Hearses and funeral corteges travelling to Edinburgh's three crematoriums - Warriston, Seafield and Mortonhall - are set to be hit by Edinburgh's controversial road tolls after a bid to have them exempted was knocked back. Church ministers and funeral directors have condemned the decision to impose the £2-a-day charge, branding it "insensitive" and "a tax on the dead". Reverend Ian Gilmour, of South Leith Parish Church, added: "Certain groups should be exempt from the charges, and the bereaved are one of them."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 2:33 PM

A collection of thousands of rare books - including signed editions of Lord of the Rings - is expected to fetch more than £100,000 at auction today. The staggering collection belonged to accountant William Adams, an elder at Wardie Parish Church in Edinburgh for 50 years, who died last June at the age of 84.
Source: The Scotsman/PA News.
posted at 12:25 PM

A new book celebrating the turning point in the life of the Scottish Episcopal Church is to be launched at a special service on Thursday 1 April in St Laurence's Church, Laurencekirk at 10.30am. The book, 'Steps to Freedom', has been written by a former Primus and Bishop of Brechin, the Rt Rev Edward Luscombe, and marks the bicentenary of an historic meeting of clergy in 1804. It was at this Synod of Laurencekirk that the Scottish Episcopal Church took a major step on the path towards the repeal of the penal laws of the 18th century, under which the Church suffered persecution. The acceptance of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (a statement of belief) by the Laurencekirk Synod brought the Church into line with the Churches of England and Ireland and provided the principal ground on which Parliament repealed the persecution laws.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 12:22 PM

A huge overspend in older people's services has been reduced by a robust financial plan plus a review of services and staffing, according to the Church of Scotland's Board of Social Responsibility - one of Scotland's major care providers - in its report to the General Assembly.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 12:20 PM

Kirk leaders have ruled out creating an official rite of exorcism because it would "do more harm than good". A report by the Church of Scotland's board of social responsibility said the move would lead to "unwarranted publicity and demand".KIRK leaders have ruled out creating an official rite of exorcism because it would "do more harm than good".
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

posted at 12:15 PM

Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh has installed special protective panels and thin wire mesh over its historic stained glass windows to protect them from vandals. The 150-year-old windows feature the first stained glass to be put in a Scottish church after the Reformation.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 12:14 PM

A new pattern of Christian mission is emerging where the poor take the gospel to the rich, says the Board of World Mission report to the General Assembly. The Board asks the Assembly to rejoice that the good news is shared across six continents, and to reaffirm the Kirk's commitment to partner churches "in needy and strife-torn countries," and calls on all ministers and members to visit the Church's centres in Israel.
Source: Church of Scotland General Assembly news release.
posted at 11:08 PM

Glasgow is to host Jesus in the City, an urban mission congress this summer - the fourth such event in the UK but the first to be organised in Scotland. Some 200 delegates will discuss how they can challenge their churches to work more effectively in cities. 'Through the Glasgow Looking Glass', from 17 to 21 June at the International Christian College, will explore the work of Christian communities.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 11:06 PM

The Church of Scotland this afternoon moved to clarify a statement from a Kent based charity, the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service, suggesting churches might be risking "another Soham" unless they improved recruitment proce dures for youth and children's workers. A survey carried out by the charity had referred to churches in England and Wales, not Scotland, said a spokesman, and as the national Church "we have had a child protection unit established since 1997". "We want to reassure the public that we have a rigorous and robust recruitment procedure in place, giving child protection training to all staff and volunteers working with children. The Child Protection Unit works closely with our colleagues in the Catholic Church, Episcopal Church and Methodist Church."
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 10:59 PM

"The very poorest of Scots with nothing much beyond their state pension may struggle on shrivelled budgets in Edinburgh, but would be highly affluent if their income were placed in the Third World," says John Blundell, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, on the issue of Scotland's aging population. "Oxfam and Christian Aid and other philanthropic bodies that try to awaken us to the plight of non-capitalist locations ought to adapt their charity shops on Scotland's high streets into advice desks on how to find sunshine in our sunset years. A Scot of the most modest means will be a wealthy resident of Sierra Leone or Sri Lanka."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:31 PM

