A row erupted today over whether gay couples should be allowed to jointly adopt children as members of the Scottish Parliament's Education Committee debated a proposed shake-up of the law. Catholic adoption agencies insisted that the best option was for youngsters to be placed with heterosexual couples. But members of the gay community said that would mean them missing out on the chance to be cared for by a loving family, and they would possibly having to remain in children's homes.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Obituary of John Gerard Tweedie, who spent most of his active ministry as an ordained priest of the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh in two of its largest parishes, St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (1949-71) and St Francis Xavier's, Falkirk (1973-97).
Source: The Scotsman.

(Tuesday, May 30, 2006) Profile of Ruth Box, youth manager for the Glasgow base of Mission Aviation Fellowship UK.
Source: Kirkintilloch Herald.

(Monday, May 29, 2006) The priest of Rosslyn Chapel has resigned amid widespread speculation that he is no longer prepared to tolerate the worldwide hype generated by The Da Vinci Code. The Rev Michael Fass, who has previously spoken out against the "sensational speculation" surrounding the chapel, also known as St Matthew's Collegiate Church, will leave his post in July. It is understood Mr Fass, 61, has told friends all the fuss over the phenomenon of The Da Vinci Code had made his position unbearable. They say the Episcopalian priest found his work among the 300-strong congregation in the village of Roslin was being undermined and the chapel was becoming a "Disneyland" for fans of the novel.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Saturday, May 27, 2006) The Church of Scotland has warned it may have to close its care homes if the Scottish Executive does not bridge a massive funding deficit. Rev David Court, the convener of the Social Care Council which manages the Church's nursing and residential homes and care services, said there was a gap between the cost of providing care and the amount of money given to homes by the government, via local authorities, of between £74 and £180 per person, per week.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Friday, May 26, 2006) The Church of Scotland has moved to scrap a controversial scheme that allows ministers in wealthy areas to be paid more than those in poorer ones. Under the Voluntary Additional Payment Scheme, congregations could add up to £3,000 to the basic package of £23,000 salary plus manse. But a motion to scrap the system, moved by the Rev David McLachlan, of Langside, Glasgow, was passed by 90 votes.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Friday, May 26, 2006) Church leaders are set to sign a historic agreement with a trade union. A recognition deal involving 240 staff with the Church of Scotland - the first ever with any church - is being thrashed out with leaders of Amicus.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

(Friday, May 26, 2006) In his letter for World Communications Day, to be read at all Masses on May 27 and 28, Bishop Joseph Devine echoes Pope Benedict XVI's call to use the media as "a network for communication, communion and co-operation". Bishop Devine also calls on Scotland's Catholics to be "active media consumers" and urges them to react to the media they consume, "commending the good and condemning the bad in all we see, hear and read".
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

(Thursday, May 25, 2006) The Church of Scotland broke decades of tradition yesterday by agreeing to accept students from the Highland Theological College as ministers. It took the decision despite opposition from liberal ministers and the heads of traditional divinity universities, who questioned the academic rigour of the institution and claimed the move would take the Kirk towards a more conservative, evangelical stance.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Thursday, May 25, 2006) Church of Scotland ministers will be urged to consider signing up for the armed forces as a chaplain. For the third year running, not one Kirk minister who is not already involved in chaplaincy has expressed an interest in armed services work.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

(Thursday, May 25, 2006) Rangers were yesterday fined £13,300 by European football's governing body for the sectarian chanting of their fans, and severely warned over their future conduct. Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, MSPs yesterday held their first debate on sectarianism, watched by Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Alan McDonald, new Moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Source: The Herald.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) The Church of Scotland was split last night after voting in principle that it should be left to individual ministers to decide whether or not to mark civil partnerships. During a heated debate, the General Assembly also agreed by a narrow margin to reject an attempt to stop ministers from ever carrying out a religious ceremony marking "gay marriage".
Source: The Scotsman.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) By the narrowest of margins the general assembly yesterday voted to give Kirk ministers freedom of conscience to bless same-sex relationships, but in a procedural manoeuvre, opponents managed to block this for at least a year. Critics of the proposal invoked the Barrier Act, which meant that although they lost the main decision by eight votes it must be sent back to presbyteries for consideration.
Source: The Herald.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) Opinion piece by George Newlands, professor of divinity at the University of Glasgow, Principal of Trinity College, and founder member of Affirmation Scotland.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) The Church of Scotland in Carlisle has announced a host of events to celebrate its 175th anniversary next year. It also hopes to arrange a visit from the Moderator of the General Assembly.
Source: Carlisle News & Star.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) The Church of Scotland yesterday became Britain's first major denomination to pave the way for the blessing of gay "marriages", but it deferred a final decision until next year. The contentious decision by Scotland's national Church will almost certainly be used by campaigners to increase pressure on the Church of England to relax its ban.
Source: Daily Telegraph.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) The Church of Scotland has called on European authorities and the World Council of Churches to clearly identify products from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands.
Source: Jerusalem Post.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) Feature on paganism in Scotland in advance of Witchfest, which takes place in Glasgow in July.
Source: The Scotsman.

