Security teams have been drafted in to Princes Street Gardens to protect a mock-up of the crucifixion cross for use in the Edinburgh Easter Play, which was set to take place this afternoon. It comes after organisers needed to plead with council bosses to get permission to put a five-tonne, five-foot block of concrete in the centre of the Gardens, to ensure that the actor playing Jesus was safe when he was tied to it to the cross. A spokesman for the organisers, David Ben-Aryeah, said: "If health and safety regulations were around 2000 years ago Christ would have never been crucified."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Christians gathered in Aberdeen yesterday to take part in two processions to mark Good Friday. Scores of people from across the various denominations took part in a lunchtime parade - the Walk of Witness - organised by the city's churches and the Salvation Army. Another early-morning silent walk set out from the city's St Mary's Cathedral in Huntly Street to Kincorth Hill at 6am.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

A Donside community marked Good Friday with an inter-denominational community pilgrimage. The annual Walk with the Cross at Alford saw people from all local churches come together to help to carry a full-size wooden cross around the village.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Of all the places for which you would think of making reservations on Easter Sunday, writes Anna Smyth, church probably isn't one of them. But if you're planning to celebrate the religious festival, here's some advice: go early. Because if you worship in the city centre, you may struggle to get in. Some of Edinburgh's city churches are suddenly bursting at the seams. In at least three of them, ministers are having to find new premises or renovate old ones, so swollen are their congregations. By this summer, Morningside Baptist Church will have relocated to Braid Church to accommodate its growing congregation; Destiny Church - previously based in Leith - has moved to a larger city-centre location, having grown from a membership of 20 to 300 in seven years; and St Paul's and St George's Scottish Episcopal Church on York Place is camping out at Pollock Halls while its home undergoes a £4 million renovation to house its 700 members. These churches all belong to different denominations, and are all run by different ministers, but together they embody a trend which few saw coming: the rise and rise of the urban church. Perhaps it is yet another aspect of the move back to city living, but these churches are booming.
Source: The Scotsman.

Rev Dr Wayne Pearce has been inducted as the minister for the Associated Presbyterian Churches (APC) congregation of Lairg and Rogart, in succession to the Rev Alex Murray. Other denominations in the locality were also well represented.
Source: Northern Times.

St John's Scottish Episcopal Church in Forres reopened on Palm Sunday after a major interior refurbishment which began on January 9. A series of special services and events is planned.
Source: Forres Gazette.

A war of words has broken out between the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, and First Minister Jack McConnell, as the legislation progresses which would allow homosexual and lesbian couples to adopt children. Bishop Devine told Mr McConnell, who is MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, that such a step can only be construed as another violation of family life.
Source: Wishaw Press.

Pilgrims from across Britain passed through the Borders this week as part of their annual spiritual journey to Holy Island. Ken Williams, a veteran of 19 years with the ecumenical Northern Cross society said: "There is a particularly-welcoming atmosphere here in the Border region. We pass through several towns, including Peebles, Selkirk, Melrose, St Boswells, Jedburgh, Maxton, Etal and Kelso. Everywhere we go, people are just so nice and it makes the journey so much more pleasant." For the past 30 years, several groups of pilgrims have walked hundreds of miles to Lindisfarne carrying a huge wooden cross to celebrate Easter. They often pass through the Borders, whether walking the St Cuthbert's Way route or Lanark stretch. There are also journeys from Morpeth, Carlisle and Haddington.
Source: Southern Reporter.

Rev James Martin is celebrating the 60th anniversary of as a Church of Scotland minister. He was ordained and inducted at Newmilns in Irvine Valley in 1946 and still takes Sunday services when and where he is needed.
Source: Wishaw Press.

Rev John Stuart, former minister at Maybole West Church, keeps in touch from Knoxville, Tennessee, via e-mail to the Maybole website. He says: "I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I left Maybole, but the things I learned about people and parishes over there, have really helped me build up a fine church over here."
Source: Ayrshire Post.

Artists at St John’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh have painted an Easter mural inspired by meeting with Moazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay.
Source: Church of England Newspaper.