THE Church of Scotland would have been "delighted" had the Scottish Parliament decided to make its permanent home at the General Assembly Hall on The Mound. MSPs have been meeting in the Kirk-owned landmark - current rent £128,000 a year - since the parliament was first formed five years ago, but they will move out in July if the new £431 million building at Holyrood is ready on time.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 10:25 PM

In their report to this year's General Assembly, the Church of Scotland General Trustees will urge congregations to consider whether their church buildings are welcoming towards worshippers, and potential worshippers, with disabilities. The Trustees continue to be concerned at the Church's failure to grasp the nettle of reducing the number of buildings for which congregations are responsible. Their report notes that "it may be that more robust legislation will be required to deal with the problem of duplicated resources."
Source: Church of Scotland General Assembly news release.
posted at 11:04 AM

Small people, big questions: The Scottish Executive is scrutinising a report by the Review Group on Religious Observance recommending that prayers and hymns at school assembly be replaced by spiritual "person-centred" discussions about the values of historical figures such as Martin Luther King. But what does the average nine-year-old think about God, life and death? To find out, The Scotsman quizzed Primary Five at Sunnyside Primary School.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 11:00 AM

The Catholic Church in Scotland has urged local authorities to abandon plans for "gay marriage" ceremonies. The civil partnerships bill, to be published on Wednesday, will give all couples who sign up to a committed relationship the same rights, regardless of sexual orientation. The Catholic Church yesterday condemned the prospect of the ceremonies as an "absurd" misuse of resources and urged councils not to support them. The Rev Jim Cowie, convener of the board of social responsibility of the Church of Scotland, said civil ceremonies had to be seen as separate from marriage. He said: "The church is happy for gays to have equality of rights, but marriage is something particularly for a man and a woman. It is not appropriate to be extended to gays."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 10:57 AM

Appreciation of Canon James Robertson, a distinguished son of the Scottish Episcopal Church who has died at the age of 86.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:54 AM

One of Scotland's poorest towns has been named as the most charitable community north of the Border. Nearly three-quarters of Dumbartonians dig deep to donate cash to two or more charities a year, making it the fifth most generous town in the UK. Dumbarton was the only Scottish town to make it into the top ten generosity league table, compiled by a market research company.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:49 AM

A young Catholic priest has resigned from his parish. He has been investigated by police after a teenage girl from Dundee accused him of abusing her. Father Martin McWilliams was accused of molesting the 13-year-old when he worked as priest in the city's St Leonard and St Fergus parish. Last night the Bishop of Dunkeld said: "As soon as the allegations were brought to my attention, I acted to ensure Father McWilliams had no further contact with children or young people while the investigations were being carried out. He was immediately placed on administrative leave, on which he remains. As a result of the intensive and protracted nature of the investigations, and to ensure the smooth running of his parish, Father McWilliams voluntarily resigned from his post." A spokesman for the Crown Office said last night that a report had been submitted to the city's procurator fiscal. But the Catholic Church insisted that no further action was to be taken against the priest. A spokesman said: "My understanding is that the Crown Office have taken the decision not to proceed."
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 10:42 AM

Framed copies of an English translation of a letter written by Pope Sixtus more than 500 years ago have been presented to St Patrick's Church, Shotts, and Kirk O' Shotts Church in Salsburgh by Shotts History Society.
Source: icLanarkshire - Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser.
posted at 2:33 PM

Appreciation of the late Dan Brown, 'senior' elder at Caddonfoot Church, Galashiels.
Source: Border Telegraph.
posted at 2:30 PM

