Moderator Tells Pope of 'Cordial and Productive' Relationship Between Churches in Scotland

Monday February 16

^{Picture copyright Servizio Fotografico - L'Osservatore Romano}

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland this morning told the Pope that relations between the two churches in Scotland 'have never been more cordial and productive'.

Meeting in a private audience at the Vatican, the Rt Rev John Chalmers told Pope Francis that the joint initiatives of the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church 'would have been unthinkable in my youth'.

Mr Chalmers said: "Our Joint Commission on Doctrine has been meeting since the late 1970s and it has explored a wide number of doctrinal issues, drawing on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the work of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. In Scotland we jointly marked the 450th anniversary of the Reformation on the theme of the healing of memories. Together, my predecessor as Moderator, the Cardinal and the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church led a joint service of Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows. Such an event would have been unthinkable in my youth. We have travelled a long and significant journey.

"It is now inconceivable that we in Scotland would commemorate sensitive periods of our history without acknowledging the pain of our separation; we know too that we are living in a time when there is more to be gained from drawing on each other’s understanding of the continual need for the Church to be in a process of reform, than drawing lines on the map of history that we dare not cross.

"Such attitudes have blighted our culture in the past, but we are now seeing significant change for the good. Representatives of both our Churches are finalising a joint response to the latest convergence document from the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, The Church: Towards a Common Vision, but perhaps more importantly at local level ministers and priests have forged new friendships and people’s attitudes have changed as they have come to see in ‘the other’, first a shared humanity and then a shared faith.

"Through encounter, community arts and theatre projects, and projects for schools, people have been challenged to examine their own behaviour as they have come to see each other in a new light. Through listening deeply to each other’s stories and engaging in common witness and service people’s lives have been truly transformed. The benefits are not just for the church but for the wider community too and, ultimately, for Scotland as a whole. Our dialogue must deepen and we must find ways of working toward ever deeper fellowship and communion."

He added that Reformed and Catholic faiths could jointly take the lead in promoting tolerance, peace-making, social justice and environmental change.

He also said that 'it would be a wonderful boost to... the morale of all people of faith in Scotland' if the Pope could manage a visit to the country.

The Moderator was accompanied by his wife, Liz, and the Rev Alison McDonald, Convener of the Church of Scotland Committee on Ecumenical Relations. During the audience, he presented Pope Francis with a dove of peace made in Bethlehem from glass picked from among the rubble during past invasions of the town.

Speaking after the audience, Mr Chalmers said: "It was immediately apparent I was in the presence of a man of prayer and a humble human being. We shared our concerns over the terrible attacks [in Libya and Denmark] at the weekend, and spoke of our joint belief in the power of cooperation against a background of challenge and increasing radicalisation in the world. We agreed to work for peace through our common faith, and I expressed a hope that a pastoral visit by His Holiness to Scotland would be appreciated by all faiths."

Read the Moderator's full address to the Pope here.

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