The Very Rev John Cairns will be installed as dean of the Chapel Royal at a service tonight in St Mary’s Church, Haddington. A former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Mr Cairns has been minister of Aberlady linked with Gullane Church since 2001. Prior to that he was minister of Dumbarton Riverside Church.
sourc: Church of Scotland news release.

A report earlier today that Pope Benedict is to tour Britain has been denied by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Archbishop of Westminster has invited the Pope to visit, but his office denied this had been accepted. "Archbishop's House has had no indication from Rome if Pope Benedict will visit the UK, nor, if he were to, when that would be," it stated.
sourc: BBC Scotland News.

Christians opposed to the musical Jerry Springer the Opera claim it has evoked similar feelings of outrage to the cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist. Members of Christian Voice say the production, which started a four-day run in Aberdeen last night, is blasphemous and mocks Jesus Christ. A group of 10 men and women, some holding placards, handed out leaflets outlining their concerns and beliefs to people as they filed into HM Theatre.
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Church of Scotland staff responsible for Keith Lodge, in Stonehaven, said yesterday it was "highly unlikely" the home would be kept open as they met with families affected by the plans yesterday. The Church's social work branch, Crossreach, say the main lodge building, which houses four residents with learning disabilities and part-time respite care facilities for about 20 others, needs prohibitively expensive upgrades to remain open.
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Pope Benedict XVI is to visit Britain next year. He will arrive in the UK in September 2007 - exactly 25 years after the last papal tour by John Paul II in 1982. And in the clearest hint that he will come north, Cardinal Keith O'Brien urged Pope Benedict to spend some time in Scotland and said he would be welcomed "most warmly".
sourc: Daily Record.

Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh is to put on show a painting which depicts Jesus as a street drinker in the city's Hunter Square, clutching a bottle of Buckfast and a white sliced loaf, and wearing a scruffy leather jacket. The artist, Alan Tolmie, an athiest and a voluntary worker at the church, who creates politically-themed chalk art on pavements during the summer, spent four years homeless in the Capital. Dr Richard Fraser, the minister at Greyfriars, said: "Jesus ... was associated with being a wine drinker and hanging out with disreputable people. I think if Jesus was walking around in Edinburgh today, he would spend a good deal of time in Hunter Square." Kerry Morrison, manager of the Advocate pub on Hunter Square, said: "If Jesus was as abusive as they [street drinkers] can be, we would want him moved on too."
sourc: Edinburgh Evening News.

A mobile phone text messaging service for Muslims has been launched by Dundee entrepreneur Nazir Daud. Users are able to receive messages from the Koran and daily prayers. The MuslimText service also includes daily Hadith - the sayings of Muhammad - and runs in line with the Islamic calendar, taking into account times of fasting or special holy days. "Most people are so caught up in their work that they forget their spiritual side, so this service serves as a reminder that there is more to life than just work," said Mr Daud. "I wanted to send messages that enlighten and uplift them and I wanted it to be a service for the whole family."
sourc: BBC Scotland News.

Harry Reid suggests that if Pope Benedict visits Scotland, Rangers FC should offer Ibrox stadium as a venue for a Catholic youth rally. "What could say more about the sincerity of the club's desire to be rid of sectarian bigotry once and for all?"
sourc: The Herald.

Obituary of James Campbell, secretary/treasurer for the Mission to Military Garrisons; born October 24, 1914, died February 2006.
sourc: The Herald.

Bryan Marshall, a married music teacher at Holyrood High School in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest Catholic secondary, has sparked uproar by dumping his wife for an ex-pupil. Now 18 years old, she was 15 when they first met. Last night, a spokesman for the Catholic Church said parents had complained to the school and to Glasgow's Archbishop Mario Conti. But he said they were "powerless" to act because the church could only influence appointments. Marshall, the head of music at Holyrood, has been allowed to remain in his post and continue his relationship.
sourc: Sunday Mail.