A shortage of Kirk ministers could be hitting the Borders more than other areas of Scotland because the region suffers from an "appalling folklore". That is the view of the Rev Frank Campbell of Ancrum - recently-appointed interim moderator of a vacant Church of Scotland charge in Hawick which is unlikely to be filled. Mr Campbell recalled that when he was studying for the ministry at Glasgow's Trinity College in the 1980s, the Borders was known as 'a hard place with hard people'. "We were told 'don't go down there, they will eat you alive', but of course nothing could be further from the truth."
Source: Southern Reporter.
posted at 2:24 PM

Falkirk Council has agreed to back the campaign to achieve Fairtrade status for Falkirk, Grangemouth, Denny, Stenhousemuir and Bo'ness.
Source: Falkirk Today - Falkirk Herald.
posted at 2:21 PM

The Scottish Episcopal Church has launched a major fund-raising campaign to refurbish St Serf's residential home in Newport.
Source: Fife Now - Fife Herald.
posted at 2:18 PM

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have expressed their dismay at a new wave of conflict in Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs were attacked last week, and homes, churches, and mosques were burnt down.
Source: Church Times.
posted at 2:13 PM

The assassination of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, has compounded the despair felt by Palestinian Christians as well as Muslims. "Palestinians feel so helpless," said Canon Naim Ateek, Canon of St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem. "It seems there is no power in the world that can stop Israel. The Israelis assassinate people without taking them to court or proving that they are terrorists. They get away with it because they keep waving the red flag of terrorism."
Source: Church Times.
posted at 2:11 PM

Extensive feature on Norman Drummond, the dynamic Church of Scotland minister, motivational guru and inspirational founder and chairman of a life-coaching company. His new book, The Spirit of Success, is published on April 12.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 2:07 PM

Yesterday, on the first full day of release in Scotland of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of The Christ', there were extreme reactions to the movie from cinema-goers. At Edinburgh's UGC Fountain Park, cinema-goers said they had been shocked by the torture scenes but felt they had not been gratuitous. Bishop Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, said several parishes had made block bookings to see the film. "I left feeling that the film is without question the most powerful I have ever seen. I did not pick up on the racism at all. It shows we are all responsible for Jesus's death. I have heard that a lot of parishes have been organising coach trips to their local cinemas because of the interest. It is not, however, something people should see if they are particularly squeamish or sensitive." Despite the months of publicity, only 24 of Scotland's 70 cinemas are screening the film.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 1:58 PM

The last island in the Outer Hebrides not to have Sunday flights was due to have a new air link to the mainland today. Loganair has introduced a Sabbath service between Glasgow and Benbecula, serving North and South Uist.
Source: Sunday Mail.
posted at 1:54 PM

Young Scots are now less likely to say "I do" than ever before, with fewer than 30,000 couples a year in Scotland deciding to tie the knot. Despite the figures, the Rev Jim Cowie, convener of the Church of Scotland's Social Responsibility Board, believes that couples still aspire to marriage. "I think marriage is still held in great esteem, despite the fact that fewer people are going through with it," he said. "I think it is indicative of changed times. Previously, people used to have a job for life and now they change their careers. They used to have a partner for life but now I think some people are happy to say 'this is my partner for now'." The statistics also show that one in six marriages that take place in Scotland is held at Gretna Green and the majority of those are between people who do not reside north of the Border.
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 1:47 PM

An Aberdeen sex killer has been forgiven by his victim's mother. Niall McDonald is currently serving seven years after taking the life of his loyal wife Mandy. But his mother-in-law, Mary Barclay, today said she has no hate in her heart for the 38-year-old who cruelly dumped her daughter's near-naked body in woodland on the outskirts of Aberdeen. And she revealed she prays continually for his salvation.
Source: Aberdeen Evening Express.
posted at 4:31 PM

Two teenagers have become the first people in Scotland for more than a century to be convicted of disturbing the dead in a graveyard - "violation of a sepulchre". They had forced open the Mackenzie Mausoleum in Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 4:19 PM

A fundraising campaign has been launched by the Scottish Episcopal Church to raise £400,000 for essential refurbishment and upgrading works required for St Serf's residential home in Newport on Tay, Fife.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 12:10 PM

