Bruce Kent
 Bruce Kent    (priest, activist) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 22 June 1929 |
| Died | 8 June 2022 (Age 92) |
| Alma mater | Stonyhurst College, Brasenose College (Oxford) |
| Spouse | Valerie Flessati |
| Member of | Königswinter/Speakers, Rhodes Scholar/1955 |
| Interests | nuclear weapons |
British Roman Catholic priest turned political activist, anti-nuclear campaigner | |
Bruce Kent was a British political activist, anti-nuclear campaigner and former Roman Catholic priest. Active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), he was the organisation's general secretary from 1980 to 1985 and its chair from 1987 to 1990. He held the honorary title of vice-president.[1]
In February 2017, Bruce Kent was invited by Huntingdon Constituency Labour Party to speak against the renewal of the Trident nuclear programme. Nik Johnson, chairman of Huntingdon CLP, said:
- “Recent revelations show that the Government and Theresa May were fully aware that a test fired Trident missile had veered off in the wrong direction — ironically, towards our allies, the Americans — but that this fact was concealed from Parliament just before a crucial vote on whether funding should be agreed. It’s therefore even more important now that this huge expenditure be critically scrutinised.
- “The Labour Party’s official position is that we support Trident, but this is always a subject that provokes huge disagreements between both sides in any debate. As a CLP we encourage open debate and discussion. We have previously invited speakers to explain the arguments for a nuclear deterrent so now we are looking to consider the counter arguments."[2]
Contents
Early life
Kent was the son of Molly (Marion) and Kenneth Kent.[3] He was educated in Canada before attending Stonyhurst College. He was an officer in the Royal Tank Regiment from 1947 to 1949 and afterwards read jurisprudence at Brasenose College, Oxford, from 1949 to 1952.
Campaigning priest
In 1958 Bruce Kent was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest and became involved with the International peace movement through his work with Pax Christi in Britain. He was a chaplain to the University of London from 1966 to 1974, and chaired the charity War on Want from 1974 to 1976. From 1985 to 1992 Kent succeeded Seán MacBride as President of the International Peace Bureau.[4]
In 1987, Kent left the priesthood rather than comply with an instruction from the late Cardinal Basil Hume to desist from involvement in that year's UK General Election in accordance with the canon law of the Catholic Church.[5]
During his time as a priest Kent attained the status of Monsignor.[6]
Politics
In 1992 Bruce Kent was a candidate for the Labour Party in the constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon, where he came third. Had he been elected, he would at the time have been prevented, as an ordained priest, from taking his seat in the House of Commons.[7] Sitting Member of Parliament and former Conservative Party minister John Patten, also a Catholic, retained his seat.[8]
Bruce Kent was also a member of Amnesty International, Compassion in World Farming, the Campaign to Free Vanunu, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and many other organisations.
His publications included "Building the Global Village" (Harper Collins 1991) and "Undiscovered Ends" (Harper Collins 1992).
Personal life
Bruce Kent married Valerie Flessati on 4 July 1988 and lived in Harringay, North London.
Related Document
References
- ↑ "Veteran anti-nuclear campaigner gives city peace talk" Yorkshire Post, 1 July 2009
- ↑ "CND campaigner and vice-president, Bruce Kent, to head a debate about Trident in Huntingdon"
- ↑ "Undiscovered ends"
- ↑ http://www.intellidatasystems.com/bkcms/index.php?page=80th-birthday
- ↑ "ARC Patrons Biographies" Arms Reduction Coalition
- ↑ "Passed/Failed: Bruce Kent" Sale, J. (1999). The Independent, Thursday, 28 January 1999 (Online: Accessed 7 November 2010).
- ↑ "Hansard – 16 June 1999, col 394"
- ↑ "English Counties" United Kingdom Election Results 1983–97
External links
- Bruce Kent website
- National Portrait Gallery Images of Bruce Kent
- Interview about CND for the WGBH series, War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
- My Favourite Books Article in Socialist Review Issue 191, 1995
- Articles written by Bruce Kent in The New Statesman
- The myths of the Arms Trade article in The Tablet
- The Abolition of War: The Politics of Realistic Utopianism article in Disarmament Diplomacy
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