The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland believes the "temperature of sectarianism is lowering" after an unprecedented visit to yesterday's Old Firm match with the leader of the nation's Catholics.
The Right Rev Alan McDonald said his visit to Parkhead with Cardinal Keith O'Brien sent out a clear message that sectarianism had "nothing to do with churches, which are working closely together".
The two leaders were joined at the Celtic-Rangers match by First Minister Jack McConnell, as part of a drive to stamp out bigotry.
Sixteen people were arrested in and around Parkhead, double the number at the previous meeting between the two sides at Ibrox in December. Five arrests were for sectarian-related offences. The remainder were for minor offences.
Nevertheless, the Moderator expressed optimism that "things are getting better".
"The temperature of sectarianism is lowering. Progress is slowly being made. There was the odd bit of trouble around the stadium, but things seemed fairly well-behaved. There's a huge, intense rivalry between these teams, but the fans kept it in check."
Though conscious of isolated songs and chants during the match, Mr McDonald, a football fan, adopted a pragmatic view.
"The atmosphere was good. Maybe it helps I know a little about football. You have to adopt a certain sense of humour about some things you hear in football grounds. I'm not prudish about what goes on at these games."
Mr McConnell said tackling sectarianism was about much more than football and it was important that we tackled the wider issues. "However, joint visits such as this send a clear signal that Scotland is uniting in its efforts to rid the country of bigotry and religious hatred.
"The Old Firm clubs can be proud of the lead they have shown. The progress we are seeing now in defeating this ugly behaviour could not have been achieved without their co-operation. I look forward to continuing our progress towards a better society for future generations."
Neither Cardinal O'Brien nor the Catholic Church in Scotland wished to comment, but Mr McDonald added: "I'm delighted Cardinal O'Brien was able to attend the match. I invited him as my friend and brother in Christ. In some small way, the fact we sat together says something to those supporters with sectarian attitudes that their cause has nothing to do with churches, which are working closely together."
Richard Benjamin, spokesman for Nil By Mouth, which campaigns against sectarianism, said the attendance of the two religious leaders was a "positive, symbolic gesture".
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