Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have struck a popular chord with their choice of hymns for their wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor next week. They have picked three of the nation's favourite hymns, Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven; Immortal, Invisible; and Love Devine (sic), All Loves Excelling. The Reverend Charles Robertson, Minister of the Canongate Kirk, where the Queen worships when she stays at Holyrood, said the couple could not have made a better choice. "They are good, solid traditional hymns that get to the root of the matter."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 8:25 PM

Spotlight on faith healing following the decision by Rangers defender Marvin Andrews to decline an operation to repair cruciate ligament damage to his left knee and instead put his confidence in Pastor Joe Nwokoye of the Zion Praise Centre in Kirkcaldy. Mr Nwokoye told the Daily Record this week: "If Jesus can raise himself from the dead, he can heal a knee. It's there in the Bible in the Book of Mark, Chapter 16, Verse 17: 'In my mind shall they cast out devils - they shall lay their hands on the sick and the sick shall recover.' Is Scotland such a pagan nation it can't even believe in the Bible? In Nigeria, people are raised from the dead all the time, and it isn't even ministers who always pray for them. It's about time people started believing in the word of God."
Sources: The Herald, Daily Record.
posted at 8:16 PM

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), whose membership includes many Christians and churches, has named a 'dirty dozen' local authority pension funds, including Strathclyde, who hold over a million shares in BAE Systems, Europe's largest arms manufacturer.
Source: Ekklesia.
posted at 7:54 PM

A group of evangelical churches has been accused of running scared after it called on the Scottish Episcopal Church to retract a statement by the church's College of Bishops that being a practising homosexual was not a bar to ordained ministry. The Scottish Anglican Network has warned that it would consider breaking away unless the church changes its stance. But Changing Attitude Scotland, a network working for the "full affirmation" of lesbian and gay people in the church, accused the evangelical group of being "frightened" of a discussion on the issue.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 11:30 AM

The BBC's chief faith adviser has criticised its attitude to religion, picking out shows such as The Vicar of Dibley as being even more offensive to Christians than the recent broadcast of Jerry Springer - The Opera, which caused 50,000 complaints. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, who heads the multi-faith Central Religious Advisory Committee set up to guide the BBC and regulators, also complained that the body had not been consulted over several recent controversies.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 11:09 AM

St David's Memorial Park Church in Kirkintilloch is to undergo a £500,000 upgrade after years of negotiations.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 11:07 AM

Football fans displaying sectarian behaviour at any football ground in Scotland should be arrested, says anti-bigotry charity Nil By Mouth. Currently only Strathclyde's E division, which covers Celtic Park, follows this policy.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 11:07 AM

The BBC's chief faith adviser has criticised its attitude to religion, picking out shows such as The Vicar of Dibley as being even more offensive to Christians than the recent broadcast of Jerry Springer - The Opera, which caused 50,000 complaints. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, who heads the multi-faith Central Religious Advisory Committee set up to guide the BBC and regulators, also complained that the body had not been consulted over several recent controversies.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 10:41 PM

Police are investigating an alleged assualt at a meeting last week at Lumphanan Church, part of the Church of Scotland's mid-Deeside trinity of churches, which had been called so the congregation could discuss proposed changes to the church. Lumphanan residents are angry that their church is being earmarked for closure, with session leaders saying the building is no longer suitable. The meeting was abandoned after local minister the Rev Norman Nicoll said people were present who were not congregation members and this was not allowed under Church law.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 1:24 PM

An album of hymns has been released by Morningside United Church in Edinburgh to help people suffering from dementia. Suggestions for the CD were collected by Reverend Susan Kirkbride and the project was aided by Stirling University's Dementia Services Development Centre.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 1:14 PM

Report on a visit by leading Catholic businessman Sir Tom Farmer to the Dalai Lama's home in India.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 1:04 PM

