The Church and Society Council takes a key role in
responding to a range of European and international
affairs and working towards the goal of peace worldwide.
You can find out about the following initiatives
and consultation responses on this page:
World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel
Resources for Remembrance from Service Chaplains
Death Penalty
Ethics of Defence
Trident
What can I do to stop Trident?
Scotland's for Peace
Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Arms
Conference of European Churches
Middle East Report
Iran
Armenia and Turkey
Burma
Darfur
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Please note that downloads on this page are available
in Word [.doc], rich text [.rtf] and text only [.txt]
formats. All external website links on this page will
take you out of the Church of Scotland website and
open a new browser window.
World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel
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29 May - 4 June 2010
The World Council of Churches is inviting member churches and related organisations to join a week of advocacy and action for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.
Follow this link to find out more and get involved: World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel |
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Resources for Remembrance from Service Chaplains
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Resources to use during Remembrance Services have been provided by army chaplains serving in Scotland. These are available to download below. Follow this link to find further information on chaplaincy in the Army: Royal Army Chaplains’ Department |
The chaplain who provided this material offers the following introduction:
"We hope that these may be of use as you plan your Remembrance services. We offer them in recognition of the common ministry that we share in proclaiming the word and the kingdom of God, and we offer them also in thanks for the work and prayer of parish clergy in support of our Armed Forces. We pray for you in your vocation and ministry and we ask that you may pray for us in ours."
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Death Penalty
The Church of Scotland affirms that capital punishment is always and wholly unacceptable and does not provide an answer even to the most heinous of crimes; and commits itself to work with other churches and agencies to advance this understanding, oppose death sentences and executions and promote the cause of abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
Download the Report to the 2008 General Assembly which sets out the Biblical, theological and ethical arguments surrounding the death penalty:
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Ethics of Defence
| Download the 'Ethics of Defence ' Report to the 2009 General Assembly here: |
[.pdf]
(119KB) |
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Trident: UK nuclear
weapons at a crossroads
The following briefing has been compiled with the intention
of informing the public debate on the future of the UK
nuclear weapons programme.
 |
It seeks to provide information and
analysis with respect to strategic decisions that
will shortly need to be made and reflects the consistent
concern of the churches over many years. |
The following document is a joint initiative by representatives
of member churches of Churches Together in Britain and
Ireland including the Baptist Union of Great Britain,
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and
Wales, the Mission and Public Affairs Division of the
Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council,
the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church, the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers) and the United Reformed Church.
Download the briefing report on Trident:
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What can I do to stop Trident?
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If you agree with millions of others that the government should scrap |
plans to spend in excessof £76billion on replacing Trident with a new generation of nuclear weapons then please join the Rethink Trident movement.
Find out how you can join and put pressure on the government by following this link:
Rethink Trident
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Scotland's for Peace
The council is a member of the Scotland's for Peace
campaign which aims to promote the idea that Scotland
should be known for its contribution to international
peace and international justice rather than for waging
war.
Members sign the following declaration:
I desire that Scotland should
be known for its contribution to peace and justice,
rather than for waging war. Therefore, I do not consent
to the use of Scotland's land, water or resources for:
-
weapons of mass
destruction or the systems which support them;
-
testing weapons
and training personnel for the use in such attacks;
-
unprovoked attacks
on other countries.
Find out more from the website
at Scotland's for Peace
 |
You can show your support by signing the Scottish Peace Covenant.
Click on this link: Sign the covenant |
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Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear arms
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SCANA is a group, not limited to clergy, who continue a Christian witness against the possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons. Find out more from their website:
|
Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear arms
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Conference of European Churches
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship
of 126 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic
churches from all countries of Europe, plus 43 associated
organisations. CEC was founded in 1959 and has offices
in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.
| The Church and Society
Council is a member of CEC's Church and Society
Commission, which is the result of the merger
of CEC's work on church and society issues and
the European Ecumenical Commission for Church
and Society (EECCS). |
 |
Its task is to help the churches study church and society
questions from a theological and social ethical perspective,
especially those with a European dimension and to represent
the member churches of CEC in their relations with political
institutions working in Europe.
For more information about the commission's work,
visit the CEC website at
www.cec-kek.org
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Current Issues in International Affairs
Middle East Report
Download the 'What Hope for the Middle East?' report to the 2007 General Assembly here:
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Iran |
In June 2007, the Council Secretary visited Armenia with the Church and Society Commission of CEC. Armenia is very proud of the fact that it was the first officially Christian nation, being proclaimed as such in 301AD. The group visited the memorial for the 1915 slaughter visited upon Armenia in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. A debate has raged ever since about whether or not the events commemorated there can be referred to as genocide.
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Events in Burma, Darfur, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, continue to be in the public gaze. The Church has looked at these issues in recent years - and it is distressing to note that in all of these cases the issues have not been resolved but rather have become more entrenched.
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Burma |
In 2004 the General Assembly urged church members to pray for the people of Burma and to campaign and agitate for justice in Burma. The Assembly acknowledged the determination, courage and commitment to democracy of Aung San Sui Kyi, and welcomed the decision of Edinburgh City Council to grant her the freedom of the city.
Church members were strongly urged not to holiday in Burma while the junta remains in power.
The Assembly condemned the wide-spread human rights abuses, forced labour and cultural genocide of ethnic minority groups in Burma, and urged HM Government both to discourage Western companies from investing and operating in Burma and to continue to use all diplomatic means and resources at its disposal to bring a return of democratic government to Burma.
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Darfur |
In 2005 the General Assembly expressed outrage at the inability of the Sudanese government and the international community to protect the people of Darfur from the organised violence that has killed so many and has driven countless others from their land and livelihoods. The Assembly called on the United Nations, the European Union and HMG to work through and appropriately resource the African Union as the best means of achieving progress and eventual peace.
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Sri Lanka |
Recently the situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated significantly, with an escalation of the civil war and growing concerns for the future peace.
Follow this link to take you to the Christian Aid page which includes prayer and an appeal for help:
Christian Aid Sri Lanka appeal
The 2009 General Assembly called on the Church to remember Sri Lanka in their prayers. Download this prayer update sent by the minister of St. Andrew's Scots Kirk Colombo:
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Zimbabwe |
In 2003 the General Assembly called on all members of the Church to pray for the people of Zimbabwe as they struggle to overcome poverty, hunger, disease and oppression; and to pray for the restoration of proper relational governance with the people, effective and fair land reform, and freedom, security and welfare for all the people of Zimbabwe.
The Assembly also encouraged HM Government to continue the urgent humanitarian work being done, and to search earnestly through the Commonwealth and other appropriate agencies, for a just resolution of the crisis facing Zimbabwe.
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Christian Aid has produced online resources for churches relating to the present crisis in Zimbabwe. Follow this link to find information and prayers: www.christianaid.org.uk |
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