Scottish Bishops Respect Result of Independence Referendum

Scotland’s Catholic bishops have responded to the result of yesterday's referendum, expressing hope that all will now come together for the benefit of the country’s future.

In a statement, the bishops’ conference said it “recognises and respects the result of the Scottish referendum, that Scotland should remain a part of the United Kingdom, and commends all those who participated in what was a was a passionate and sometimes partisan debate.

“The vast majority of Scots engaged with the referendum and it is our hope that we can all now cooperate for the benefit of our nation in future.”

The statement added: “We urge the Catholic community to continue to engage in public debate and decision-making and, in doing so, to uphold the meaning and importance of the Christian message. May God bless Scotland.”

Scotland voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence in a referendum on Thursday. Final results from all 32 council areas showed the "No" side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for "Yes".

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond called for unity and urged the unionist parties to deliver on more powers. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was delighted the UK would remain together and said the commitments on extra powers would be honoured, according to the BBC.

Cameron said the three main unionist parties at Westminster would now follow through with their pledge of more powers for the Scottish Parliament.