Church of Scotland supportive of closures

The front page headline in your newspaper on Saturday misrepresented the Church of Scotland’s position on closing places of worship during the pandemic.

The Church of Scotland does not support the legal action over temporary building closures launched against the Scottish government.

Individuals who have signed a statement supporting this course of action are speaking for themselves.

We do not think legal action is the right course to take when the country is under threat from Covid-19 and we fully accept that the latest pandemic restrictions mean that we have to close churches again for the time being.

The vast majority of our members understand and support these temporary restrictions.

We will continue to work with the Scottish government to ensure that reopening churches will happen as soon as it can be done safely. Along with other faith community leaders, we encourage people to take measures that will ensure their safety and the safety of others and be vaccinated when opportunity arises. We look forward to the day we can be together again in church.

In the meantime, we are encouraged by the many church congregations across Scotland who are offering essential support – both spiritual and practical - to their local communities.

Our buildings may be temporarily closed but the Church is open and ministers and worship leaders continue to inspire their congregations with the Good News of Jesus Christ online and through telephone services. VERY REV DR JOHN CHALMERS Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Assembly Trustees

REV DR GEORGE WHYTE Principal Clerk of the Church of

Scotland

RT REV DR MARTIN FAIR Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

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