she was "surprised at how important fish are" in the talks.

In a statement, President of the Methodist Church Rev Dr John Alderdice, and the Church's Lay Leader, Mrs Elaine M Barnett said: "We give thanks and appreciation for his ecumenical spirit and openness to other leaders in the global Christian Church."They commended the Pope's "advocacy for social justice" and his "desire to prioritise care for the poor and the most vulnerable".

Rev Dr John Alderdice and Mrs Barnett extended the "deepest sympathies and prayers" of Irish Methodist people to their "brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic community".Presbyterian minister Rev Steve Stockman helps run the 4 Corners Festival at Saint Anne's Cathedral, which promotes reconciliation.He said Pope Francis sent "

, encouraging us to continue that pathway to peace" when he recorded a video for the festival's anniversary.He said it was "very important" to have Pope Francis "wish you well".

"He was a man who was very warm, very humble," he told BBC's Evening Extra programme.

Rev Stockman also met Pope Francis in 2022.There are a few elements at play when it comes to this announcement.

For one thing, Anas Sarwar has always said he's uncomfortable with the UK Labour government's criteria around who gets a winter fuel payment. He thinks it's too restrictive.Also, after Keir Starmer's rough start upon entering Downing Street, he's perhaps made the calculation that a bit of distance between him and UK Labour is no bad thing.

Indeed, in a huddle with press this morning, Sarwar was keen to stress areas where he's taken a different approach (such as joining workers on picket lines).Remember the context here: there's a Holyrood election in 2026, and Scottish Labour won't want to be associated with any UK Labour unpopularity around that time.