Latest news with #FraserSutherland
Scotsman
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
SNP ministers accused of creating 'bizarre inequality' on religious worship in schools
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish ministers are being accused of creating 'bizarre inequality' ahead of John Swinney's programme for government. The First Minister is due to set out his priorities for the next 12 months later this afternoon, which he says will focus on his priorities of improving public services and eradicating child poverty. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, the Humanist Society Scotland says it is expecting Mr Swinney to 'renege' on promises to allow children to opt out of religious worship in school. While the Church of Ireland, Irish Presbyterian Church and Methodist Church in Ireland have marked religious theological differences with the Roman Catholic church in doctrine and worship practice, the main Protestant churches have expressed their sympathies this week in a tangible way Up until now, parents can remove their children from religious school assemblies, but pupils themselves have no similar rights. Campaigners, including SNP backbenchers, say children should be given this right as it aligns with the Scottish Government's commitment to UN children's rights. Mr Swinney is expected to confirm the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill will be passed by spring 2026. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However it is understood pupils would still need parental permission to opt out of religious worship in schools - however, children would be allowed to opt in to religious worship if their parents have chosen to withdraw them. Fraser Sutherland, CEO of the Humanist Society Scotland, says ministers are suggesting the views of religious pupils are 'worthy of more respect' than those of non-religious pupils. Fraser Sutherland | Scottish Humanist Society Speaking to The Scotsman, he said: 'The government has fudged this issue in a way that is discriminatory towards non-religious pupils and reneges on their only recently established commitment to UN regulations on the rights of the child. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are extremely disappointed that they have not listened to the voices of school pupils, children's charities, the Children's Commissioner for Scotland, or successive UN committees, all of whom have called for children and young people to have the right to opt themselves out of religious observance.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lockdown ban on wedding kisses ‘bizarre'
A lockdown restriction banning couples kissing at weddings was 'bizarre', the Scottish Covid-19 inquiry heard. The long-term impact of Covid meant that weddings included more outdoor ceremonies and shorter timescales for planning, a humanist leader told the inquiry. The inquiry's worship and life events impact hearings began on Tuesday, with evidence from faith leaders from different religions including the Catholic Church, the Jewish Council of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland as well as from the Humanist Society Scotland and the . Fraser Sutherland, of the Humanist Society Scotland, said as recently as 2024 weddings were going ahead which had been postponed during the pandemic, and branded some restrictions 'bizarre'. Mr Sutherland said: 'We did also see a significant increase in small weddings. There were quite a lot of people who were relieved they didn't have to have a big wedding. 'The restrictions for masks for couples was removed. There was a bizarre circumstance where there was no kissing allowed. 'In humanist tradition, most of those couples would be already living together.' All the faith leaders said they were dedicated to sticking to the restrictions. However, Mr Sutherland said that some venues were desperate to generate income and would allow people to break the rules. Mr Sutherland said: 'There was a lot of push-back particularly as the pandemic pressed on, from couples, from wedding venues, who were keen to get as many people in as possible. 'We had a lot of difficult situations where couples were being told one thing by venues, our celebrant turns up and there's 50 people when there should be 20. We had couples saying 'everyone here is exempt, around mask wearing'.' The Rev Donald MacDonald ,of the Free Church of Scotland, based in the Isle of Skye, said: 'We tend to get a number of elopement weddings every year – they came to an end when lockdown was announced. All these arrangements in place for a year to 18 months had to be cancelled. 'Others delayed planning of their weddings. We did schedule a meeting with government representatives to try to argue for permission of having weddings – within our tradition a number of folk moving in together is not an option before marriage.' Ephraim Borowski, of the Jewish Council of Scotland, said: 'It might have been useful to have a hotline, or some kind of exception-granting mechanism, completely general, which would give us a definite answer, I think that would have helped.' The Rt Rev Brian McGee, of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said that NHS workers were deprived of pastoral care in hospitals, along with sick or dying people, owing to restrictions. He said that mass could only be celebrated in a church, and that faith leaders were not consulted about the decision to close places of worship in the second lockdown. Mr McGee said: 'We've talked about ceremonies but when people were in hospital, they were looked after by NHS staff who were in fear for their own lives. 