The war of words continued yesterday, with St George’s Tron alleging that the sheriff court officer “stormed” a prayer meeting involving 100 people and “dragged out” its minister, the Rev Dr Willie Philip, to serve the court citation on him.

THE congregation at the heart of a battle over the ownership of an iconic city church in Glasgow is to leave the building following a six-month stand-off with the Kirk.

The dispute began when the congregation of St George’s Tron agreed to secede from the Church of Scotland over the Kirk’s decision to allow ministers to be in same-sex relationships.

Sheriff officers entered the church building on Wednesday evening to issue Court of Session interim interdicts on behalf of the Kirk preventing the removal of any “heritable fixtures and fittings” and claiming ownership to ones already taken.

Now the church’s minister has agreed to leave the building rather than face a long legal battle with the Kirk. But speaking ahead of his final service on Sunday, he accused the Church of Scotland of “shameful” behaviour in negotiations over the Buchanan Street property, likening it to a “Soviet dictatorship”.

The Kirk says that church property such as paintings, seats and the church organ have been removed to halls in nearby Bath Street, where the 500-strong congregation will be holding its future services.

However, the former members have insisted that the items were gifts given by its members and owned outright by it.

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