The deputy leader of the Scottish Tories has called on his party to embrace ideas reflecting the “Judaeo-Christian tradition”. Murdo Fraser, the Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, also said he could not support proposals for same-sex adoption, and that his colleagues “shouldn’t be afraid” to promote marriage through the tax and benefits system.
sourc: Sunday Herald.

Pastor Jim Dick, pastor of the Kilsyth Church of God, and his wife, Margery, were struck by a second tragedy this week with the death of their daughter, Yvonne Taylor, in a hospital in Gran Canaria where she had earlier undergone an operation to repair a broken femur. The couple's younger daughter, Lorraine, died of a drugs overdose at the age of 35 in 2004, after a brave battle against heroin addiction. She had turned to drugs after a horrific assault while she was doing voluntary work in Bangladesh. Jim and Margery have a son, Andrew, in Australia.
sourc: Cumbernauld News & Kilsyth Chronicle.

The BBC should have a statutory duty to ensure that its listeners and viewers have a better understanding of religion, according to a House of Lords select committee report on Charter Renewal. The report also called on the BBC to ensure that its staff across all departments were better informed about the religious background to news stories.
sourc: Church of England Newspaper.

Catholic leaders yesterday urged local authorities to let church officials vet all teachers applying for jobs in denominational schools following a landmark legal ruling earlier this week when a teacher who lost out on promotion at a Catholic school because he was an atheist won his claim for religious discrimination. The tribunal found that the 1980 Education (Scotland) Act "does not permit the Roman Catholic Church to reserve certain posts for teachers who are Roman Catholics". However, the tribunal also found that, under the 1980 legislation, any applicant to a post on the staff of a Catholic school required the approval of church officials in terms of their "religious belief and character" before they could be given the job. Although some councils abide by the law, many, particularly those in the west of Scotland, do not. Michael McGrath, the director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said: "We would urge all councils to review their procedures to ensure that that they are complying with the law in this regard." Ewan Aitken, a Church of Scotland minister and education spokesman for Cosla, the local authorities' umbrella organisation, said officials would study the ruling in detail, but would be prepared to open talks with the church to find a way forward.
sourc: The Herald.

UEFA has launched an official investigation into Rangers fans allegedly singing bigoted chants at their Champions League matches against their Spanish opponents in the last round. The charge officially relates only to the UEFA Cup ties against Villarreal at Ibrox and earlier this week in Spain. But The Herald understands UEFA has been compiling a dossier on alleged bigotry among Rangers fans for several months, following a number of complaints.
sourc: The Herald.

School pupils in England will be required to discuss creationist theories as part of a new GCSE biology course being introduced in September.
sourc: The Guardian.

The Roman Catholic Church has reacted to the ruling by an employment tribunal that Glasgow maths teacher David McNab was turned down for a post at his school because he was not a Roman Catholic. Michael McGrath, Director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said: "The Catholic Church was not involved in this case and will study the full judgement in detail when it becomes available. We note with interest however the tribunal's finding that all appointments to all posts in Catholic schools require the approval of the Catholic Church. This finding is in accord with the view of the church and has been advised to all local authorities in Scotland. The church endorses the finding of the tribunal that a system of 'reserved posts' is not justified in law."
sourc: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

Three Aberdeen congregations are bucking the national trend of declining church numbers. Cove, Stockethill, and Bridge of Don's Oldmachar have been hailed "church success stories" by the Church of Scotland's Aberdeen presbytery. They are among 12 new charge development churches "planted" across Scotland as a solution to demographic shifts and population changes as well as falling church rolls.
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), which split from the Free Church six years ago, wants to hold talks over distribution of assets which are worth millions of pounds. As a "goodwill gesture", it has dropped its appeal against a ruling in the Court of Session which went in the Free Church's favour. Rev John MacLeod, of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), said: "We hope that an amicable, and importantly, an equitable, resolution can be reached." Alex MacDonald, of the Free Church of Scotland, said: "There are some very difficult situations where there are two congregations both claiming the same buildings."
sourc: The Herald.

