Bruce Kent – Striving for Peace in a Troubled World
A talk by veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent about his tireless work with politicians, military leaders and international agencies to find peaceful resolutions to armed conflict.
The Quaker Meeting House, St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1SJ
Open to all – Admission Free
This event is sponsored by Bury St Edmunds Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as part of national Quaker Week.
Ongoing conflicts in Syria, Palestine and Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine and others have left many of us wringing our hands, feeling powerless in the face of so much killing and destruction.
But veteran peace campaigner, Bruce Kent, refuses to sit back and do nothing. Aged 85 and with more than 55 years campaigning for world peace under his belt, Bruce continues to seek dialogue and understanding, and the promotion of peace.
Bruce is probably best remembered as general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CND, during the Cold War years from 1980-1985.
Born in London, but educated in both Canada and the UK, he served as an officer in the Royal Tank Regiment for two years before reading jurisprudence at Brasenose College, Oxford.
In 1958 he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, and took on roles as a University chaplain and chair of the charity War on Want together with his pastoral responsibilities.
In 1987, he left the priesthood rather than comply with an instruction to desist from involvement in that year’s UK General Election.
Active in CND for more than 50 years, he has been the organisation’s general secretary and then its chair from 1987 to 1990. He now holds the honorary title of vice-president.
In 1985 he became President of the International Peace Bureau and has also held senior positions in the United Nations Association and the The Movement for the Abolition of War.
He continues to talk and lecture on global conflicts and maintains contacts with senior politicians, military leaders and international agencies.