(Wednesday, May 24, 2006) The Scottish Evangelical Alliance has today expressed dismay at the news that the Church of Scotland’s general assembly has voted to allow ministers to conduct blessing ceremonies for same-sex civil partnerships. Keith Short, chairman of the Evangelical Alliance Council in Scotland said: "It is tragic to see the Kirk itself effectively endorsing a moral equivalence between marriage and same-sex partnerships. In our view this represents a betrayal of the church’s obligation to protect the dignity and sanctity of marriage and will directly contribute to the continuing undermining of family and matrimonial stability."
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006) A children's home in Albania has been shut down after the Edinburgh aid worker who runs it was accused of sex abuse. David Brown, 55, director of the His Children home in Tirana, lived in Edinburgh for more than ten years before opening the orphanage about five years ago. Mike Taylor, of the Scottish Children's Mission and chaplain of Mannafields Christian School on Easter Road in Edinburgh, said the charges against Mr Brown were "unbelievable". He said: "He has done a lot of work for children and is a fatherly type of guy. I'm convinced there's another perspective to this."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006) The singer Madonna has been accused of "banal perversion" by church leaders in the UK, after she began her world tour with a stunt that saw her hanging from a giant cross and wearing a crown of thorns. A spokesman for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said believers would be offended. Morag Mylne, convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, said: "This is obviously distasteful and offensive."
Source: The Scotsman.

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006) A personalised iPod has been given to the Right Rev Alan McDonald to mark the fact that this year's general assembly of the Church of Scotland is not only going out as a webcast over the internet, but key addresses and debates can be downloaded as podcasts.
Source: The Herald.

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006) The Evangelical Coalition for Urban Mission (ECUM) and the Methodist Church are together taking a lead in giving Christian leaders the opportunity to discuss the recommendations of Faithful Cities, the Report of the Commission for Urban Life and Faith. The UMDA Project is hosting two meetings to enable the churches and Christian urban mission, community development and social action agencies to discuss the recommendations of Faithful Cities. One is for leaders in early June; the other is the first national open meeting on the Report, in Edinburgh on June 28.
Source: Methodist Church news release.

(Tuesday, May 23, 2006) It began yesterday as the Church of Scotland's West Lothian question and ended with a surprise defeat for the hierarchy by congregations and presbyteries suspicious about over-centralisation.
Source: The Herald.

(Monday, May 22, 2006) "What is it with the churches and sex?" asks Ron Ferguson. "No, it's not Catholics and condoms this week, but Protestants and gay relationships. The issue threatens to disrupt the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland amid mutterings about another Disruption."
Source: The Herald.

(Monday, May 22, 2006) In this issue the Church of Scotland’s outgoing Moderator, the Rt Rev Dr David Lacy, strongly condemns the practice of dawn raids on asylum seekers. Film-maker Norman Stone hits out at the "lies and hypocrisy" of pharmaceutical companies and drug services in Scotland’s fight against heroin and Prof John Hume, convener of the Kirk’s Art and Architecture Committee says that closing church buildings, in a bid to save resources, is not always the answer.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

(Monday, May 22, 2006) Full text of the sermon delivered by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Rev Alan McDonald, in St Giles Cathedral on Sunday 21 May 2006.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

The Islamic Society of Britain claims separate Scout troops are necessary as some parents are “uncomfortable” with the idea of sending their children to groups seen as predominantly Christian. But critics of the plan say the move could drive a wedge between young Muslims and the wider community.
Source: Sunday Times.