Strathdon Church Hall will be tomorrow's setting for a special meeting of Upper Donside Parish Church, one of the largest parishes in the country, to draw up aims and objectives for a new minister. An interim minister will shortly be appointed to the scattered rural charge which takes in more than 240sq miles of the north-east, from Lumsden to the Lecht, and includes five places of worship.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 11:57 AM

Church of Scotland deacons will be given powers to conduct weddings if a report by the Kirk's Board of Practice and Procedure is approved by the General Assembly in May. The report says the board believed it "odd to have an order of ordained ministry unable to celebrate a non-sacramental ordinance."
Source: Church of Scotland General Assembly news release.
posted at 12:22 AM

"In an increasingly secular society, the symbol of the Cross still has a powerful message," says Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, in his Easter statement. " It's a message of which Christians should remain justifiably proud. A message we should openly proclaim - particularly in a pluralistic society."
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.
posted at 12:21 AM

Canon Martin Shaw, the Bishop-Elect of Argyll & The Isles in the Scottish Episcopal Church, will be consecrated and installed at a service planned for 8 June in St John's Episcopal Cathedral, Oban.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 12:15 AM

'The Passion of The Christ' has been applauded by north-east church leaders. Around 70 representatives of local religious groups were invited to the UGC cinema in Aberdeen last night to watch a special screening. Despite its graphic and violent scenes, the biblical epic received a standing ovation from a number of local church leaders. There was clapping, accompanied by cries of "thank you, Lord" as the final credits rolled.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 12:04 AM

A Glasgow-born cleric has been elected as the Scottish Episcopal Church's new Bishop of Argyll and The Isles. Canon Martin Shaw was elected to the post at a meeting of the church's electoral synod in Oban yesterday. Currently precentor, in charge of cathedral music and choral services, and residentiary canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds, Canon Shaw will succeed the Rt Rev Douglas Cameron, who retired from the bishop's post in the autumn.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 12:02 AM

Couples could be married by Church of Scotland deacons in a move that has been triggered by the sharp decline in the number of kirk ministers.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 12:01 AM

Appreciation of the late Abbot Mark Dilworth by John G. Robinson. "It has been, and is, good to see Presbyterians claim their catholic inheritance, from an undivided Western church, and good to see at least some Roman Catholics learning from Mark's work and influence and recognising the positives brought by the Reformation."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 11:56 PM

Obituary of Rev Brother Cyril (Donald McNeil), former headmaster of St Joseph's College, Dumfries; born February 4, 1923, died March 17, 2004.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 11:51 PM

It has been widely criticised and condemned, but could The Passion of The Christ be the best opportunity in a generation to fill the churches' empty pews? Callum Brown, professor of religious and cultural history at Strathclyde University, says: "Forty years of significant secularisation of our culture has left a population who are singularly ill-informed on Christian knowledge, little interested in the main doctrinaire religions and less likely to be affected by any evangelising activity, whether cinema-based or not."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 11:50 PM

The Iona Community is to launch a major fundraising drive on Friday 26 March. The Growing Hope Appeal aims to raise £1 million to carry out improvements at the Community's Camas Outdoor Centre on the Ross of Mull, and incorporate a new coffee shop in the its bookshop on Iona.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 8:58 PM

The "cost/benefit analysis" of Israel's targeted killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin has been criticised by the Right Rev Professor Iain Torrance, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 8:55 PM

Obituary of Rev James L (Hamish) Hepburn, Church of Scotland minister who served in Malawi, at St Mary's, Kirkcudbright, and at Ardoch with Blackford in the Presbytery of Perth, of which he was moderator in the year before he retired in 1991; minister born 14 March 1923 in Perth, died 11 February 2004 in Edinburgh, aged 80.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 8:48 PM

A woman has been admonished at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after sending more than 40 letters to Monsignor David Gemmell at St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, accusing him of committing indecent sex acts, because she thought God had told her to do so.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 8:40 PM

