Revd Laurence Whitley, Minister of Glasgow Cathedral and a chaplain for Police Scotland, was speaking after the Clutha pub in Glasgow reopened 20 months after a police helicopter hit its roof, killing ten people.
It's still unclear what caused the crash to happen, just days before Christmas.
Mr Whitley also praised the emergency services for allowing the church to be so heavily involved in comforting and praying for people when the tragedy happened.
He told Premier: "I think it's an encouragement for all those who prefer to see something not just stopped, and rather, as a gesture of the spirit of Glasgow, to say: 'right, we had this terrible experience, but we're not just going to give up and go away. But we come back, and show the spirit of the city'.
"Glaswegians really are an exceptional people. They wear their heart on their sleeve... in situations of crisis and tragedy it is extraordinary how they come out to meet each other, if you like. Their genuine concern for those who are grieving and who've undergone tragedy is very visible.
Referring to both the helicopter crash and the more recent bin lorry crash, which killed six people, he added: "In the days following both disasters at the area, complete strangers with tears in their eyes were coming, not just laying flowers but stopping to talk and express their sense of solidarity - their sense of sadness.
"I was quite touched in that they [the emergency services] made a point of including the churches. They weren't just marginalised. Those in charge... made sure that the Christian viewpoint was allowed to be expressed in what we were going to do."
Listen to Premier's Aaron James speaking to Revd Laurence Whitley here:
