Church of Scotland Moderator Remembers Those in Conflict Zones

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has delivered a special Christmas sermon in which he called on Christians to remember those living in parts of the world still dogged by conflict.

Speaking to the congregation at the Watchnight Service at St Leonard's Parish Church, St Andrews, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald reminded Christians of the need to pray for those living in conflict zones around the world.

"As we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us keep in our hearts, in our prayers, and in our actions, the people in the parts of this weary world where there is no peace, in Baghdad, in Kabul, in Darfur, and in Bethlehem," he said.

"And as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace this Christmas, at a time when we are contemplating the modernisation of weapons of mass destruction, let us remember the shepherds, be not afraid, and hold on to our hopes and dreams."

The Moderator has campaigned heavily against the government's proposals to renew Trident.

Earlier in the month, the Moderator handed in a petition containing almost 20,000 signatures against Trident renewal to the Ministry of Defence together with the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Idris Jones, and Richard McCready of the Scottish Catholic Church.

The petition called on the government not to invest in a replacement for Trident and to begin the process of decommissioning these weapons with the funds spent on nuclear weaponry to be diverted to aid and development projects.

The Moderator's wish for peace follows a similar call from the Archbishop of Canterbury earlier in the week.

Speaking to The Big Issue on the eve of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Dr Williams expressed his hope in particular for an end to the crisis in Israel and Palestine and a full and proper debate on Britain's nuclear weapons systems, as well as a more reasoned debate about the value and place of faith in public life.

"I hope we have a proper debate in this country about the upgrading of the Trident missile system, and about our whole nuclear policy - and personally I hope it results in the brakes being put on before we commit astronomical sums to this system," he said.

On the crisis in Israel and Palestine, the Archbishop warned, "We're near a moment of irreversible tipping over into chaos."

He continued: "There's no renouncing of terror tactics; there's no strengthening of responsible authority in the Palestinian regions; the 'security fence' continues to grow, with all the consequences for local communities; and there seems to be a baffling lack of strategy about regional security."