Westminster Abbey hosted 'A Service to Recognise Fifty Years of Continuous At Sea Deterrent' on Friday for the Royal Navy.
In the ceremony, the Abbey's Dean, the Very Rev. Dr. John Hall, thanked God for the peace and security the at sea deterrents have provided.
He said he prayed that they would never be used but that: "We give thanks for all the thousands of people who have designed, built, supported and crewed the submarines during these past fifty years."
The celebration sparked particular controversy within the Church of England, with over 200 clerics condemning the service as inappropriate and at odds with Anglican teaching.
Christians from across the country gathered to protest outside the Abbey during Friday's service, insisting it should not be held in a place of worship.
We're discussing @wabbey service marking 50 years of the UK's nuclear deterrent at sea on our News Hour programme. Here's the message from protesters outside the abbey earlier. @ChristianCND @CNDuk pic.twitter.com/tjjGm6pCwr
— Premier Christian (@PremierRadio) May 3, 2019
The Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) held a service of repentance outside, with believers from across the church sharing bible readings and prayers. This was followed by a 'die-in' demonstration to represent the millions who would be killed in the event of a nuclear war.
CND's Development Manager Russell Whiting told Premier: "The service sends the message that we are almost proud of having nuclear weapons, that we're not serious about disarming which we are internationally obligated to do.
"It also sends the message that the Church of England is condoning nuclear weapons when it's actually passed a motion last year at general synod in favour of disarmament."
With banners quoting 'Blessed are the peacemakers', the CND want to see more done to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and establish peaceful solutions to security.
Mr Whiting said: "Britain needs to engage with the new treaty that the United Nations has agreed. We should cancel the program to replace our own nuclear weapons system which is going to cost over 200 billion pounds. And we need to engage with our international partners to make sure that the world is free of nuclear weapons for the next generation."
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