The Spectator canvasses the opinions of politicians, churchpeople, philosopher, mediafolk and other top-drawer celebs ... and their spokespeople. Most say: "Yes."
Source: The Spectator.

The investigation of Rangers by Uefa over bigoted singing by supporters took a further dramatic twist last night when it emerged that the European football governing body would be appealing against the not guilty verdict handed to the club on Tuesday. Gerhard Kapl of Austria, the man who was handed the task of investigating Rangers by Uefa, is believed to be incensed that what he believed to be a straightforward case of sectarian chanting by Rangers supporters was fudged by the disciplinary body. Yesterday, Uefa issued an explanation for the Rangers decision, citing years of tolerance of such chanting within Scotland as a reason for not taking action. In his report on Rangers, Kapl had compiled lists of chants by Ibrox supporters. The final report presented to Uefa by Kapl and his team recommended a £25,000 fine and the closure of an Ibrox stand for Rangers' next European game.
Source: The Herald.

Eleven people have been crucified in the Philippines in a re-enactment of Jesus's Easter fate. Scottish broadcaster Dominik Diamond, who had planned to face the ordeal as part of a television programme, pulled out of the crucifixion at the last minute and was said to be in tears at the prospect of the agonising stunt. A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the tradition of crucifixion during Holy Week was not approved by the church. "They think that when they do that they will receive blessings for the coming year. That is not a Christian idea," Monsignor Pedro Quitorio said.
Source: The Sun.

Religious challenges to biotechnology from threaten to stop valuable medical research in its tracks, a top US health law professor, Henry Greely of Stanford Law School told the BIO 2006 conference in Chicago this week. But Donald Bruce, director of the Church of Scotland's Society, Religion and Technology project, countered that the industry should not be so dismissive of its critics' concerns.
Source: Toronto Star.

Police yesterday recovered heroin from the Ark Trust hostel for the homeless in Edinburgh's Royal Mile after receiving information understood to relate to a wider drugs ring. Services connected to the hostel are partly funded by Edinburgh City Council, but the Scottish Episcopal Church is also involved in its administration after setting up the facility as a soup kitchen.
Source: The Herald.

Thoughts from the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Bruce Cameron.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.

Uefa says it could not take action against Rangers fans because their alleged sectarian singing had been tolerated for years in Scotland. Rangers had been found not guilty of discriminatory chants during the Champions League games with Villarreal. Uefa's statement said that "Billy Boys" had long been sung "without either the Scottish football or governmental authorities being able to intervene". "The result is that this song is now somehow tolerated," it explained.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

Just about everyone I spoke to yesterday, including Rangers fans, found UEFA's decision to find the Ibrox supporters not guilty of sectarian chanting to be amazing, writes Graham Spiers. "The notion that UEFA could not find any evidence of thousands of people at Ibrox singing 'F*** the Pope' is, even to [Rangers chairman] David Murray, a preposterous one ... There were two important factors behind UEFA reaching their verdict. Firstly, and increasingly last week, UEFA's inspectors were complaining that the 'culture gap' – of trying to explain such chants as "up to our knees in Fenian blood" to a disciplinary body consisting of men from Spain, France, and eastern Europe – was proving too difficult to cross. Sectarianism is not as clear a problem as, say racism. Secondly, Rangers and Murray have been vindicated by their recent efforts in fighting bigotry at Ibrox, and they deserve praise in this regard. Rangers' Bigger Than Bigotry and Pride Over Prejudice campaigns were late in arriving on the scene – years later than Celtic began working on their problem – but better late than never. UEFA have taken this effort into account."
Source: The Herald.

Rangers FC were fined £9000 by the control and disciplinary board of European football's governing body for their supporters' attack on the Villarreal team bus before the second leg at El Madrigal on March 7. David Murray, the Rangers chairman, welcomed Uefa's separate decision to clear the club's supporters of sectarian chanting during the two Champions League matches against Villareal. But he warned: "Sectarianism remains a very serious problem in Scottish society and it now has to stop. Nothing in our submission to UEFA denied this fact. A minority of our supporters are going to have to realise, and realise very quickly, that the controlling authorities in football, whether FIFA, UEFA, the SFA, the SPL or the SFL, are going to be obliged almost immediately to impose the heaviest possible sanctions for discriminatory behaviour."
Source: The Herald.

