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Catholic church moves into Pole position

Scotland has become more Roman Catholic than Protestant, with its congregations now outnumbering the Kirk for the first time since records began.

Figures compiled by the independent group Christian Research reveal that in 2005 the number of Catholics who went to Mass surpassed those who attended Church of Scotland services.

A total of 215,000 Catholics went to church, compared with only 208,400 attending the Church of Scotland.

Attendances at both churches – and all other Christian denominations – are falling however, and the group predicts that by 2010, the number of Scots going to church on a Sunday will fall below 10% of the population for the first time from 751,100 in 1990 to 457,600 in 2015.

The change is due to the huge numbers of Catholic Polish immigrants who are boosting church attendance, raising numbers by some 50,000 people since the last time figures were published in 2002.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: "There are now more masses being said in Polish than in Gaelic in Scotland. At St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, there are two Polish masses every Sunday. It has made a significant difference."

Full story at Scotland on Sunday.