Official guidance on how to teach Scottish schoolchildren about gay sex is being issued for the first time since the abolition of laws which banned "promoting" homosexuality in schools. Senior health officials say the current sex education guidelines need to be expanded because they are "heterosexist". But the move has been condemned by the Catholic Church in Scotland as "appalling, outrageous and utterly unnecessary". Jack Irvine, who organised Keep the Clause, said: "It appears they're reneging on their promise not to promote gay sex in schools." Dr Alastair Noble, education officer for Christian charity Care for Scotland, said: "There's a fine line between providing appropriate information and promoting homosexuality in a way that encourages experimentation."
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

The Kirk is facing its biggest crisis for more than a century after pro-gay ministers set up a campaign group to lobby for the rights of homosexual clergy, Scotland on Sunday can reveal (sic ... see yesterday's Evening News story).
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

The new Rangers manager, Paul Le Guen, has insisted that his Catholic upbringing will not get in the way of running the Ibrox side and he called for tolerance from the fans. The former Lyon boss admitted he was no longer a practising Catholic, attending church only on Christmas Eve.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

The Crusaders, the Christian youth organisation, is having to change its identity after more than 100 years because of claims that its name is anti-Islamic. Rob Rawson, director of Crusaders Scotland, said the name Urban Saints was more relevant. “In the west of Scotland the term ‘saints’ often has Catholic overtones. We are stressing that the name is based on the biblical term — basically a follower of Christ. Crusaders is a strong, almost aggressive name which was fine in 1906, but is certainly not appropriate in 2006.”
Source: Sunday Times.

Rival groups have been formed inside the Church of Scotland to do battle over gay "weddings". The Kirk's General Assembly - which was opening today amid traditional pomp and ceremony - is set to debate a proposal that ministers should be given official permission to conduct ceremonies to mark civil partnerships. Evangelical group Forward Together, set up last year, says the move would be a clear departure from the teaching of the Bible, while those on the other side of the debate set up their own group, Affirmation Scotland, to argue the case for a "liberal and progressive" approach on sexuality. Now a third group has emerged under the banner One Kirk, also backing the option for civil partnership ceremonies, but calling for discussion on the issue to be kept open.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

A Scot who runs an orphanage in Albania has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing children. Locals also claim David Brown, 55, also known as John Douglas Brown, made youngsters available to paedophile sex tourists. Two associates, also thought to be Scottish, are now being hunted in connection with the case. Brown - believed to be from the Edinburgh area - was the co-ordinator of the His Children home. About 40 desperate children lived there. The Christian shelter is understood to have been innocently visited by various Scots church groups. Brown had been director of the centre for four years.
Source: Daily Record.

A monk who paints every day as part of his life at Pluscarden Abbey has put his work on display at Elgin Library Gallery until June 9. Brother Daniel Morphy's collection of 16 paintings, completed over the past four years at the Moray Benedictine community, is entitled a Grammar of Descent. His work incorporates household items including rags, bones and pieces of the wool used to make monks' habits. Brother Daniel, 49, said: "This collection's theme is loosely Christ's descent into hell, when he preached to the captives in hell. It looks at how Christ descends into our culture and identifies with us on our level, even on problematic things he's still with us."
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Next week’s General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will be asked to call on the Foreign Secretary to encourage Hamas to issue a statement accepting Israel’s right to exist, in addition to calling for Israel to end all attacks on Gaza and the West Bank.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland goes global from the Mound in Edinburgh this weekend thanks to a range of cutting edge initiatives including live webcasting, text updates and podcasting.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

The Episcopal Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church has today elected the Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway, the Rt Rev Dr Idris Jones, to serve as Primus of the Church.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.

The Church of Scotland is set to urge the European Union to ensure that all products made in West Bank settlements are clearly labelled so consumers can avoid buying them. The motion is part of a report put forward by the Church and Society Council that will be voted on at the Church’s annual General Assembly which begins on Saturday. Sternberg Foundation director Neville Nagler said: “It seems extraordinary that the Church of Scotland, like some other Christian organisations, seems so obsessed with issues affecting Israel while ignoring grave abuses of human rights in so many other parts of the world, many of which threaten the lives of innocent Christians.”
Source: Totally Jewish.