Profile of Alistair Begg, Hamilton-born pastor of Parkside mega-church in Cleveland, Ohio. Louise White's story is a taster for Mass Exodus, her documentary on "the decline of religion in Scotland" scheduled for broadcast on ITV1 tomorrow at 10:45pm.
Source: The Scotsman.

The Scottish ecumenical body Action of Churches Together in Scotland is running a competition to find a new name for its quarterly information publication.
Source: Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) news.

Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Kirk and its partner congregations are to host an alternative event to mark Good Friday. Greyfriars have invited Richard Holloway, the former Episcopalian Bishop of Edinburgh and now chair of the Scottish Arts Council, to lead a three-hour multi-media meditation.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

Parents campaigning to save a closure-threatened Mearns care home are up in arms after the Church of Scotland revealed an increase of £30million in the value of its investments. They have criticised the timing of the announcement as "unfortunate" as they continue their fight to save Keith Lodge, a Church of Scotland-run care home at Stonehaven. Crossreach, the Church's social work arm, announced last month that it planned to close at least two-thirds of Keith Lodge, citing as the main reasons a £300,000 cash shortfall and renovation costs.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Obituary of Christian, Lady Hesketh, who died on April 7 aged 76. A gifted writer and historian, she received from her parents the rocklike foundation of her Catholic faith and a keen sense of public obligation. "It was the more remarkable that she achieved all this in a life beset with tragedies and setbacks. It was the stoicism, high spirits and gallantry with which she overcame these Job-like trials which so humbled and impressed her many friends."
Source: Daily Telegraph.

Scotland's Roman Catholic Bishops have welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent comment that there should be the “fullest possible” public debate on the Trident nuclear missile system. The Church teaches that the use of weapons of mass destruction would be a crime against God and against humanity.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

"I’m glad we celebrate Easter every year because we need this turning point every year, just as we turn from the darkness of winter to the brightening of spring, we need to know that the turn from sadness to joy, from despair to hope, from apathy to enthusiasm, that the pivot from death to life is at the core of the love of God and of His will for us."
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

Wales is still the most God-fearing region in the UK despite well documented decline in chapel-going, according to a poll commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance and Premier Christian Radio. Scotland came second with 20% of Scottish Christians attending a church service each week, 19% reading the Bible on a weekly basis and 24% praying daily.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

A survey carried out for Easter highlights the importance the majority of the UK public places on Christian values. The poll commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance and Premier Christian Radio found that 70 per cent of people believed Christian principles were still valid in today's society, even by half of those who said they professed no faith.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

A national survey on faith and religion carried out for Easter shows that Christians come top of a happiness poll. The study, commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance and Premier Radio, found that of those polled 75 per cent of church goers said they were happy with life compared to 54 per cent of people who never attend a service. When a parallel study was carried out with evangelical Christians the happiness percentage rose to over 80.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

One of Scotland's favourite paintings, Salvador Dali's depiction of Jesus on the cross, has been dismissed as a "clever trick" and a "con" by leading art experts. Christ of St John of the Cross is one of the world's most famous images of the crucifixion, and the painting, owned by Glasgow City Council since the early 1950s, was last year voted the most popular art work in Scotland. However, in a BBC documentary to be broadcast on Friday, Ian Gibson, one of Dali's leading biographers, and William Crozier, a Scottish artist who once campaigned against Dr Tom Honeyman's purchase of the painting for Glasgow, suggest that Dali only painted it to give himself a false appearance of committed Catholicism. Mr Crozier, one of the Glasgow School of Art students who protested when the painting was bought by Glasgow for £8200 in 1952, said: "I don't believe it is a crucifixion, indeed I don't believe it is a Christian picture – it is something that belongs to a Barnum and Bailey [circus] more than a museum." The painting currently hangs in the St Mungo Museum of Religious Art but will be moved back to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the summer for its reopening after its multi-million pound revamp.

