Scottish Church Leaders Unite Against Sectarianism

Church leaders from across Glasgow and Scotland will today sign a joint statement in which they celebrate their united opposition to the scourge of sectarianism in Scotland's largest city.

Glasgow has long been a hotbed of sectarian rivalry - often violent - between the city's Protestant and Roman Catholic populations. The sectarianism has found particular expression in football, between the traditionally Protestant fans of Rangers and the traditionally Roman Catholic fans of Celtic.

In the statement 'How they love one another', the Glasgow church leaders the statement offered "a fresh opportunity to witness to the growing respect, cooperation, common prayer and common action among our Churches today".

The church leaders add: "We lament the sometimes difficult and painful history among our churches, especially in the language and practice of sectarianism and bigotry.

"We value highly the gifts and graces of our own traditions and we recognise and respect the gifts and graces of other traditions.

"We are increasingly blessed in the many ways that our churches now work and pray together at the local, city and national levels for the benefit of the whole community and in particular for the poor."

Signatories of the statement come from across the denominational spectrum in Glasgow and include the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, the Most Rev Mario Conti, General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland, the Rev Bill Slack, and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Idris Jones.

Br Stephen Smyth, Ecumenical Officer of Glasgow Churches Together, welcomed the statement, saying, "Religion is not a part of the problem, but it is very much part of the solution."

"To learn many languages one must firstly learn one language. To learn the language of the sacred in one religious tradition deepens the understanding of the language of the sacred in other religious traditions," he said.

The church leaders will gather to sign the statement at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art where 'Histrionics', an exhibition exploring aspects of sectarianism by Roddy Buchanan, is currently on display until October 2007.

The statement will be backed up by a leaflet under the same title, 'How They Love Each One Another', produced in partnership by Culture and Sport Glasgow, Glasgow Churches Together and Sense Over Sectarianism.

Signatories to the common statement are:
• Baptist Union of Scotland: Rev Bill Slack, General Director
• Church of Scotland: Rev Alastair Cherry, Moderator of Glasgow Presbytery
• Methodist Church: Rev Derek Bibb, Superintendent, Glasgow Circuit
• Religious Society of Friends: Mike Brown, Clerk, Glasgow Quaker Meeting
• Roman Catholic Church: Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow
• Salvation Army: Major Ivor Telfer, Divisional Commander
• Scottish Episcopal Church: Most Rev Idris Jones, Primus
• United Free Church of Scotland: Rev Ann Purdie, Moderator, Presbytery of the West
• United Reformed Church: Rev Mary Buchanan, Ecumenical Officer
• Evangelical Alliance: Rev Fred Drummond, General Secretary