The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend John Chalmers, has met with His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican.
He was accompanied by his wife Liz and the Rev Alison McDonald Convener of the Church of Scotland Committee on Ecumenical Relations.
Mr Chalmers told the Pontiff during the private audience, that people of faith in Scotland, would welcome him with open arms if he was able to make a pastoral visit.
The Moderator also spoke about the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland having never been more cordial or productive than it is now.
The Moderator told Pope Francis that events, such as the joint service marking the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, would have been unthinkable when he was younger, but both churches had travelled a long and significant ecumenical journey.
The Moderator also said that both faiths, Catholic and Reformed, could take the lead in teaching tolerance and in promoting non-violent means of dealing with our differences and in particular Mr Chalmers highlighted the importance of establishing peace with justice for the people of Israel, Palestine and the Occupied Territories.
Mr Chalmers spoke of their shared concern about climate change, describing it as the "most pressing issue in human history" which are "most keenly experienced by the poorest of the world's poor".
He looked forward to Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter on Ecology and hoped that it would unite religious leaders across world in common purpose.
He said that historically Scotland's life has been blighted by sectarian division, but in recent years the relationship between the churches had been transformed and at local level ministers and priests have forged new friendships as people have shared their humanity and their faith.
The Moderator presented His Holiness with a Dove of Peace made by a Palestinian Christian Group in Bethlehem.
The glass doves were made out of fragments of broken bottles thrown away or glass found in the rubble of bombsites.
The Dove speaks of how that which seems worthless and hopeless can be transformed.
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