Funds invested through the Church of Scotland Investors Trust increased in value from £295.6 million at 31 December 2004 to £325.9 million at 31 December 2005, mainly as a result of the continuing strong performance of equity markets.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

The Hebridean Sabbatarian tradition put up no further defence against the first commercial ferry service to the Presbyterian island of Harris yesterday.
Source: The Herald.

Through driving snow and dark grey seas they carved their way: five vehicles, 25 passengers and one ferry on a trip to Harris to penetrate the country's last bastion of Sabbatarianism.
Source: The Scotsman.

Retired solicitor Pat Mitchell, who in 1996 received the rare honour of a papal knighthood, has died peacefully at his Aberdeen home at the age of 80.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Dyce Parish Church has won an Eco Congregation award in recognition of the congregation's efforts to promote environmental awareness.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

A Highland minister has died at the age of 59 after a long fight against cancer. The Rev George Duthie, who was born at Sandhaven, had served as minister for the triple parish of Kilmorack, Erchless and Beauly since 1998.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Background piece on Calmac's Sunday sailings to Harris, somewhat diminished by the fact that most Free Presbyterians will not speak to a newspaper published on a Sunday.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

Celtic captain Neil Lennon claims religious bigotry is prevalent in almost every part of Scottish society. The 34-year-old Irish catholic grew up during the troubles in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, but spent 14 years living in England before signing for Celtic. "I don't know about the whole of Scotland but there are areas where I've witnessed bigotry even more severe than it is in Glasgow," he said.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

The first ever controversial Sunday ferry service across the Sound of Harris will begin tomorrow despite fierce condemnation from councillors in the Western Isles. But it is thought unlikely that there will be any mass protests at either port as it is communion Sunday in Leverburgh and many strict Presbyterians residents will be observing the Sabbath, which bans parishioners from doing any kind of work or public travelling.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

A manse which was built thanks to substantial local fundraising may be demolished as part of a controversial housing development on Church of Scotland-owned land in the conservation village of Dirleton. The Kirk denies that it is putting profits before the wishes of the residents. The manse was built in the 1960s for the Rev Ian Fraser of Dirleton Parish Church. His widow still lives there but is leaving the area and would not be affected by the development.
Source: East Lothian Courier.

Father Gerry Hand, who was parish priest at St Patrick's Church in Kilsyth for 15 years before moving to Glenrothes earlier this year, made a return to the town last Friday to receive a number of gifts from parishioners and friends.
Source: Cumbernauld News & Kilsyth Chronicle.

Holy Week services have been arranged by Kilsyth & District Churches Working Together, who are anxious to promote the most important event in the Christian calendar with activities throughout the churches in the town and surrounding villages.
Source: Cumbernauld News & Kilsyth Chronicle.

The Church of Scotland will hear a plea for it to re-think the way it relates to the people of Scotland, when the Kirk’s Review and Reform Panel reports to the General Assembly in May.
The Panel focuses on the need for the Church to hold its own leadership structures against the example of the servant-leader provided by Christ. Traditionally the Moderator is seen as the ‘leader’ of the Kirk, but the Panel recognises that the Moderator’s viewpoint, as reported by the media, may be at variance with that of others in the Church. The Panel also identifies a number of aspects of the Kirk’s culture which impede progress towards reform, including a widespread fear of change, a lack of confidence, too much focus on church law, and a fear of losing control at all levels.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

Granton Churches Waterfront Centre, an alliance of eight denominations, has appointed Mrs Pat Elliott as a community worker to develop relations with the 35,000 new residents in Edinburgh's Waterfront housing development.
Source: Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) news.

Scotland and France have started a joint tourism venture to cash in on worldwide interest in The Da Vinci Code, the blockbuster novel and film featuring Rosslyn Chapel. VisitScotland is teaming up with its French counterpart, Maison De La France, and the UK-wide agency, VisitBritain, to promote the historic Midlothian site and surrounding areas. The chapel has already seen visitor numbers soar from 30,000 a year to more than 110,000 in 2005, and that figure is expected to increase when the film version of Dan Brown's 40-million-selling book is released next month.
Source: The Scotsman.

