Scottish Cardinal urges government to tackle sectarianism

Attending the second "Summit on Sectarianism" in Glasgow yesterday, Cardinal Keith O'Brien has urged the Scottish executive to " to take stock and refocus" its anti-sectarian campaign. The Summit chaired by First minister Jack McConnell was told by Cardinal O'Brien that the attention given to football, parades and marches has resulted in much progress made in these areas yet statistically, it was clear that most instances of sectarianism do not involve any of these. The Cardinal called, "for much wider and more detailed research into religiously aggravated crime which seeks to explain why Scotland's Catholics continue to suffer from such crimes out of all proportion to their numbers." He also raised concerns about the continuing existence of the Act of Settlement describing it as "state-sponsored sectarianism. Cardinal O'Brien urged the First Minister to make available information on offences "Aggravated by Religious Prejudice" on a far more regular and timely basis. He ended with a call for Scotland's media Scotland,s media to show restraint and balance when covering the subject of catholic schools, having pointed out that since the 6th August 2006 there have been at least 43 letters or articles published in Scottish newspapers attacking Catholic schools. Source: SCMO