Archbishop Cushley has welcomed the signing of the St Margaret’s Declaration of Friendship between the Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland today, calling it a ‘consciously new approach to ecumenism.’
The declaration, officially endorsed by the Princess Royal, was signed at Dunfermline Abbey with Archbishop Cushley of St Andrew’s & Edinburgh and Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assemble.
The declaration was signed on the Feast Day of Queen St Margaret of Scotland, who is buried in the Abbey, and details the beliefs shared by the Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland.
Archbishop Leo Cushley hailed the signing as a ‘consciously new approach to ecumenism, an attempt to re-imagine the path towards Christian unity.’
He said the Declaration ‘chooses to focus on what we have in common and underline what we treasure together’ instead of ‘listing problems and points of grievance.’
“We stand shoulder to shoulder before an unbelieving world and we wish to respect each other, to be a support to each other, and to do all we can to achieve the unity that the Lord prayed for,” he said.
“In friendship, to face the next thousand years, not as enemies or rivals, but as sisters and brothers and friends in Jesus Christ.”
Dr Greenshields said he was ‘deeply honoured and privileged to be one of the signatories’ which he said was ‘many years in the making’.
“The declaration reflects the steadfast desire of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland and the Church of Scotland to continue to journey together and to see the healing of division within our nation,” he said.
“I would want people across Scottish society to look at this new relationship between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church and take away a powerful message – there is more that unites us than divides us as we strive to be an ever more united Christian voice in this land.”