The next moderator of the Presbyterian Church, the Rev John Dixon, has said he "would not be happy with" joint worship involving the Catholic church, but he hoped people would recognise the integrity of his position and its sincerity.
Mr Dixon (54), who was elected on Tuesday and will take up office in June, said yesterday he could not "compromise the truth of the Gospel as I see it in Jesus Christ". He added: "But I hold that [opinion] in love, and with utter respect for, and value of and understanding of, my Roman Catholic neighbour or other Protestant neighbour who would take a contrary view."
He said while he believed there would be many situations where he could stand "shoulder-to-shoulder with Roman Catholic neighbours, friends and clergymen", there would be some invitations to ecumenical services which he could not "in all conscience" accept.
Mr Dixon emphasised the churches could work together on social issues, such as unemployment and poverty, and on moral issues such as euthanasia and abortion, and on taking a joint stand against violence. He believed the churches should "work at, and strengthen those areas which embarrass neither side".
He said it was important to point out that Catholics were sometimes embarrassed by association with Presbyterians "because of things we hold that would be offensive to them". Mr Dixon said he would want to recognise "their integrity on that and love them beyond that".
While he would not be happy with joint worship, he would "rather work from the positives and rejoice in what we can already do together". He could not, however, "cloud the Gospel as I see it, or compromise the stand of my reformed faith".
Mr Dixon acknowledged descriptions of him as being on the conservative wing of the Presbyterian Church were "accurate enough", but said he felt labels could confuse more than clarify.
He described recent sectarian killings in the name of Protestantism as "evil and utterly deplorable", and said they were "all the more heinous and obnoxious because they are carried out in the name of a group taking the name of Christ".
He said if the Gospel was being effectively lived out at grassroots level, there would not be "the virus of sectarianism" or "hate-filled hearts".
He said the momentum and the dynamic to enable politicians to move forward to a solution would come as the hearts and minds of people were turned around and attitudes changed from hatred to love.