Following the recent launch of the Catholic Media Office's "Text Alert" service, a message sent to all text subscribers today invites them to sign a friend to SCMO text alerts and win a pair of tickets to see "The Passion of the Christ". If you haven't already signed up to the "Text Alert" service please consider doing so. Sign up is simple and all alerts are free. Just text the message SCMO to 84880. Once you've subscribed, ask a friend to text SCMO plus YOUR mob no to 84880 to automatically be entered into the competition. Winners will be drawn on 25.3.04.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 7:30 PM

The Anglican Communion Office has now updated the Anglican Cycle of Prayer (ACP) web site to include a one-reading-per-day lectionary, comprised of a psalm and Bible verses. Readers are invited to use this lectionary as part of their daily prayer and worship. In addition, the ACP site has been updated and material for the second quarter (April-June 2004) is now available for download in three formats.
Source: Anglican Communion News Service.
posted at 1:35 PM

Peter Howson, the controversial Scottish artist and born-again Christian who complained last year that Scottish galleries had no interest in his religious paintings, has produced two arresting images of the crucifixion for a Glasgow cathedral. Christos Aneste - Christ Risen - shows Jesus coming forward from the cross, with outstretched bleeding hands, leaving a crucified Satan behind him. The second painting, Crucifixion, is a modern depiction of Christ on the cross. The Very Rev Griff Dines, provost of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, called Christos Aneste "a very powerful image of one of the central tenets of the Christian faith that suffering love redeems evil of sin". Mr Dines said the cathedral was proud of serving as a "spiritual home for the arts". "We are unique in that we are prepared to allow young artists to do new art as well as traditional stuff. This particular exhibition is perhaps one of our most ambitious. It symbolises the combination of art and religion where religion inspires art but where art inspires religious faith and belief."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:14 PM

The Herald's 'Big Idea' for this week is that compound interest should be abolished. "Whether it is store cards or third-world debt, all over the planet we are in financial bondage."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 1:10 PM

A collection of reflections in the April issue of the Church of Scotland's magazine, Life & Work, considers how Easter remains relevant today. Lorna Hill examines the new rules on baptism and hears why they were introduced at last year's General Assembly and how they are viewed and interpreted by ministers. Lynne McNeil offers a sneak preview of The Passion Of The Christ.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 6:12 PM

An alternative to detention at Dungavel for failed asylum seekers in Scotland, proposed by the Refuge Scotland Group, has been refused by the Home Office. Rev Allan McDonald of the Church of Scotland said: "We are outraged. I think we are a welcoming country. We do not want to detain, to incarcerate little children behind razor wire, that's not Scotland."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 6:08 PM

A controversial exhibition featuring paintings of Christ by artist Peter Howson is to go on display in Glasgow's Episcopal Cathedral in the run-up to Easter. Titled Stations of the Cross, it will join two other works by the painter called Crucifixion and Christos Aneste which interpret Christ's death and resurrection. Very Reverend Griff Dines, Provost of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, said: "This is an exciting and innovative exhibition."
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 6:04 PM

A minibus donated to people in the Kosovan capital Pristina two years ago by the Caring City charity in Glasgow has been torched in an outbreak of violence which killed 30 people. The Rev Neil Galbraith, minister at Cathcart Old Parish Church, who founded the charity, said: "We have now got to find ourselves another mini-bus and take it out there as soon as possible to replace the one which was destroyed."
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 6:01 PM

Prayers were said in Spanish at Aberdeen's Roman Catholic cathedral in memory of those killed by the Madrid bombings. Around 20 of Aberdeen's Spanish community came to a special mass at St Mary's Cathedral on Saturday.
Source: Aberdeen Evening Express.
posted at 5:56 PM

Cardinal Keith O'Brien has accused the Scottish Executive of "undermining the permanence and stability of marriage" after it was revealed that a radical overhaul of Scottish family law is planned.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 5:50 PM

