New Kirk Moderator to tackle poverty by 'twinning' rich and poor parishes

Published on Sunday 14 May 2006 00:37

THE incoming Moderator of the Church of Scotland has said he wants to "twin" the Kirk's poorest parishes with some of its richest congregations in order to make affluent church-goers intolerant of poverty on their doorstep.

The Rev Alan McDonald, who will preside over this year's General Assembly, said the arrangement will be one of the main focuses of his year as Moderator.

McDonald also praised the controversial Christian peace campaigner and former Iraq hostage Norman Kember for "acting out of his beliefs" by trying to make peace in the Middle East.

McDonald, who will be installed this Saturday as the Kirk's Moderator on the first day of the General Assembly in Edinburgh, said he wants Scotland's churchgoers to know more about the poverty and problems faced by fellow Scots in parishes termed "priority areas".

The Glasgow-born law graduate served as a minister in West Pilton in Edinburgh before moving to a well-off parish in Aberdeen and is now based in St Andrews.

He said: "In the Church of Scotland we have over 50 parishes in priority areas in the cities. I will be encouraging congregations in areas which are very different from them to be paired with them. I want the Church to be intolerant of the poverty around us in Scotland. There is a problem in Scotland with the wealth not being shared around."

McDonald last year took part in the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh in the run-up to the G8 meeting of world leaders at Gleneagles. In addition, he spent four years as convener of the Kirk's Church and Nation Committee, the forum where ministers of the clerical kind have frequently clashed with those of the government variety.

As Church and Nation convener, he travelled to Washington to voice opposition to the Iraq War, but claims now that United States and British force should now stay in the battered country to try and keep order.

He said: "Having created this mess in Iraq it would now be quite wrong to abandon it and walk away. It wouldn't be the thing to do.

"I still believe that we were taken to war on a false premise."

Turning to the controversial peace campaigner, Norman Kember, who was taken hostage in Iraq before being rescued, McDonald said: "Norman Kember is someone who acted out his beliefs. He put his life on the line.

"He stood up. Could I do that? Would I do that? I feel that we are all called to be peace-makers in our own way. I spend time as a peace-maker in South Africa, during the election there, just for a few weeks. I believed that I am called to be a parish minister, but I believe that we should encourage non-violence and peace-making."

McDonald also took a sideways swipe at the Da Vinci Code, which will come to cinemas this week. The Roman Catholic Church has criticised the book and the forthcoming film for "spreading errors" about the faith.

McDonald said: "I'm looking forward to seeing the film, and I've read the book, but it's nothing more than a great airport thriller. It's not to be taken at all seriously."

The new Moderator succeeds the Rt Rev David Lacey who created controversy last year when he said that Islamic extremists who preached hate towards "a people who have shown them love" should leave, and later called for church-goers to be less timid about their faith when celebrating Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter.

While his remarks were welcomed by both rank-and-file Kirk members and many moderate Muslims, Lacey's outspokenness caused unease among many in the Church leadership.