Appreciation of teacher Marjorie (May) Morrison, nee Archer; born 8 August, 1939, in Edinburgh; died 11 February, 2006, in Edinburgh, aged 65. 'As the congregation were leaving Canonmills Baptist Church at the end of the service of thanksgiving, the mother of an autistic son, now a middle-aged man, was heard to say: "If it hadn't been for May Archer, what provision would there have been for our kids?" No doubt there would have been something, but it would have been some time later.'
Source: The Scotsman.

A lift at the Church of Scotland's Clashfarquhar House care home in Stonehaven, where 12 pensioners have been stuck on the upper floors since Christmas, has been fixed three days ahead of schedule.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

Blantyre City Presbytery of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Blantyre Synod recently distributed 650 bags of maize to needy families and individuals. The relief food was bought using funds from the Aberdeen Presbytery in Scotland.
Source: Malawi Daily Times.

A Church of Scotland minister and education leader has said that no more faith schools to be set up in Scotland. The Rev Ewan Aitken, the education spokesman for the local authority umbrella group COSLA, claimed that creating more faith schools would be "a step back for us as a nation" because it would discourage diversity within the education system. However, he stopped short of calling for Catholic schools to be abolished, claiming they were part of Scotland's history and should be retained.
Source: The Scotsman.

Rev Fred Drummond, 44, is minister of Perth Riverside Church of Scotland, has been appointed as General Secretary of Evangelical Alliance Scotland. He takes up post in July, and succeeds Rev Mike Parker, who is moving to the Middle East. Mr Drummond started his career as an apprentice shipbuilder, studied English and Theology, and in recent years has become interested in ‘emerging Church’ theology. His DMin from Columbia University in the USA specialised in new church ministry.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

Further appreciation of graphic designer Ruari MacLean by Michael Hare Duke, who recalls that MacLean designed three booklets for the Scottish Episcopal Church which are still in use - the Scottish Liturgy (1982), the Ordinal (1984) and Funeral Rites (1987).
Source: The Scotsman.

The congregation of Balerno Parish Church near Edinburgh will hold its services at the neighbouring St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church during a £170,000 renovation.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Obituary of Rev Professor Alec Cheyne, academic and church historian; born 1 June, 1924, in Kirkcaldy; died 31 March, 2006, in Peebles, aged 81.
Source: The Scotsman.

Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Midlothian have all applied for permission to host Britain's first super-casino - a giant regional gaming centre with 4,000 unlimited-jackpot slot machines. A Church of Scotland spokesman said: "The Church is well aware of the grief that such an addiction causes individuals and families, a grief that can often end both in financial ruin and relationship ruin. Therefore, any plan to widen access to gambling and to attract custom through ever-larger prizes would cause the Church great concern."
Source: The Scotsman.

Work has begun on repairing the faulty lift at the Church of Scotland's Clashfarquhar House care home in Stonehaven, where 12 pensioners have been stuck on the upper floors since Christmas while managers waited for a replacement part to arrive from Italy.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

Rev Jan Adamson, currently minister at Dunfermline and Coaltown churches, has been appointed as the United Reformed Church's field officer for local mission and development for the Synod of Scotland.
Source: United Reformed Church Synod of Scotland.

Scotland's Roman Catholic bishops will be joined at their April meeting this week by the Vatican's Ambassador in the UK, Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz. Papal Awards will be presented three individuals who have served the Catholic Church in Scotland in a variety of capacities - Mr Leo Gilbert, Ms Valerie Friel and Mrs Celine Dunne.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

An Edinburgh church which suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage through vandalism has been officially opened. Niddrie Community Church leaders say the attacks have died down after a series of outreach events were held to welcome the community. Pastor John Lowrie said: "Young people are beginning to realise this is a facility for them." Future plans include hiring out the church hall for five-a-side matches and showing the World Cup on a giant screen.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Obituary of graphic designer and typographer Ruari McLean; born 10 June, 1917, in Galloway; died 27 March, 2006, in Dollar, aged 88. McLean's work included WL Lorimer's New Testament in Scots. Generations of children will best remember his drawings in the 1950s and 1960s for the Eagle comic, founded by the Lancashire parson Rev Marcus Morris.
Source: The Scotsman.