Two teenagers are to become the first people in more than 100 years to go on trial accused of breaking an ancient "grave-robbing" law. They will stand trial this week at the High Court in Edinburgh accused of "violation of sepulchre". The law, which was often used when grave-robbing was at its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, is related to being disrespectful to the remains of the dead and the feelings of their relatives. The pair are accused of violating the tomb in Greyfriars cemetery of one of Scotland's most brutal historical figures, Sir George 'Bloody' Mackenzie, a former Lord Advocate during the reign of King Charles II who earned his nickname for his prosecution of the Scottish Presbyterian Covenanters which lasted between 1684 and 1688 and saw many sent to their deaths.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 5:49 PM

Organisers of a passion play to be staged at Edinburgh Castle at Easter next year hope the production will remind visitors of the religious message behind the celebration. The re-enactment of the last days of the life of Jesus Christ promises to be a major annual ecumenical event intended to raise awareness of the Christian message in today's society. Ewan Aitken, the councillor in charge of education in Edinburgh and a trustee and main organiser of the play, said yesterday he hoped it would put the Easter message back into what had become a largely secular celebration. Rachel Wood, 32, a GP and member of St Paul's and St George's Church in Edinburgh, is producing the play and is in charge of recruiting 40 actors. Organisers have already consulted the people behind the open-air enactment of The Life of Jesus Christ at Dundas Castle Estate at South Queensferry. The annual summer play, now in its second year, involves about 100 actors and is one of the largest full-scale, open-air promenade productions of the story of the life of Jesus.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 5:43 PM

Mel Gibson is convinced he was "guided by the Holy Ghost" during the filming and that God was present on set. Mel says: "This was not your normal movie set," and cites several "miracles" which happened during filming to back his argument. He claims a partially blind cast member regained their sight and that the daughter of one of the crew was cured of severe epilepsy. He says: "Her fits, which were daily, are completely gone. It gives you a lot of hope. It's like 'Wow! We're not kidding around about this stuff, it's happening.'"
Source: The Sun.
posted at 5:33 PM

The Bank of Scotland has launched a policy review after negative publicity over a deal involving pornographic magazines. The bank had provided £5m for a company called Remnant Media to buy 45 titles from the publisher Richard Desmond. This is not the first time the Bank of Scotland has found itself embarrassed by its business decisions. A venture with the American television preacher Pat Robertson ended after he described Scotland as a "dark land over-run by homosexuals".
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 5:28 PM

Almost half of Scots Asians end up in unhappy marriages because of arranged weddings with a spouse who is incompatible, according to new research. The research, the first of its kind, was carried out by the Incompatible Marriages Project (IMP), run by the Edinburgh-based Council of British Pakistanis in Scotland. In the three years since it was set up, the project has helped more than 200 young Asians and has also sent out representatives who have held discussions with Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian communities across Scotland.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 5:25 PM

The Dundee Declaration, the unanimous outcome of an international symposium held at the Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Dundee, pronounces that "a new agenda in Islamic studies is needed, which must face the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century". Professor Jaafar Abdelsalam, secretary general of the Islamic Universities' League, said, "Co-operation between Islam and the west began last century with Muslim-British relations. Dundee's Al-Maktoum Institute is a symbol of the co-operation that bridges the gap between Islamic civilisation and the west."
Source: Dundee Courier.
posted at 5:21 PM

Church leaders have voiced "outrage" after the Home Office rejected proposals to build a hostel which would house asylum seekers in Scotland. The plans had been put forward by the Refuge Scotland Project as an alternative to the controversial Dungavel Immigration Centre. The churches and charities, brought together by Labour MP Michael Connarty, wanted the government to shut Dungavel. However, the Home Office is instead expanding the Lanarkshire centre.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 8:54 PM

Bank of Scotland is facing a backlash from outraged customers and shareholders after it helped finance the acquisition of a pornographic magazines business by start-up company Remnant Media from Express Newspapers boss Richard Desmond. The magazine stable includes such titles as 'Asian Babes', 'Readers' Wives', 'Only 18', 'Mothers-in-Law' and '60 Plus'. Bank of Ireland was last week forced to apologise for its part in the same financing deal after a campaign by Christian and women's organisations.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 8:51 PM

Scottish Executive ministers will this week unveil the most sweeping reforms to Scottish family law for a generation. Unmarried couples are to get more protection from the law. Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute, said: "This is yet another blurring in the distinction between cohabitation and marriage. If couples want these rights and legal protections, then they can get married."
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 8:42 PM

The leader of Scotland's Catholics has accused First Minister Jack McConnell of undermining the sanctity of marriage by introducing "quickie" divorces. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, has warned that making Scottish divorce law the most liberal in Britain will lead to a dramatic rise in failed marriages.
Source: Sunday Times.
posted at 8:30 PM

Responding to reports that the Scottish Executive plan to introduce legislation to speed up divorce proceedings, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland, commented: "I am deeply concerned that the Executive are considering a reduction in the time period for non-contested divorce cases from two years to one year." He said a study conducted by Accord marriage counselling in Ireland found that counselling helped almost half of the couples involved to improve their relationship quality.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 8:29 PM

The community of Scotus College, the national Catholic seminary in Scotland, raised over £3,000 for the Young Persons Beginnning Experience. Members of the community have made a Lenten pilgrimage to the cave of St Ninian at Whithorn.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 7:45 PM

Rev Tom Richardson has retired after 26 years at Cults West Church in Aberdeen.
Source: Aberdeen Evening Express.
posted at 7:41 PM

The election of the new Episcopalian Bishop of Argyll and The Isles will take place in Oban on Wednesday.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 7:39 PM

The Free Church of Scotland announces the publication of the music editions of 'Sing Psalms', a new metrical translation of the Book of Psalms. This is the first such version published in the UK since 1650, and coincides with a significant upsurge of interest in psalm-singing in many church traditions. 'Sing Psalms' has drawn from a wide repertoire of musical styles, from the 16th to the 21st centuries.
Source: Stornoway Gazette.
posted at 10:14 PM

Churches in Kilwinning are praying North Ayrshire Council rejects plans for a new pub on their doorsteps. Abbey Church says a new pub across from its gates will escalate the problem of teenage yobs hanging about the grounds. They say members of the choir are terrified to walk through the grounds after one pensioner was mugged near the church two weeks ago in broad daylight. Nearby Erskine Church is also set to object.
Source: icAyrshire - Irvine Herald.
posted at 10:01 PM

Staff at the Warner Village cinema in Inverness are preparing to deal with the powerful emotions "The Passion Of The Christ" may create among audiences. Plastic chairs will be placed outside the cinema to allow people to sit down, there will be tissues available for anyone who needs them and staff are being told to deal sensitively with anyone who is upset or has any other powerful response to what is shown on screen. Manager Danny Thomas says he had to lobby hard to be able to screen the film.
Source: Inverness Courier.
posted at 9:58 PM

Crieff's churches are holding a Holiday Bible Club in the Easter break for primary aged children.
Source: icPerthshire - Strathearn Herald.
posted at 9:52 PM

The congregation of St Machan's Church in Larkhall will decide later this month whether to approve controversial plans for a mobile telephone mast at their church.
Source: icLanarkshire - Hamilton Advertiser.
posted at 9:50 PM

A delegation of ministers from Cumbernauld and Kilsyth watched a sneak preview in Glasgow of 'The Passion of the Christ' which is not on general release in Scotland until March 26. The Rev Brian Talbot of Cumbernauld Baptist Church said: "Obviously watching someone being flogged or crucified is unpleasant - but it is no more violent than any other film with an 18 certificate." Jim Dick of the Church of God in Kilsyth admitted that he found watching the movie an "emotional" experience. "I thought it was a very graphic film but I would cautiously advise most people to go and see it. But I really think that people of a nervous disposition could be very upset by it." Minister of Kilsyth Anderson Parish Church, Rev Charles McKinnon said: "Some people have been deeply spiritually affected by this film - I wouldn't quite say that I was." Pastor Alan Welsh of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship which meets in Ravenswood and Abronhill spoke of his admiration for the film. "I found it very historically accurate and very detailed."
Source: Cumbernauld Today - Cumbernauld News & Kilsyth Chronicle.
posted at 9:41 PM

