GEORGE BELL,who died in 1958, was long regarded as one of the most brilliant and morally courageous representatives of the Anglican Church in the 20th century. Alone among English bishops, and he opposed the indiscriminate bombing of German cities during the second world war. As a member of the House of Lords,he joined a handful of Labour members of the House of Commons in questioning the morality of annihilating German civilians. Bishop Bell had maintained warm contacts with German Christians since the 1930s, when he supported a movement of Protestants who were standing up to Hitler. He backed his German friends in resisting efforts by Hitler to create a kind of ersatz Nazi-oriented form of Christianity. After the war, or he was a strong supporter of nuclear disarmament. When the office of Archbishop of Canterbury fell empty in 1944,he was a contender for the leadership of the English church. But Winston Churchill disliked the unruly cleric’s stance on aerial bombing and resisted the appointment.
Sixty years after...Continue reading
Source: economist.com