'When people are sick and they're nervous they would want the comfort of a visit, some pastoral care and prayers being said for them. 'I know the difficulty for that and infection control but could there have been more consideration given.' The impact of restrictions on funeral rites was compared to 'physical pain' by other religious leaders, the inquiry heard. Omar Afzal, from the Scottish Association of Mosques, said: 'I would describe the effect of not being able to fulfil religious rites as almost like physical pain in the effect it had.' Ravi Ladva, from the Scottish Hindu Foundation, said: 'We didn't question why only six members are allowed in the crematorium. A lot of our community members are on the front line of the NHS and public services. As much as I would like to mourn, my duty to my community and the rest of Scotland comes first. 'Through the pandemic we were fortunate to scramble together online services where it still maintained some semblance of community. 'It does require review and has not been forgotten how we were treated and our practises and rituals were portrayed.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Lockdown ban on wedding kisses ‘bizarre'
A lockdown restriction banning couples kissing at weddings was 'bizarre', the Scottish Covid-19 inquiry heard. The long-term impact of Covid meant that weddings included more outdoor ceremonies and shorter timescales for planning, a humanist leader told the inquiry. The inquiry's worship and life events impact hearings began on Tuesday, with evidence from faith leaders from different religions including the Catholic Church, the Jewish Council of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland as well as from the Humanist Society Scotland and the . Fraser Sutherland, of the Humanist Society Scotland, said as recently as 2024 weddings were going ahead which had been postponed during the pandemic, and branded some restrictions 'bizarre'. Mr Sutherland said: 'We did also see a significant increase in small weddings. There were quite a lot of people who were relieved they didn't have to have a big wedding. 'The restrictions for masks for couples was removed. There was a bizarre circumstance where there was no kissing allowed. 'In humanist tradition, most of those couples would be already living together.' All the faith leaders said they were dedicated to sticking to the restrictions. However, Mr Sutherland said that some venues were desperate to generate income and would allow people to break the rules. Mr Sutherland said: 'There was a lot of push-back particularly as the pandemic pressed on, from couples, from wedding venues, who were keen to get as many people in as possible. 'We had a lot of difficult situations where couples were being told one thing by venues, our celebrant turns up and there's 50 people when there should be 20. We had couples saying 'everyone here is exempt, around mask wearing'.' The Rev Donald MacDonald ,of the Free Church of Scotland, based in the Isle of Skye, said: 'We tend to get a number of elopement weddings every year – they came to an end when lockdown was announced. All these arrangements in place for a year to 18 months had to be cancelled. 'Others delayed planning of their weddings. We did schedule a meeting with government representatives to try to argue for permission of having weddings – within our tradition a number of folk moving in together is not an option before marriage.' Ephraim Borowski, of the Jewish Council of Scotland, said: 'It might have been useful to have a hotline, or some kind of exception-granting mechanism, completely general, which would give us a definite answer, I think that would have helped.' The Rt Rev Brian McGee, of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said that NHS workers were deprived of pastoral care in hospitals, along with sick or dying people, owing to restrictions. He said that mass could only be celebrated in a church, and that faith leaders were not consulted about the decision to close places of worship in the second lockdown. Mr McGee said: 'We've talked about ceremonies but when people were in hospital, they were looked after by NHS staff who were in fear for their own lives. 'When people are sick and they're nervous they would want the comfort of a visit, some pastoral care and prayers being said for them. 'I know the difficulty for that and infection control but could there have been more consideration given.' The impact of restrictions on funeral rites was compared to 'physical pain' by other religious leaders, the inquiry heard. Omar Afzal, from the Scottish Association of Mosques, said: 'I would describe the effect of not being able to fulfil religious rites as almost like physical pain in the effect it had.' Ravi Ladva, from the Scottish Hindu Foundation, said: 'We didn't question why only six members are allowed in the crematorium. A lot of our community members are on the front line of the NHS and public services. As much as I would like to mourn, my duty to my community and the rest of Scotland comes first. 'Through the pandemic we were fortunate to scramble together online services where it still maintained some semblance of community. 'It does require review and has not been forgotten how we were treated and our practises and rituals were portrayed.'
