Church of Scotland Moderator Meets British Airways Over Cross
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, has met with the General Counsel of British Airways over the cross debacle.
by Maria Mackay
Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 6:05 (GMT)
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, has met with the General Counsel of British Airways over the cross debacle.
They met to discuss the recent controversy surrounding BA's refusal to allow check-in worker, Nadia Eweida, to openly wear a small cross, saying it was in breach of its uniform policy.
The Moderator found the meeting to be "both informative and helpful", the Church of Scotland said, and he was grateful for the opportunity to discuss the issues involved.
The Moderator noted that BA had been supported in their stance by both the Aviation Christian Fellowship and the British Airways Christian Fellowship.
He also appreciated the worries of British Airways that any relaxation of its uniform policy would make it harder in future to draw the line in other, perhaps more controversial, circumstances.
Nevertheless, the Moderator expressed deep concern at an apparent "inconsistency of approach".
"Just as not all Muslim women wear the hijab nor all Jewish men a skullcap, not all Christians wear a cross as part of their personal faith commitment," said the Church of Scotland.
"Simply because not all Christians express their faith in this outward fashion, however, should not imply that none may do so."
Rev McDonald asked BA to consider that the wearing of a cross is more than simply jewellery or decoration.
It was promised that this concern would be considered in further discussions.
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Added: Thursday, December 14, 2006, 10:33 (GMT)
Let's not forget that there is an unmentioned clash of culture in the Eweida affair. Having been to churches, services and houses of Coptic Christians in Egypt, I and others noticed the great differences in practise. Whereby, the Sunday service is very long and men are segregated from women, and women cover their hair in church. And from the differences in houses, a lot of unmistakable Christian symbolism, the cross, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Bible openly displayed, etc. Really a difference of east and west. And it does not surprise that Miss Eweida should want to wear the cross always, but she should understand that she is now in the UK, no one is oppressing her, even in Egypt the Copts are free to worship and manifest their faith. The issue was about jewellery, and BA came to a very fair understanding to allow her to wear the cross on her lapel. So are we to now say that she is oppressed in the UK and free in Egypt??? These are not Christian values being displayed in her campaign.
jenifer scott, London, UK
