and Emeritus President of the Movement for the Abolition of War; notes that after national service in the Royal Tank Regiment and receiving a law degree at Brasenose College, Oxford, he was then ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Westminster; further notes that it was his Christian faith that brought him to reject nuclear weapons as fundamentally immoral; highlights that even without their use, nuclear deterrence itself depends on a willingness to commit mass murder; recognises that Bruce Kent served as general secretary and then chair of CND in the 1980s and that his leadership was the embodiment of integrity, creativity and sheer determination, becoming a vocal critic of defence policy when public opposition to the acquisition of Trident and cruise missiles was escalating; further recognises that his commitment to innumerable peace and human rights campaigns over many decades was inspirational to many; and extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Bruce Kent and his friends