SW News: Cutting across party lines, politicians in Scotland have hailed a new milestone in ecumenical relations between the Church of Scotland, also known as the Kirk, and the Catholic Church. Scottish leaders view the new statement of friendship between both Churches as an epoch-making moment in the history of the nation.

Last week, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ratified the St Margaret Declaration, which was already approved by the Scottish Catholic bishops. This significant document is seen as the zenith of century-long efforts to foster dialogue between both Churches. The declaration is named after St Margaret, an 11th-century saintly queen.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, a Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, brought in a motion in the parliament this week praising the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church for this historic document, which is also a pledge to heal past divisions. He was supported by lawmakers from different parties, including members of the SNP, Conservative Party, Labour Party and Scottish Green Party.

Those who signed the motion include Jackie Baillie, Colin Beattie, Jackson Carlaw, Sharon Dowey, Murdo Fraser, Kenneth Gibson, Pam Gosal, Ross Greer, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Stuart McMillan, Marie McNair, David Torrance, Annie Wells, and Martin Whitfield. It is expected that more parliamentarians will throw their weight behind the motion.

The motion also hails the two Churches for not remaining tied to the past and for "their desire to promote the healing of division within the life of the Scottish nation". Cole-Hamilton said, "It's also an important moment in Scottish history and one we should rightly acknowledge and celebrate, so it's wonderful to see the universal goodwill that has greeted this news.”

This historic declaration was approved by the Church of Scotland just weeks before its Moderator Rt Rev. Dr Iain Greenshields will travel to South Sudan to take part in an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace along with his Church of England counterpart Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Rev. Justin Welby and Pope Francis.

The national Church of Scotland, the Kirk split off from the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 and its identity was moulded by John Knox. It follows Calvinist Presbyterian spirituality and it has no leadership group. It is the Moderator who chairs the annual meeting of its General Assembly.