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| Church of Scotland's moderator: more unites us than divides us | Church of Scotland's moderator: more unites us than divides us |
| (6 months later) | |
| There can be no quick fix for restoring equilibrium to Scotland following the intensity of the referendum debate, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland said on Sunday . | There can be no quick fix for restoring equilibrium to Scotland following the intensity of the referendum debate, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland said on Sunday . |
| Addressing a special church service to promote reconciliation in the wake of last week's vote, the Rt Rev John Chalmers said: "Post referendum there are those who are elated or at least relieved, and there are those who are desperately disappointed – 'gutted' is the description that I have frequently heard. Feelings like these will take time to heal and I want no one to think that I think that there is a quick fix or an easy dusting down." | Addressing a special church service to promote reconciliation in the wake of last week's vote, the Rt Rev John Chalmers said: "Post referendum there are those who are elated or at least relieved, and there are those who are desperately disappointed – 'gutted' is the description that I have frequently heard. Feelings like these will take time to heal and I want no one to think that I think that there is a quick fix or an easy dusting down." |
| Around 1,000 people attended the service at St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, with senior political representatives from both sides of the referendum debate. | Around 1,000 people attended the service at St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, with senior political representatives from both sides of the referendum debate. |
| "For some, this referendum has been about national identity; for us all it has been about self-identity and that is about as close to the soul as it gets," said Chalmers in his address to a congregation that included the Scottish government's finance secretary, John Swinney, the Better Together leader, Alistair Darling, and the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, Labour's leader, Johann Lamont, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie, were also present. | "For some, this referendum has been about national identity; for us all it has been about self-identity and that is about as close to the soul as it gets," said Chalmers in his address to a congregation that included the Scottish government's finance secretary, John Swinney, the Better Together leader, Alistair Darling, and the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, Labour's leader, Johann Lamont, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie, were also present. |
| Chalmers added: "Recovery and healing [are] a soul searching matter and, for me, that is deeply spiritual – so no quick fix. Instead, it will take a force of magnanimity and graciousness to restore equilibrium to nation and individuals. | |
| "Today and in the weeks to come Scotland needs magnanimity all round and it needs a process for shaping our future [that] allows every voice (the 45% as well as the 55%) not just to be heard but to be listened to." | "Today and in the weeks to come Scotland needs magnanimity all round and it needs a process for shaping our future [that] allows every voice (the 45% as well as the 55%) not just to be heard but to be listened to." |
| Speaking after the service, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, who gave a reading at the service, said: "The Moderator's call for unity, reminding us as he did that how we voted on a particular day does not define who we are, was very welcome, for it emphasises that we have more in common than divides us. | Speaking after the service, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, who gave a reading at the service, said: "The Moderator's call for unity, reminding us as he did that how we voted on a particular day does not define who we are, was very welcome, for it emphasises that we have more in common than divides us. |
| "As he said today, our common commitment to social justice, care for the excluded and compassion for the lost need now to be our driving force. Listening to each other, learning from our disagreements and discovering again how to travel together needs to be at the heart of how we journey over the coming months and beyond." | "As he said today, our common commitment to social justice, care for the excluded and compassion for the lost need now to be our driving force. Listening to each other, learning from our disagreements and discovering again how to travel together needs to be at the heart of how we journey over the coming months and beyond." |
| • This article was amended on 29 September 2014. An earlier version described Rt Rev John Chalmers as the moderator of the Church of Scotland but his full title is moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. | • This article was amended on 29 September 2014. An earlier version described Rt Rev John Chalmers as the moderator of the Church of Scotland but his full title is moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. |