In late November, the committee welcomed representatives of many faith communities to our annual Faith Reception in the Archdiocesan offices in Glasgow.
The committee were delighted to welcome as a special guest, Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren, and keynote speaker and Parliamentary Officer for the Catholic Church at Holyrood, Mr. Anthony Horan.
The reception was the committee’s formal contribution to the many activities that had taken place across the country as part of Scottish Interfaith Week.
This year, the reception was preceded by a guided tour of the cathedral led by archdiocesan archivist Mary McLure. The story of the cathedral’s many interesting features, the art, mosaics, windows, statues and decoration is a truly fascinating one and our guests thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
Around fifty guests and members of the committee were welcomed by Bishop McGee, President of the Interreligious Dialogue Committee, in the Eyre Hall to listen to Anthony Horan’s reflections on the challenges that people of faith can experience but opportunities that interreligious dialogue offers when facing up to the challenges of the modern world.
He spoke of how all people of faith in Scotland, including Catholics, can be singled out for abuse and discrimination simply because they have a faith. However, he also pointed out that there are places elsewhere in the world where oppression on the basis of faith can be far more serious and violations of basic rights stemming from religious bigotry can result in people losing their lives.
He praised the work done by people of all faiths and interfaith organisations in tackling prejudice and discrimination. He praised the leadership of the representatives present and their work for the most poor and vulnerable in society.
In his talk he also reflected on the issues facing our society today and explored both the opportunities for collaboration on core concerns such as poverty, homelessness, but also the challenges that we face when dealing with complex moral issues such as the current moves to allow people to end their lives at a time of their choosing.
You can find the full text of his talk here.
Following the talk there was the usual get together over food and the spirit of friendship was evident throughout the room in the laughter and conversations people shared.