Denominational schools have been warned not to reserve key posts for Catholic teachers after a landmark legal ruling. An employment tribunal found in favour of a maths teacher who was turned down for a post at his school because he was not a Roman Catholic. David McNab, who is an atheist, has been a maths teacher at St Paul's RC High School in Pollok, Glasgow, since 1991. But when he applied for the post of acting principal teacher of pastoral care 18 months ago, he was told by the headteacher that he could not be considered for the post as he is not a Catholic. Mr McNab was yesterday awarded £2,000 after the tribunal found he had been "unlawfully discriminated against ... on the grounds of his religion", in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Scotsman has learned that the system of "reserved posts" exists in some council areas in the west of Scotland against the wishes of the Catholic Church. A senior church sourc last night welcomed the findings of the tribunal. The sourc said: "Glasgow City Council's interpretation of the law was flawed. They said to this man, 'You are excluded from applying because you are not a Catholic', and that is wrong. He should have been allowed to apply."
sourc: The Scotsman.

Surfing the internet has overtaken watching television as Scotland's favourite pastime. Scots are at the forefront of Britain's online revolution, spending an average of 181 minutes a day – or 45 days annually – surfing the world wide web for personal use, researchers have found.
sourc: The Herald.

The Very Rev Dr John Miller, minister of Castlemilk East Church for 35 years and a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been awarded the Loving Cup, Glasgow's highest civic honour. Lord Provost Liz Cameron said: "John Miller is one of Glasgow's greatest friends and servants."
sourc: The Herald.

Scores of protesters picketed the King's Theatre in Glasgow last night as the touring version of Jerry Springer the Opera began a week-long run.
sourc: The Herald.

Villagers in Lumphanan look set to appeal to the Church of Scotland after a request to leave the Mid Deeside Parish and run their church independently was turned down. Kincardine and Deeside Presbytery rejected a petition from the Save Lumphanan Church group to dissolve the union between the three congregations of Lumphanan, Torphins and Kincardine O'Neil.
sourc: Deeside Piper & Herald .

Thieves ransacked St John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Dundee church and stole hundreds of pounds collected to help children in Swaziland orphaned through Aids and HIV, as well as bags of pennies collected for Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) in Kinross.
sourc: Dundee Evening Telegraph.

Roman Catholic leaders today said they hoped the new Pope would visit Scotland during his first official trip the UK.
sourc: Edinburgh Evening News.

Greenock's east end parish new charge is revolutionising the Church of Scotland for tomorrow's world, with no building, no kirk session and no elders. The minister, Reverend David McCarthy said: "We are literally the church without walls."
sourc: Greenock Telegraph.

Feature on the Dunblane killings ten years ago includes the recollections of Canon Basil O'Sullivan, of the Church of the Holy Family in the town. "The God revealed by Christ Our Lord is a God of love. He was in the hearts of the children, in the hearts of their families, in the hearts of their teachers who ran in to help, in the hearts of the doctors, nurses, police."
sourc: Scotland on Sunday.

A service for those who have lost a child is being held at an Edinburgh church next week. Counsellors will be present at the service being held in the Church of St John the Baptist, St Ninian's Road, Corstorphine, on Sunday, March 12, at 6pm.
sourc: Edinburgh Evening News.

Scots MP George Galloway fears he will be punished for sleeping around when he faces God on Judgment Day, he will tell Sally Magnusson in today's Radio Scotland show Sally On Sunday.
sourc: Daily Record.

Surveys suggest that the Liberal Democrats have more support from clergy and regular churchgoers than any other political party, writes Ian Bradley, reader in practical theology at St Andrews University, a Church of Scotland minister and the convenor of a forthcoming colloqium on reviving liberal values in religion and politics. It is worth pondering whether there are lessons for the churches to draw from the party's leadership contest, and tempting to portray the candidates as representing three major strains in contemporary British Christianity, he says.
sourc: The Guardian.

