A Declaration of Friendship
For those who are part of the life of Westwood Church it is normal to enjoy a good friendship with our sisters and brothers in Christ at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic church. Over the years Westwood and OLOL have built upon the Community Integration Project that was established for the benefit of local Primary Schools and to bring local congregations closer together in worship and fellowship.
The local friendship is just a small part of a far bigger expression of friendship that is now being formalised through “A Declaration of Friendship”. The General Assembly of 2022 which opened on Saturday 21st May took time to consider the “Declaration of Friendship” which has already been accepted by the Bishop’s Conference of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland.
If you want to read more about the “Declaration of Friendship” on the Church of Scotland website just click the button below
The full text of the Declaration, now known as the St.Margaret’s Declaration is available below.
You can find news of the signing of the Declaration which took place in Dunfermline Abbey on St. Margaret’s Day Wednesday 16 November 2022 on the Church of Scotland website and you can visit the website of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
A DECLARATION OF FRIENDSHIP
We, the undersigned, representing the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland, wish publicly to express our recognition of each other as Christians, and as children of God in Christ (Galatians 3: 25-28). We recognise each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we wish to express our friendship and respect for one another as fellow Christians, citizens and partners in announcing the kingdom of God in our land.
Since the World Missionary Conference (Edinburgh, 1910), and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) much has been done ecumenically to repair what was broken and to restore mutual respect and friendship.
A great deal has been achieved spiritually, practically and affectively, through joint prayer among our parishes, various joint commissions, and the growing knowledge and appreciation of each other as Christian friends and fellow pilgrims.
A SHARED FAITH
Progress has been made on that which we hold in common.
We believe in one God, the Creator; we believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, true God and true man, fully divine and fully human, who died in the flesh and rose to save us from sin and death; and we believe in the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Trinity, one God in three persons. We believe that the Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic; and we acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
We believe our faith to be rooted in that of the Apostles, Christ’s first disciples, those who knew and followed our Lord in this life. We recognise and treasure the Sacred Scriptures, as God’s revelation of His love for all humanity. We recognise and hold in common the great ecumenical councils of the first five Christian centuries.
OUR COMMON HOME
We recognise, as our common heritage, the Gospel first brought to our shores so very long ago. We recall with gratitude to God the earliest missionaries, our forebears in the faith, who lived and preached the Christian faith to our land. We recall those from that time who led and formed the Church, nurturing a society inspired by Christian values, including St Ninian, St Columba and St Margaret.
PAST DIVISIONS
We recognise the hurt and the harm that our forebears did to each other in times past, and we repent and ask forgiveness of one other. We also recognise that, even in more recent times, much could have been said between us more kindly, written more magnanimously, and done more charitably, to promote pardon and healing and friendship among Christians in our land.
CHALLENGES WHICH REMAIN
There remain points at which we have not yet found a meeting place, and it is true that some questions still divide us.
Acknowledging what separates us still, we reaffirm that what we hold in common is often greater than what divides us. While recognising that unity does not mean uniformity, we commit ourselves to continuing our pilgrimage towards greater unity, as we believe that it is the Lord’s will that we be one (John 17: 21). We trust that such developing unity in Christ is the Lord’s work and the Spirit’s doing.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
We therefore pledge ourselves to live as sisters and brothers in Christ, in public and in private, in life and in mission; to pray with each other and for each other; to be good neighbours, both to each other and to all people among whom we live, of all faiths and none; and to work together for the common good of the nation, as it is given to us to see it.
May there be an ever more united Christian voice in the land, informed always by the charity and love of Christ and our call to participate in the mission of God. May we contribute to the good of society, while humbly learning from others and from our own mistakes. May our theological reflections and initiatives together thrive; and may our pilgrimage together in our dear land of Scotland bear much fruit to the good of all, and to the greater glory of God.