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Death of Pope John Paul II

April 2, 2005

We thank God for the gift and witness of Pope John Paul II to the Church and to the world. Both in his living and in his dying he was a remarkable man: a man of deep faith, of outstanding conviction and of world-wide vision.

Our prayers today are particularly with the Catholic community in this time of sorrow. Together, we remain always confident in our faith in the resurrection and in Jesus Christ.

We remember with affection Pope John Paul’s visit to Scotland in 1982. He called for Christians of all denominations to heal our divisions and to work together as much as we can to build up both God’s Kingdom and the whole body of the Church. We believe that John Paul’s visit was a crucial milestone for the work of ecumenism in Scotland.

It may be worth calling to mind these poignant words spoken by Pope John Paul during that visit:

"We are only pilgrims on this earth making our way towards that heavenly Kingdom promised to us as God's children. 

"Beloved brethren in Christ, for the future, can we not make that pilgrimage together hand-in-hand, bearing with one another charitably in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience, doing all we can to preserve the unity of the Spirit that binds us together?"

(Bellahouston Park, Tuesday 1 June 1982)