Frame by frame: the lost voices from Britain's urban hell. Reports on child poverty in Glasgow based on films by Ruth Carslaw in association with the Christian charity, Braendam Link. "A stat means nothing - what is it? 200,000? We show these kids, we give a face to that, we give a voice to that, to those statistics. And every single child living in poverty has a different experience." In Germiston, 11-year-old Susan plays alone on roller blades on the 17th-floor landing of a high-rise. It is too dangerous for her to play outside. "If we are judged as a society by how we deal with our deepest problems, such as poverty, our response suggests that we are failing the test," says The Herald. "Ms Carslaw plans to screen her films on a public street in Glasgow this summer. They should have a Scotland-wide audience. Our politicians, who can do so much, should be in the front row."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 1:04 PM

The Scottish Episcopal Church is being urged to retract its statement that being a practising homosexual is not a bar to a person becoming a priest. A group of evangelical churches, the Scottish Anglican Network, has warned that it may reconsider its position within the denomination unless the issue is resolved. The Reverend David McCarthy, rector of St Silas Church in Glasgow, said: "I think in all of our churches we have people for whom this is a personal issue, it is something that maybe they will struggle with. The bishops have placed us in a situation where there is a split that's going on."
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 12:39 PM

Homosexuals will not be banned from teaching in faith schools, says Cardinal Keith O'Brien head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. He said sexual orientation was not, in itself, of any relevance to the Church. His comments flatly contradict those of Bishop Joseph Devine, the president of the Catholic Education Service, who sparked a furore last week when he said being a homosexual teacher "would not at all be compatible" with Church teachings. Cardinal O'Brien said: "If there happens to be a gay teacher and he does happen to be living with a partner, that's their personal, private life. I don't see it as a problem." He added there would be no investigation into whether a prospective or practising teacher was gay or lesbian, saying there was no "witch hunt with regard to morality or lifestyle". Church insiders said the cardinal has stepped in to exert his authority and defuse what may be perceived as a row among the hierarchy over issues of faith and morals. One said: "Joe [Devine] is of sufficient seniority to believe he can effectively say what he likes. His Eminence is reminding him of who is in charge."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 12:33 PM

A bogus priest named as Scotland's worst conman has been jailed for six years. Robert Markward swindled OAPs and disabled people out of their cash. The crook - who has 50 previous convictions for dishonesty - used various disguises but his favourite was priest 'Father Billy'.
Source: Sunday Mail.
posted at 3:05 PM

Do Christians have to believe Jesus rose from the dead? Alan Taylor's inquiry quotes writer AN Wilson, Archbishop Mario Conti, and Bishop Richard Holloway.
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 2:58 PM

Profile of Easter in Easterhouse, the Glasgow housing estate, by Magnus Linklater. "God chose the weak things of the world," says Sandy Weddell, minister of the local Baptist church. "Revivals work among the ordinary folk, not the intelligentsia. Part of me believes that if anything is to happen, it will be in places like this. God hasn't given up on Easterhouse, so why should I?"
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 2:44 PM

The leader of Scotland's Catholics has blamed Scottish Executive cost-cutting for preventing the expulsion of killer Luke Mitchell from the Roman Catholic school where he met his victim, Jodi Jones. Cardinal Keith O'Brien said it had proved impossible under present policies to deal with Mitchell's anti-social behaviour, and it was only when he murdered his girlfriend that he was removed from St David's RC High School in Dalkeith. Jim Docherty, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, said: "The Cardinal got it spot-on when he said the expense of excluding pupils is the issue."
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 2:38 PM

The Healthy Respect organisation helps young people make informed choices about sexual activity, writes Scottish Executive health minister Andy Kerr. "I am particular pleased that Healthy Respect and the Catholic Church will be working together to develop appropriate resources and training programmes that can be used in Catholic schools. This does not mean anything inappropriate will be taught in schools. All Sex and Relationships Education will be suitable to the age and stage of the young people in the class."
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 2:32 PM

Easter Message from the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Bruce Cameron.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 1:16 PM

Cardinal Keith O'Brien will claim in his Easter Sunday homily that society has lost sight of the sacred nature of human life.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 12:57 PM