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Wedding kiss restrictions branded ‘bizarre' by humanist leader at inquiry
A pandemic restriction banning cohabiting couples from kissing during wedding ceremonies was 'bizarre', a humanist leader told the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. The long-term impact of lockdown on wedding trends included more outdoor ceremonies and shorter timescales for planning, the inquiry heard. The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry's worship and life events impact hearings began on Tuesday, with evidence from faith leaders from different denominations including the Catholic Church, Free Church of Scotland, as well as from the Humanist Society Scotland and the Jewish Council of Scotland. Fraser Sutherland, of the Humanist Society Scotland, said as recently as 2024, weddings were going ahead which had been postponed during the pandemic, and branded some restrictions 'bizarre'. Mr Sutherland said: 'Some couples decided they didn't want to get married, some people's relationships ended. 'We did also see a significant increase in small weddings. There were quite a lot of people who were relieved they didn't have to have a big wedding. I think a lot of couples feel pressure from family and friends to have a big ceremony. I think quite a lot of people felt they had a licence to do what they wanted.' He added: 'The restrictions for masks for couples was removed there were numerous conversations with the Government about removing masks for declaration. There was a bizarre circumstance where there was no kissing allowed. 'In humanist tradition most of those couples would be already living together.' All the faith leaders said that they were dedicated to sticking to the restrictions – however, Mr Sutherland said that some venues were desperate to generate income and would allow people to break the rules. Mr Sutherland said: 'There was a lot of push-back particularly as pandemic pressed on, from couples, from wedding venues, who were keen to get as many people in as possible. 'We had a lot of difficult situations where couples were being told one thing by venues, our celebrant turns up and there's 50 people when there should be 20. We had couples saying 'everyone here is exempt, around mask wearing'.' Rev Donald MacDonald of the Free Church of Scotland, based on Tiree, Skye, said: 'On Skye we tend to get a number of elopement weddings every year – they came to an end when lockdown was announced. All these arrangements in place for a year to 18 months had to be cancelled. 'Others delayed planning of their weddings. We did schedule a meeting with government representatives to try to argue for permission of having weddings – within our tradition a number of folk moving in together is not an option before marriage.' Ephraim Borowski, of the Jewish Council of Scotland, said: 'It might have been useful to have a hotline, or some kind of exception granting mechanism, completely general, which would give us a definite answer, I think that would have helped.' He added: 'I wasn't aware of any time anyone said about the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic so as far as we knew nothing had been learned from that. That puts this inquiry into perspective, because presumably the point is to learn for the future. Is anyone actually going to remember?' Rt Rev Brian McGee, of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said that NHS workers were deprived of pastoral care in hospitals, along with sick or dying people, due to restrictions. He said that mass could only be celebrated in a church, and that faith leaders were not told about a decision to close places of worship in the second lockdown, until it happened. Mr McGee said: 'We've talked about ceremonies but when people were in hospital, they were looked after by NHS staff who were in fear for their own lives. 'When people are sick and they're nervous they would want the comfort of a visit, some pastoral care and prayers being said for them. 'I know the difficulty for that and infection control but could there have been more consideration given. 'When a chaplain goes in they're there for anyone looking for help including the staff. There could have been pastoral care available for staff.' The impact of restrictions on funeral rites was compared to 'physical pain' by other religious leaders, the inquiry heard. Omar Afzal, from the Scottish Association of Mosques, said: 'I would describe the effect of not being able to fulfil religious rites as almost like physical pain in the effect it had.' Ravi Ladva, from the Scottish Hindu Foundation, said: 'As part of the Scottish community have to be pragmatic. We didn't question why only six members are allowed in the crematorium. 'A lot of our community members are on the frontline of the NHS and public services. As much as I would like to mourn, my duty to my community and the rest of Scotland comes first. The psychological aspect are there for the mourners as well to help them manage their grief. 'Through the pandemic we were fortunate to scramble together online services where it still maintained some semblance of community. 'It does require review and has not been forgotten how we were treated and our practises and rituals were portrayed.'
