Trust in the Church in Scotland has been "broken", the Bishop of Aberdeen has warned.Bishop Hugh Gilbert used his statement welcoming the election of Pope Francis to highlight the "feeling of distress" within the Church.
"At the heart of it is a sense of things being broken," he said, "things like personal integrity, trust in our bishops and priests, the credibility of our faith and teaching."
Bishop Gilbert said "all of these things have seemed to collapse," and that behind people's sadness or anger "there is a great cry inside us for them to be given back to us. A cry for a new purity and honesty, for the Gospel, for Christ."
His comments follow the hasty departure of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who admitted to sexual misconduct after allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" with three priests and a former priest appeared in the press.
You can read Bishop Gilbert's letter here.