A split emerged in the Catholic Church last night after a senior education figure rejected a bishop's claims that homosexuals should not be allowed to teach in faith schools. Michael McGrath, director of the Catholic Education Service (CES), dismissed claims last weekend by Bishop Joseph Devine that being a homosexual teacher "would not at all be compatible" with Church teachings. Bishop Devine, who is president of the CES and Bishop of Motherwell, said the Charter for Catholic Schools - a mission statement specifying exactly what the church expects from schools and teachers - made it clear that openly gay people could not teach in Catholic schools. But speaking to the Times Educational Supplement, Mr McGrath said the Church "has no interest in the sexual orientation of any teacher and it is not an issue of relevance to the Church". When asked whether he was comfortable with gays teaching in Catholic schools he replied: "Yes." Frances Gilpin, president of the Catholic Headteachers' Association of Scotland, added that the charter was "not designed to exclude, and it is unfortunate that it is being seen in that way". George Haggarty, the head of St John's High School in Dundee, said candidates for teaching posts must pass the test of their "religious belief and character". "But the important thing is not to judge the person but to judge the contribution he or she can make to the Catholic school," he said.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 12:47 PM

Holy Trinity, Brompton, home of the Alpha course, is to set up a new theological college at the cost of £6 million.
Source: Church of England Newspaper.
posted at 9:12 PM

The Scottish Executive's controversial sexual health campaign that allows 13-year-olds to have the morning-after pill is to be continued despite being branded a failure. The Healthy Respect pilot scheme, which also provided condoms for children, incurring the wrath of the Catholic Church and some parents, is to receive £1.9m for three years. An external evaluation of the scheme, which has been running since 2001 and has cost £3.5m, found that, in the three key areas of reducing the number of under-16s having sex, teenage pregnancies and teenage abortions, there was no change.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 9:18 AM

"We are not in the business of making people homeless," said Rev Alex MacDonald of the Free Church of Scotland in the wake of yesterday's ruling by Lady Paton at the Court of Session that the breakaway Free Church (Continuing) had no right to ownership of the Church's properties, pension funds, shares and other assets, including the Free Church of Scotland College. Mr MacDonald said: "We tried to sort out the matter of manses and church buildings during the mediation but it failed. Our legal position is now made clear, but what happens in future will depend upon good will and there being no further legal action from them." The Rev John Macleod, spokesman for the FCC, said it would consult its legal team before deciding on further action.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 9:16 AM

Profile of Rowan Williams as he approaches his fourth year as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 9:11 AM

Profile of Rowan Williams as he approaches his fourth year as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 9:10 AM

The Evangelical Alliance today challenged faith groups to speak up on the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). Don Horrocks, head of public policy at the Alliance said: "It is clear that faith groups will need to get their act together over the coming months if they wish to play a constructive and formative part in the roll-out of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights that will profoundly affect everyone in the future. This will involve significant investment in genuine inter-faith and inter-human right strand dialogue, whilst simultaneously preserving uniqueness and diversity within a climate of mutual respect. The challenge should not be underestimated."
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.
posted at 7:35 PM

Dr Donald Bruce, director of the Church of Scotland's Society, Religion and Technology Project has called the MPs who produced the recent report on the human embryo "out of touch". Dr Bruce commented: "The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology Report suggests that the MPs concerned are out of touch with society. Some of their suggestions are bizarre. The fact that the committee is so divided is very suspicious."
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 7:33 PM

A meeting at Lumphanan organised to inform parishioners about potential plans to close Mid Deeside Churchlocal church was abandoned because of non-worshippers attending. At a public meeting held last week, residents in Lumphanan resolved to start a campaign to take the historic building on themselves if need be.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 7:27 PM

The Free Church of Scotland has successfully defended the civil action brought by the group of ministers who broke away in January 2000. Lady Paton dismissed the action the Free Church (Continuing) had raised in the Court of Session in pursuit of the whole assets of the Church. They claimed that the Free Church had departed from a fundamental principle of the Church - the right of continued protest. Lady Paton stated in her judgement: "I have been unable to identify a right of continued protest as a fundamental constitutional principle of the Free Church."
Source: Free Church of Scotland news.
posted at 4:20 PM