A cosmologist and social activist from South Africa has won the $1.4-million Templeton Prize, awarded annually for "progress towards research or discoveries about spiritual realities". Dr George F.R. Ellis, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town, specialises in Einstein's theory of relativity and its applications to the study of the origin and evolution of the universe.
Source: Church Times.
posted at 9:31 PM

Mothers should talk more to their children about sex and relationships, and spend less time in the kitchen, according to a survey commissioned by the Mothers' Union for Mothering Sunday.
Source: Church Times.
posted at 9:29 PM

An open day is being held at Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh to showcase the church's 1000-year history.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 5:09 PM

A mass will be said at 12 noon on Saturday 20th March in St Mary's Cathedral, Huntly Street, Aberdeen, to commemorate the deaths of those who lost their lives to terrorist bombs in Madrid last week. The Very Rev Andrew Mann, assisted by the Rev. Keith Herrera, will say the Mass in Spanish. Fr. Mann was a student at the Royal Scottish College in Valladolid and Fr. Herrera was a student when the college moved to its present location in Salamanca. Recently appointed Bishop Peter Moran will preside.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 11:23 PM

A Stranraer lawyer who admitted defrauding clients out of nearly £700,000 has been jailed for six-and-a-half years. was told that he had displayed a gross breach of trust. Among those defrauded by John Kennedy Forster were churches, including Portpatrick Parish Church.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 11:18 PM

Exemptions to rules for protecting homosexuals against discrimination by employers have been challenged by unions in the High Court in London. Under the regulations, introduced by the Government to give effect to a European Union directive, churches or organisations such as faith schools or charities are allowed to exclude homosexuals from key posts on the grounds that they deem homosexuality to be immoral. But, in a test case, seven unions, led by the TUC, have asked a judge to declare the provisions "invalid and unlawful" because no such exemption was included in the original European directive.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
posted at 11:14 PM

A drug counselling group linked to the controversial Church of Scientology has been banned from Edinburgh University's student union. The organisation called Narconon put up posters about its services on Edinburgh Student Association (EUSA) notice boards without permission. Eve McKenzie, executive director for Narconon Scotland, admitted some addicts treated under the Narconon programme later converted to Scientology. She added: "If this was a programme run by a Christian group and it had worked successfully, it would be understandable that the person wanted to learn more about Christianity. But there is no pressure involved."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 11:08 PM

A historic Mearns church is about to start a fundraising drive to raise the £139,000 it needs to provide new meeting and office space. Significant alterations are planned for the interior of Dunnottar Parish Church, which nestles in woodland on the southern side of Stonehaven.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 11:02 PM

The Catholic Media Office will this week send a mailing to all of Scotland's Catholic parishes promoting the film "The Passion of The Christ". The mailing will include a letter from Bishop Joseph Devine, President of the National Communications Commission, in which he describes the film as "the most powerful I have ever seen", and adds "it is undeniably a profoundly religious film, which I believe does not seek to attack or demonise any group".
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 10:35 PM

Chancellor Gordon Brown announced in today's budget that until March 2006 churches and sacred places will be able to reclaim all VAT on repairs. The Chancellor justified the move by saying: "Churches and sacred places are not just an essential part of our religious life but an important part of the history and the fabric of our country".
Source: Methodist Church News.
posted at 10:30 PM

The Kirk's Moderator held talks with members of the north-east's fishing community yesterday, then took part in a drugs workshop in Fraserburgh, as part of his week-long stay in the area.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 10:24 PM

For the second day in a row nothing seems to have happened! So here's a plug for some new Scottish Christian content about Celtic spirituality, the Occupied Territories, a day in the life of a rural minister, learning to connect with the world, and radical changes to be considered by the General Assembly in May. All these in our Features section.
posted at 2:58 PM