A bitter dispute over civil partnerships for gay couples could cause a new schism in the Church of Scotland, the moderator-designate of the general assembly said yesterday. The Rev Alan McDonald's comments came as he previewed business at the assembly, which starts this weekend in Edinburgh. Mr McDonald said yesterday: "It is always right to be concerned about talk of schisms and splits. It is part of presbyterian history and not a creative one. That can be deeply depressing. I want a good, sensible, passionate debate and my role will be to moderate strands of opinion in what is a very broad church."
Source: The Herald.

The Scottish Catholic Media Office will launch a DVD tomorrow (Thursday) which aims to tackle many of the myths and misinformation contained in the bestselling book and newly launched film. The DVD titled "Cracking the Da Vinci Code" comprises a lecture by Professor Pat Reilly, Professor Emeritus of English Literature at Glasgow University, which provides a critique of the literary style and theological content of the book. Prof. Reilly comments in his talk: "I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: laugh at the sheer fatuous absurdity of this farrago of nonsense or weep for the state of contemporary culture which has made the author of this ineptly-written drivel a multimillionaire."
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

MSPs are being urged to hold their first debate on how to combat sectarian and bigoted behaviour. Glasgow Anniesland MSP Bill Butler has tabled a motion calling for it after discovering the Scottish Parliament had never had a debate dealing with what First Minister Jack McConnell labelled Scotland's "secret shame".
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.

Senior religious figures in Scotland have dismissed Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, saying it should not undermine anyone's faith. The film, starring Tom Hanks, is based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown. The incoming moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland called it "theological mush". The Catholic Church in Scotland has voiced concern that the story is leaving some Christians "unsure" about the basic truths of their faith.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

Profile of Rev Alan McDonald, moderator designate of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Source: The Herald.

Obituary of Robert Sibbald Walker, consultant physician; born May 1, 1923, died April 29, 2006. "He was a committed Christian, involved in his church, a keen supporter of many international medical mission organisations and a leader of Whitecraigs Boys Crusader class for 30 years. Throughout his professional life he was involved with the Christian Medical Fellowship, serving as Scottish representative on the executive committee and as UK chairman."
Source: The Herald.

The Orange Order and Irish Republican organisations should join forces and march together on Scotland's streets, to bring their members closer together and tackle sectarianism, the Kirk's moderator-designate said yesterday. The Rev Alan McDonald, who will become moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland on Saturday, said he hoped activism on neutral issues could lead to reconciliation of groups at opposite ends of the sectarian divide.
Source: The Herald.

The Kirk’s Church and Society Council will ask the General Assembly to discuss national issues as varied as the future of televised church services and the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects in its first annual report.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

Profile of Morison Memorial Church in Clydebank, winner of a United Reformed Church community project award.
Source: United Reformed Church.

The Church of Scotland's General Assembly next week is expected to register its regret at the demise of televised church services. A report by the Kirk's church and society council said the decision of Scottish Television to cease the broadcast of church services on a Sunday morning had provoked "considerable concern".
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

The Rev Bob Brown of Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen is calling on the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to reject a call for ministers to be barred from conducting services to mark gay civil partnerships.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

A minister with an Aberdeenshire church is leading calls for tolerance of homosexuality within the Church of Scotland, after setting up a new group opposing the views of an anti-gay faction. The Rev Kim Cran, minister of Chapel of Garioch and Blairdaff, is one of the founder members of Affirmation Scotland, a "positive, unapologetic alternative" to Forward Together - the group which has asked the Kirk's General Assembly to ban ministers from conducting so-called gay weddings. Mrs Cran, an American whose son is gay, supports a situation which allows ministers and deacons to decide for themselves whether they wish to offer a church blessing of civil partnerships.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Church leaders united yesterday to launch a petition urging the government not to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system. The Kirk, the Catholic Church and Episcopalians signed the petition at Holyrood and support will now be gathered until September when it will be handed in at Westminster, where the final decision on replacing the nuclear deterrent will be taken.
Source: The Herald.

Deep feature by Jennifer Cunningham on the effects of Sunday ferry sailings to Harris.
Source: The Herald.