The Scottish Episcopal Church today emphasised that there is no change of policy contained in a statement issued on March 4 by the College of Bishops in response to the Anglican Communion's Windsor Report and the meeting of the Anglican Primates in February. "In referring to the fact that there is no current bar to ordination for someone who might be in a close relationship with a member of the same sex, the Bishops were simply stating the present position as it applies in Scotland where, unlike some other provinces, no motion discouraging such ordinations has ever been passed by our General Synod."
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 9:11 AM

Members of St Andrew's Parish Church in Lochgelly fear their church could be bulldozed when it closes its doors after 150 years and the congregation moves to Macainsh Church.
Source: Dundee Courier.
posted at 8:50 AM

An Inverness shop boss plans to mark Easter by having a pole dancer performing in his window. The Hot Rock store - which sells bondage outfits and drugs paraphernalia - is putting on erotic hourly performances on Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Hugh Brown, a member of the Church of Scotland's board of social responsibility, questioned whether the owner 'recognised the true and Christian meaning of celebrating Easter, which is the death and resurrection of Christ'.
Source: Daily Record.
posted at 8:31 AM

In the light of the Terri Schiavo case in the United States, the Christian Medical Fellowship and Lawyers' Christian Fellowship today urged the House of Lords to accept an amendment to the Mental Capacity Bill tomorrow which would ensure that people granted power of attorney are not given authority to make life and death healthcare decisions on behalf of mentally incapacitated patients.
Source: Evangelical Alliance Media Consultancy.
posted at 6:45 PM

Ruth Gledhill, Times religion editor, examines whether the Scottish Episcopal Church has hastened a schism in Anglicanism. "The Scottish bishops have added to the instability of the situation ... The future of the Anglican Communion could now depend on what happens when the next episcopal vacancy comes up in Scotland, and on whether the church decides to elect a married man with children, or to make a statement and choose one of their clergy who meets all the criteria but just happens to be in a stable, loving relationship with a member of the same sex. And this could even be a woman."
Source: The Times.
posted at 6:29 PM

The Most Reverend Bruce Cameron, the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, confirmed today that someone would not be automatically barred from ministry because they were gay. He told the BBC: ""We are in fact simply stating what is the present position that we do not have a synodical decision like the Church of England has, which was made a number of years ago, therefore if there is someone who was homosexual, of a homosexual orientation, felt a sense of call to the ordained ministry then we would begin the process of testing application. We wouldn't bar him or her simply because they were homosexual." The Rev David McCarthy, rector of St Silas Church in Glasgow, said he had concerns about the statement by the College of Bishops on the Windsor Report and Primates' Communique. "We may have some difficulties from here on in I think," he said. "This is now seen as the public stance of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which of course it isn't."
Source: The Independent.
posted at 12:44 PM

A medical team of six doctors and nurses from the Lothians is preparing to sail up the Amazon River in Peru to care for some of South America's most remote tribal communities, The mercy mission aboard the Amazon Hope is funded by the Vine Trust, a Christian charity based in Bo'ness.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 9:34 AM

Feature on Edinburgh's Easter Play, which a mainly volunteer group will stage in Princes Street Gardens this Easter Saturday.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 9:32 AM

Healing is the "boring bit of a message in which all the excitement is generated by church politics", says the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Rowan Williams, in his Easter message to the Anglican Communion. "One of the least known features of the life of the Anglican Church over the last twenty years has been the dramatic revival of the ministry of healing as a routine part of the life of thousands of congregations. But it is the same hope for healing that is shown when we also look at how we can put our resources at the disposal of programmes to combat disease and poverty."
Source: Anglican Communion News Service.
posted at 6:47 PM

The Evangelical Alliance has called for an open debate on lowering the legal limit on abortions in light of new scientific research and public disquiet over the current law.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.
posted at 6:43 PM