The Church of Scotland will hold a conference in Glasgow on the human trafficking trade on 7 March. One of the guest speakers will be Elena Timofticiuc, a member of the Romanian Orthodox Church, is employed by the Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania.
sourc: Church of Scotland news release.

A petition has been lodged with Caledonian MacBrayne in support of calls for a controversial Sunday ferry service to be introduced between North Uist and Berneray. But Angus Mackay of the Lewis Lord's Day Observance Society said: "We are steadfastly opposed to the idea of a Sunday ferry. There are other solutions to the travel issue, such as extending ferry operating hours so it can run in darkness."
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Rev Gordon Cowie, a former university professor who gave up his academic career to become a church minister, serving at Birnie and Pluscarden from 1986 until 1992, has died.
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Three Christian views of the controversial musical Jerry Springer - The Opera. 'The Christian who's got a ticket for the show', Dr Anna Barton, says: "The fact that it encourages debate and perhaps makes people think about faith and about Christianity and about the place of religion within contemporary society are good things." 'The Christian who's in the show', Benjamin Lake, says: "When the show was first given to me I thought 'this is not for me, there's too much swearing'. Then I heard the music and it was tastefully done. It is a comedy; a bit of fun, but there's a lot to get from it." 'The Christian who's picketing the show', Bob Handyside, says: "Jesus Christ is portrayed in this show as a foul-mouthed homosexual deviant; God the father is portrayed as a fascist tyrant who raped the Virgin Mary and is in need of counselling; and there are many other things too vile to mention."
sourc: The Herald.

The wife of a Kenyan-born man facing deportation has spoken of her heartache as her husband decided not to launch a second appeal against the decision to return him to Africa. Karen Ragwar, 34, who works as a clerk with the Church of Scotland, said she and her children would not leave their Penicuik home, and vowed to continue the fight to allow her husband, John, to return to Scotland.
sourc: Edinburgh Evening News.

A Kirk report on the implications of the civil partnership laws is preparing the way for openly homosexual ministers to enter into such a union and continue their calling, it has been claimed. Forward Together, an evangelical group within the Church of Scotland, says the prospect of civil partners living in manses would dismay the majority of church members as well as many of its ecumenical partners. Gordon Kennedy, a minister and chairman of Forward Together, said: "There is a huge question about the ordination of homosexuals which the Church of Scotland has never addressed and has never come to a decision on."
sourc: The Herald.

The Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane, the Rt Rev David Chillingworth, is embracing 21st century technology in becoming the first Scottish Bishop to run a weblog. Called Thinking Aloud, it is a weblog of ideas, notes, reflections and sermons. Each entry has a comments section to allow people to reply to the Bishop or share their own thoughts with him, enabling him to engage more fully with people and make himself more accessible.
sourc: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.

Iain MacDiarmid, of Milton of Culcabock has been named Church of Scotland Photographer of the Year for his picture entitled Centuries of Witness, featuring the Old High, St Columba High and Free North churches dominating the Inverness skyline.
sourc: Church of Scotland news release.

Dundee's Lord Provost John Letford hosted a civic reception last night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bishop Vincent Logan’s appointment to the See of Dunkeld.
sourc: Dundee Courier.

A group of villagers is offering a £100 reward to anyone who can help police catch those responsible for causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage at the Trinity Parish Church when they smashed around 20 windows.
sourc: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Obituary of Professor Ronald Wallace, pastor and theologian ; born 16 April, 1911, in Edinburgh; died 26 February, 2006, in Edinburgh, aged 94. Professor Wallace, as a chaplain with the Church of Scotland Huts and Canteens, was in the early group to enter Berlin at the time of Hitler's downfall, and remembered having to wait while the allies allowed the Russians to enter first. In later life he served for thirteen years as Professor of Biblical Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.
Source: The Scotsman.