South Wales Guardian
29-04-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Wedding kiss restrictions branded ‘bizarre' by humanist leader at inquiry
The long-term impact of lockdown on wedding trends included more outdoor ceremonies and shorter timescales for planning, the inquiry heard. The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry's worship and life events impact hearings began on Tuesday, with evidence from faith leaders from different denominations including the Catholic Church, Free Church of Scotland, as well as from the Humanist Society Scotland and the Jewish Council of Scotland. Fraser Sutherland, of the Humanist Society Scotland, said as recently as 2024, weddings were going ahead which had been postponed during the pandemic, and branded some restrictions 'bizarre'. Mr Sutherland said: 'Some couples decided they didn't want to get married, some people's relationships ended. 'We did also see a significant increase in small weddings. There were quite a lot of people who were relieved they didn't have to have a big wedding. I think a lot of couples feel pressure from family and friends to have a big ceremony. I think quite a lot of people felt they had a licence to do what they wanted.' He added: 'The restrictions for masks for couples was removed there were numerous conversations with the Government about removing masks for declaration. There was a bizarre circumstance where there was no kissing allowed. 'In humanist tradition most of those couples would be already living together.' All the faith leaders said that they were dedicated to sticking to the restrictions – however, Mr Sutherland said that some venues were desperate to generate income and would allow people to break the rules. Mr Sutherland said: 'There was a lot of push-back particularly as pandemic pressed on, from couples, from wedding venues, who were keen to get as many people in as possible. 'We had a lot of difficult situations where couples were being told one thing by venues, our celebrant turns up and there's 50 people when there should be 20. We had couples saying 'everyone here is exempt, around mask wearing'.' Rev Donald MacDonald of the Free Church of Scotland, based on Tiree, Skye, said: 'On Skye we tend to get a number of elopement weddings every year – they came to an end when lockdown was announced. All these arrangements in place for a year to 18 months had to be cancelled. 'Others delayed planning of their weddings. We did schedule a meeting with government representatives to try to argue for permission of having weddings – within our tradition a number of folk moving in together is not an option before marriage.' Ephraim Borowski, of the Jewish Council of Scotland, said: 'It might have been useful to have a hotline, or some kind of exception granting mechanism, completely general, which would give us a definite answer, I think that would have helped.' He added: 'I wasn't aware of any time anyone said about the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic so as far as we knew nothing had been learned from that. That puts this inquiry into perspective, because presumably the point is to learn for the future. Is anyone actually going to remember?' Rt Rev Brian McGee, of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said that NHS workers were deprived of pastoral care in hospitals, along with sick or dying people, due to restrictions. He said that mass could only be celebrated in a church, and that faith leaders were not told about a decision to close places of worship in the second lockdown, until it happened. Mr McGee said: 'We've talked about ceremonies but when people were in hospital, they were looked after by NHS staff who were in fear for their own lives. 'When people are sick and they're nervous they would want the comfort of a visit, some pastoral care and prayers being said for them. 'I know the difficulty for that and infection control but could there have been more consideration given. 'When a chaplain goes in they're there for anyone looking for help including the staff. There could have been pastoral care available for staff.' The impact of restrictions on funeral rites was compared to 'physical pain' by other religious leaders, the inquiry heard. Omar Afzal, from the Scottish Association of Mosques, said: 'I would describe the effect of not being able to fulfil religious rites as almost like physical pain in the effect it had.' Ravi Ladva, from the Scottish Hindu Foundation, said: 'As part of the Scottish community have to be pragmatic. We didn't question why only six members are allowed in the crematorium. 'A lot of our community members are on the frontline of the NHS and public services. As much as I would like to mourn, my duty to my community and the rest of Scotland comes first. The psychological aspect are there for the mourners as well to help them manage their grief. 'Through the pandemic we were fortunate to scramble together online services where it still maintained some semblance of community. 'It does require review and has not been forgotten how we were treated and our practises and rituals were portrayed.'