School children are being enlisted in the fight to remove sectarianism from Scottish society. A new online and classroom-based education package has been launched by the Scottish Executive, along with a series of training seminars for teachers. The Don't Give it, Don't Take It campaign packs will be sent to every school in the country. First Minister Jack McConnell said: "Scotland will never be free of the shackles of sectarianism unless we teach our youngsters that bigotry is wrong. They carry the future of Scotland in their hands, and it is up to all of us - politicians, parents, sporting heroes and teachers - to help children understand that there is no place for bigotry or sectarianism in modern Scotland."
Source: BBC Scotland News, Scottish Executive news release.
posted at 6:40 PM

The Scottish Episcopal Church faces a schism with the Anglican church in other parts of the world after declaring officially that being a practising homosexual is no bar to becoming a priest. The announcement will incur the wrath of some within the global Anglican Communion, which is in turmoil over the consecration of Gene Robinson, the gay US bishop. There has been an unwritten but commonly-held acceptance within the Scottish Episcopal Church, which has 45,000 members, that there are gay clergy. Now its College of Bishops, in its response to the Windsor Report and Primates' Communique, says it has never regarded the fact a person was in a close relationship with a member of the same sex "as in itself constituting a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry".
Sources: The Herald, Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 9:51 AM

James MacMillan, the composer, has sparked a row after suggesting that Celtic supporters should feel free to sing republican songs. He said that sectarianism in Scottish culture prevented fans of the Glasgow football club celebrating their Irish heritage.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 6:43 PM

A Deeside choirmaster said the power of music was helping keep local youngsters involved in the Church after staging a successful Lenten concert. More than a 100 people attended the Deeside Choristers' annual Lenten Images Concert, held at St Mary's Church, Blairs, on Saturday.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 6:42 PM

Obituary of Monsignor Daniel (Donal) Foley; born October 10, 1927, died March 6, 2005.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 6:42 PM

A series of murals created by a nun for the benefit of Glasgow schoolchildren, but which have remained hidden from public view for more than a quarter of a century, may soon go on display. The depictions of iconic sites around the world painted in the 1920s by Sister Therese Bernard at the former Notre Dame convent and school were concealed about 30 years ago at what is now the Glasgow headquarters of Learning and Teaching Scotland, in the west end of the city.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 6:42 PM

A senior figure in the Church of Scotland has called on the public to look beyond "power games" being played by politicians. In her Easter message, Dr Alison Elliot, Moderator of the General Assembly, said voters should look to those who put peace and the needs of communities first.
Sources: BBC Scotland News, Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 11:38 AM

Dr Alison Elliot, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday both said the general election campaign could provide an opportunity for voters to question parliamentary candidates on abortion. The Kirk confirmed it was against abortion, although its general assembly has recently approved moves to support legislation that would reduce the time limit on termination from 24 to 20 weeks.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 11:34 AM

The Catholic Church has issued a "clarification" of the implications of the Charter for Catholic Schools in Scotland following today's Sunday Herald story about gay teachers being banned.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 6:23 PM

Royal aides drew up secret plans to allow Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to marry in the Church of Scotland at Crathie Kirk, on the Queen's Balmoral estate, if their Windsor wedding was ruled illegal. Details were at such an advanced stage that a lay preacher, Dr Sheila Sedgwick, was put on standby. Charles and Camilla even held a 30-minute meeting with the 79-year-old on their last visit to Scotland at the end of January, days before they announced their engagement. A close friend of Dr Sedgwick said: "There are a lot of people who wondered why they didn't choose Scotland in the first place. It would have saved them a lot of bother and it's a part of the world they love."
Source: Mail on Sunday.
posted at 5:53 PM

As abortion and religious censorship move up the pre-election agenda, evangelical pressure groups are seizing the chance to exercise increasing influence over mainstream British politics. "While the Prime Minister's decision to give a speech to an overtly Christian group (Faithworks) has delighted churchgoers, it has alarmed secularists, who have long been suspicious of the government's links with organised religion."
Source: The Observer.
posted at 5:44 PM

The 700 residents at the Church of Scotland's 27 care homes will pay an extra £106 a week from next month.
Source: Sunday Mail.
posted at 5:41 PM

The investiture has taken place at Rosslyn, outside Edinburgh, of a handful of squires, or junior members, of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, a modern branch of Templars founded with the support of Napoleon in 1804 and dedicated to charitable works and antiquarian research.
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 5:39 PM

