Scottish Church Leaders Condemn Sectarianism, Trident

Leaders of the Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church in Scotland have issued their first ever joint New Year statement in which they condemn sectarianism and strongly criticise the government's plans to replace Trident.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, and Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, President of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland, opened their statement with a call to the people of Scotland to pray for peace.

"Peace is a promise of the risen Christ," they said. "When we pray for peace we pledge ourselves to work for peace, to be peacemakers, and there has never been a time when peacemaking was more necessary."

They then went on to affirm their opposition to "the menace of nuclear weapons," particularly Trident renewal.

"This year there is a wonderful opportunity for our Westminster parliamentarians finally to take steps to fulfil the obligations this country made many years ago to rid itself of nuclear weapons.

"We pray that our MPs will make a stand for the principles of peace, and will have the courage to refuse to endorse a replacement for Trident.

"Peace cannot be advanced by the commissioning of new weapons of mass destruction."

Addressing peace issues closer to home, the Church leaders expressed their shame over sectarianism in Scotland.

"Because this small country is dear to us, we are ashamed of its inheritance of sectarianism and violence. We call on all to resist attempts to divide people on religious or any other grounds. Faith unites us infinitely more than it divides us. The promise of peace is for all people, whatever denomination and whatever faith."

Cardinal O'Brien and Rev McDonald appealed to churches to play a greater role in campaigning for environmental justice.

"The promise of peace is also for the creation, the earth which is our home. Our planet has been ravaged over many years and is in urgent need of healing," they said.

" We pledge to do all we can in this New Year and in the years to come to commit churches to environmental justice, and we call on others to join us.

"We ask our congregations to do all they can to be carers of the earth: aware of the resources they use and of those they can replace."

Rev McDonald shared his thoughts on unity between the denominations with Christian Today at the end of 2006: "I think sometimes we spend too much time looking at the tiny little nitpicking detail of things that divide us in the body of Christ rather than concentrating on just how much there is that unites us as brothers and sisters.

"Especially around issues like world poverty and nuclear disarmament I think there is a very strong sense of unity and that can only be good."