Pilgrimage reaches Scottish parliament

The Pilgrimage has given witness at the Scottish parliament

The Pilgrimage for Peace and Economic Justice has reached Edinburgh and given witness at the Scottish parliament.  The Pilgrimage set off from Iona, on the west of Scotland, on 19 May and a small, core group of pilgrims have been joined by supporters along the way.

The pilgrims stopped at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde, where the Trident nuclear submarines are based, for a peace picnic. They have walked along the canal from Glasgow to Edinburgh. On Sunday 2 June the pilgrims attended Meeting for Worship at Central Edinburgh Meeting, where they received warm hospitality, and on Monday were ‘set off’ along Princes Street and the ‘Royal Mile’ by John Armes, bishop of Edinburgh, who lent his support to the venture. The pilgrims’ peace declaration was later read at the Scottish parliament.

Andrew Greaves, a coordinator of the pilgrimage, said: ‘The reaction so far has been incredible and has exceeded all expectations. The level of gratitude for what we have been doing has been rather humbling. There is a real will in Scotland to see the back of these abominable weapons of mass destruction.

‘We also had a strong message of support,’ Andrew said, ‘from the deputy first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. A copy of the declaration is being posted on the pilgrimage website at www.justpeacepilgrimage.com. We encourage Friends to make use of the website for further information. We have had tremendous support from Quakers, the weather has been gorgeous and there have only been a few blisters to contend with!’

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