Senior Catholics have drawn up plans to ban gay teachers taking up jobs in faith schools and to refuse promotion to those already in post. The plans stem from A Charter for Catholic Schools, a mission statement designed to define exactly what the Church expects from teachers in its schools. Bishop Joseph Devine, president of the Catholic Education Commission, said the proposed code would stop homosexual teachers from being hired by faith-based schools. "Being openly gay would not at all be compatible with the charter," he said. "It would cut across the whole moral vision enshrined in the charter. It would be offering a lifestyle that is incompatible with Catholic social teaching."
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 5:36 PM

Some 2000 people are expected to gather in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh next Saturday for a re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion. The audience will follow the cast as they perform the story in five areas of the Gardens bringing the traditional Easter story to life - the teaching of Jesus, his betrayal, the trial before Pilate, the crucifixion and his resurrection. The production is being sponsored by 19 businesses and organisations, including Edinburgh Churches Together and the city council.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 8:17 PM

Parishioners in Lumphanan turned out in large numbers last night and vowed to fight to save their historic church, which has been earmarked for closure by the local kirk session. Under the plans, Kincardine O'Neil's kirk would also be closed for worship. Lumphanan became part of the Mid Deeside Parish trinity in 2001. Residents in Lumphanan, Torphins and Kincardine O'Neil worship at each other's churches on a rota, with all three kirks led by the Rev Norman Nicol.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 11:47 AM

A minister who handed his congregation £10 each asking them to 'go forth and multiply' has received £7500 back. One parishioner alone raised £500 by buying the ingredients for marmalade then selling it to friends. The Rev Alex Macpherson issued the challenge to 155 members of Drymen Parish Church in January. They were given 40 days to increase the cash to help fund a £750,000 church extension - the only condition being they couldn't gamble. The Stirlingshire churchgoers quadrupled the investment with ventures ranging from Italian nights to window cleaning.
Source: Daily Record.
posted at 11:42 AM

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Dr Alison Elliot, will lead the service on Sunday 20 March at St Columba's church Craigshill, to mark the start of the celebrations for 40 years of a successful experiment at bringing Christians from different traditions closer together. St Columba's is part of Livingston Ecumenical Parish, which consists of six congregations, served by a ministry team of four - a Church of Scotland minister, an Episcopalian priest, a Methodist minister and a Church of Scotland deacon.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 7:59 PM

The remains of 20 followers of St Francis of Assisi, discovered at a new development in Glasgow, are to be reburied at a cemetery in the city. Archaeologists unearthed the site of the city's original Franciscan friary, established in 1476, on the site of the City Science complex in High Street. The remains will be reinterred after a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Mario Conti at St Andrew's Cathedral.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 7:13 PM

Two original watercolour paintings of St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Inverness, believed to be the work of cathedral architect Alexander Ross, have just been returned from conservation and will go on display in the building in the near future.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 7:13 PM

Thieves raided three churches in four days, stealing collection money and equipment worth thousands of pounds. They broke into Old Parish Church and St John the Baptist Chapel in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, then St Andrew's Church in Blantyre.
Source: Daily Record.
posted at 7:13 PM

Rangers chairman David Murray's unprecedented attack on the "FTP (F**k the Pope) brigade" has sparked lively debate among supporters groups and internet chat rooms. Mark Dingwall, editor of the Rangers fanzine Follow Follow, also praised Mr Murray, saying he had done what committed Rangers fans had been urging him to do for years. "He's come out and stated his view that Rangers are, in a number of ways, a culturally Protestant team. The board and Murray don't have a problem with that, but they do have a problem with how we express that," Mr Dingwall said. Morag Mylne, convener of the Church of Scotland's church and nation committee, said: "The position of the Church is clear: we will have no part in any activity, language or behaviour which is in any way sectarian." Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church, said: "David Murray is right to condemn intolerant chants and behaviour at football matches. But we need to remember that sectarianism does not begin and end with football."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 7:13 PM

