Churches join 'National Conversation' on Scotland's future

Eleven church leaders and representatives were at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday to make their contribution to the "National Conversation" on Scotland's constitutional future.

The leaders were at Holyrood after the Scottish Parliament invited them to be part of the conversation on the possibility of further devolution.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the church leaders said: "We recognise that the church is on a journey as well as our nation; all of us are going to struggle to get to where we need to be."

They reaffirmed, however, that Scotland should be "shaped by the principles of love for God and for all human beings" and other Christian principles, including dignity and justice for all, compassion and care for the marginalised, and concern for the wellbeing of others.

"For us, these values are rooted in Jesus and have distinctively shaped Scotland's story as it has developed over the years; where they are lived and practised, we find they resonate with people of other faiths and of none," they added.

The churches pledged to encourage their members to become involved in ongoing conversations on Scotland's constitutional future "seeing these aspirations and hopes as the context for the debate".

After the meeting, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, said: "I appreciated the ongoing conversation with many church leaders, bringing us all closer together as we work for Scotland's future."

The Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church of Scotland's Church & Society Council, added, "Scotland's future needs to emerge around values that inspire and challenge all of its people. We have a great country and terrific people who deserve the best form of government to meet their aspirations to play a big part in making the world a better place - perhaps especially for those whose voices are seldom heard."

The meeting at Holyrood was convened by the General Secretary of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), Br Stephen Smyth, who said, "ACTS is please to have helped facilitate this significant encounter of church leaders [and] representatives sharing together on matters of such importance to our churches, faith communities and wider civic society."