The First Minister has criticised claims by one of Scotland's most senior Roman Catholics that he heads a group of "politically correct zealots" supporting legislation which will allow homosexual couples to adopt. In a strongly worded response to criticism by the Bishop of Motherwell, Jack McConnell denied the Scottish Executive was giving in to political correctness by pushing ahead with reforms to give gay couples the same rights to adopt as married couples. Bishop Devine said he was disappointed by the response. "The first minister was asked to be the children's champion and drop this bill. He refused," he said.
Source: The Herald.

Artist Peter Howson is retracing the steps of Scotland's patron saint in the Holy Land. Howson has been commissioned to produce three paintings of St Andrew for Edinburgh City Council. He will spend Easter visiting St Andrew's birthplace of Bethsaida in Galilee, as well as Jerusalem.
Source: Sunday Mail.

The Scottish Executive is to fund a £170,000 abstinence programme to be introduced in Catholic schools that will set itself against “artificial contraception”. The new initiative, entitled Called to Love, will instead promote marriage and the sanctity of human life.
Source: Sunday Herald.

The Church of Scotland in the Msinga area is at the forefront of the battle in KwaZulu-Natal against a disturbing increase in tuberculosis infections which are resistant to both first and second-line drugs.
Source: South African Broadcasting Corporation.

Church of Scotland outreach work in Loanhead is being led by Frances Henderson, the parish church's new associate minister. Miss Henderson will be responsible for co-ordinating work with children and families in the local community.
Source: Midlothian Advertiser.

Profile of Dr Richard McCready, national secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland.
Source: Kirkintilloch Herald.

The dispute between the Free Church of Scotland and the Free Church Continuing looks set to carry on, following the latest clash between the two churches. The Free Church Continuing reacted with 'astonishment and disappointment' to the terms of a 'One Church Solution' proposal from the Free Church.
Source: Stornoway Gazette.

Parents are threatening to pull their kids out of Monklands’ first joint campus school if council bosses don’t remove a crucifix. Religious tensions are festering at the new £7 million facility in Caldercruix, where parents of kids at non-denominational Glengowan Primary are furious that the cricifix has been allowed to hang in the communal reception area above the entrance to the Catholic school, St Mary’s.
Source: Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser.

The 19th century Garmoyle House mansion in Dumbarton, home to the closed order of Carmelite nuns since 1934, is up for sale. The remaining handful of sisters will move to Craigend, home of the Notre Dame nuns.
Source: Lennox Herald.

Members of Glenrothes Baptist Church Choir held a special event to mark the start of the church's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Source: Fife Now - Glenrothes Gazette.

John Haldane, professor of philosophy in the University of St Andrews, describes a meeting with the author of The Exorcist, William Blatty, who had been intrigued by Haldane's book An Intelligent Person's Guide to Religion.
Source: The Scotsman.

A Polish priest has made a 3,500-mile round drive to the Highlands and Islands to help his fellow countrymen settle in. Father Tomasz Frymark, who has been a priest for 15 years, has driven from Gdansk in northern Poland for a nine-day mission in Fort William, Benbecula and Oban.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Obituary of the Reverend Father Archilles (Archie) D'Souza (1942-2006), former vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, who early in his career completed an M.A. in Islamic Theology at the University of Edinburgh and became a strong proponent of interfaith harmony in Pakistan.
Source: Daily Times, Lahore.

Commissioner John Matear will take up his role as leader of the Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland on 3 April, replacing Commissioner Shaw Clifton, who becomes worldwide leader of the Salvation Army. Scotland-born Commissioner Matear, and his wife Commissioner Elizabeth, have spent the past five years as leaders of the Salvation Army in the Caribbean.
Source: The Good News.