The proposal to cut the abortion time limit from 24 weeks to 20 is the subject of the Scotsman's online debate, with Cardinal Keith O'Brien in agreement.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 7:12 PM

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called on world leaders at the planned G8 summit in Gleneagles to promote free trade with poorer countries. He made the call before his keynote address at the Commonwealth Local Government Forum in Aberdeen on Thursday.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 7:12 PM

Calton Parkhead Church of Scotland in Glasgow's east end is to be given a £1million facelift after an eight-year campaign.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 7:11 PM

Bible readings have impressed the judges at Lochaber Music Festival in the second year the section has been included in the programme.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 1:37 PM

Obituary of missionary priest Monsignor Daniel (Donal) Foley.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:36 PM

Andrew Welsh, the SNP MSP for Angus, is profiled in the April issue of the Church of Scotland's magazine, Life & Work. He says there is a need for an additional set of commandments to supplement the original ten to assist Christians in dealing with the dilemmas posed by contemporary society. Wendy Gray, founder of the Simona Trust, which established a hospice for babies and children suffering from AIDS in the 1990s, returns to Romania to learn whether the efforts of thousands of Scots made a difference. And the Rev Donald Scott, chaplain at Polmont Young Offenders' Institution, highlights the work of the Jacob Project, which offers hope and help for young offenders as part of a UK-wide initiative.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 1:36 PM

Rangers chairman David Murray has made one of his strongest condemnations yet of sectarian and bigoted elements among the Glasgow club's support. And he has told those who sing offensive songs, such as those against the Pope, to stay away from Ibrox. "There's simply no place at Ibrox for the FTP brigade and those who would have us wading in Fenian blood," he told the club's website. Murray has issued two 10-point plans to tackle the issue.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 1:36 PM

The 100 per cent VAT refund for renovation of buildings is to be extended until 2008 and applied to the construction and repair of memorials, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced in his Budget today. "Churches and sacred places are at the centre of our religious life and the history and the fabric of our country," he said.
Source: Contractor UK.
posted at 1:34 PM

The £7 million repair programme at Edinburgh's 900-year-old St Giles cathedral is moving towards its last stage - dubbed "Access and Enlightenment".
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 1:34 PM

Scotland's senior Catholics have called for abortion and Church values to play a central role in the general election campaign, but yesterday politicians from all parties moved quickly to say that abortion should not be a party political issue. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the country's Catholics, said: "As the truth of the appalling practice dawns on more and more people, I urge them to quiz their prospective candidates on the issue and demand that it is placed at the top of the political agenda."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 1:34 PM

Analysis by Fraser Nelson of how the abortion issue will affect the general election result. "In Scotland, one in every five pregnancies now ends in abortion. It's a staggering figure, but it's there in black and white: in the year to March 2003, according to the NHS, doctors delivered 50,200 babies and carried out 12,200 abortions. Those studying Scotland's falling population often point to the 'low fertility rate'. Scottish women, it is argued, have the lowest fertility in Britain - a crude rate of 10.1 per 1,000 people as against 12 in Denmark and 15 in Ireland. But this birth rate has little to do with fertility, and much more to do with the fact that the NHS is carrying out an abortion every 40 minutes in Scotland. Little wonder the population is thinning."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:33 PM

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa said today that the runaway success of the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code is proof of "anti-Catholic" prejudice containing "cheap lies". Part of the novel is set in Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh. Asked about commentary that the book's success is "only further proof of the fact that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice," the cardinal - for years the number two man at the Vatican's most powerful department, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, - exclaimed: "It's the truth."
Source: The Scotsman/PA News.
posted at 1:32 PM

Princeton Theological Seminary has inaugurated the Rev Dr Iain Torrance, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, as its sixth president. Dr Torrance's inaugural address was titled Beyond Solipsism, and ranged across biblical and church history to stress new approaches to meet new challenges in a changing world. In his address, he called for interfaith and inter-institutional dialogue, and he cited a need to counter the polarization of secular modernism and "anti-modern religious orthodoxy" and a purely legalistic reading of sacred text.
Source: The Princeton Packet.
posted at 1:30 PM