Archdiocese of Glasgow

STATEMENT ON GAZA CONFLICT

Speaking at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow on Sunday January 4th, Archbishop Mario Conti made the following statement on the current conflict in Gaza.

“It would be remiss of me to talk of justice and peace without making comment on the warlike situation in Southern Israel and Gaza following rocket attacks by Palestinians on Israelis and the bombing and invasion of Gaza by Israel.

“I have been appalled at the violence first displayed against, and now by Israel – rockets met by bombs and a tank invasion.

“Israel is not ready to accept criticisms of its actions from the international community which, while recognising its right to self-defence, almost universally considers its military response as disproportionate, and at base ill-conceived as a strategy to win the peace that must in the longer term be achieved.

“There will be resentment in some quarters at a bishop appearing to criticise one of the parties but I speak as Archbishop of a city which has a twinning relationship with Bethlehem, and as one of more than a hundred pilgrims who recently visited the Holy Land and heard from those directly affected by the tensions in that area.

“Just weeks ago we saw for ourselves the siege conditions under which people daily live in the West Bank. By all accounts these conditions are even more severe in Gaza, and lead to a climate of frustration, the very climate which we know from Northern Ireland, allows and fosters the sort of violent action to which Israel is now responding with mighty force.

“Fear stalks both sides of the Gaza border and the innocent lives of children, women and men are put at risk, and currently within Gaza, destroyed in large numbers. Immense damage is done to property and to the infra-structure by bombs and rockets; worse still is the damage done to relationships between two peoples, both of which have a right to live in secure peace. The whole peace process is put in jeopardy and further cause for resentment is given by the continued conflict. This resentment will fester for as many years as people remember the harm done to them and the injustices they have suffered.

“All we can do is add our voice to those who call for an end to the violence on both sides, and pray that the Prince of Peace will move the hearts of men and women to desire reconciliation, co-operation and a common purpose – the building of stable neighbourhood communities to the benefit of all.”

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Archbishop Conti's Message for Advent

Being a Christian is essentially a matter of walking in the Lord’s footsteps. Recently I had the privilege of doing that quite literally as I led the by-now annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land of the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

Our trip started where the whole Christian story began, in Nazareth, where Mary responded with generous heart to the angel’s greeting. It is an awesome sight to look at the inscription on the great basilica of the Annuciation and read: “Hic verbum caro factum est” – Here the word was made flesh.

Our trip ended, most appropriately, in the shepherds’ fields, for the Advent season was about to begin. And there, it was especially moving to relive the excitement and wonder of the shepherds on hearing the extraordinary news of salvation – that God had become man.

At this time of year it is easy to be cynical. Of course, Christmas can by hijacked by retailers and marketing gurus. Of course the tinsel and sleigh bells appear far too early in the year for comfort.

But such annoyances must never distract us from the truly astonishing event we recall on December 25 … that God broke through time and space and entered our human existence, motivated only by love for humanity.

In the words of the late Pope John Paul II: “In jubilant amazement we acknowledge the greatest miracle of history" (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 33).

This Christmas let’s try to recapture that sense of awe as we visit the crib scene in our homes, churches or squares. It is hard to throw off our familiarity, so as to try to contemplate the scene as though for the first time.

But it is only in doing so that we will discover the real, deep, lasting joy of Christmas. A joy that is for life, for eternal life … not just for the 25th of December.
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Papal letter for Archbishop's Anniversary

To mark the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Mario Conti's ordination to the priesthood, Pope Benedict XVI has written the following letter ...

Please click here to open letter.

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50 Golden Years for Archbishop Conti

On Sunday 26 October, 50 years to the day since his ordination to the priesthood, Archbishop Conti offered a Mass of thanksgiving at San Marcello al Corso in Rome, the church in which he was ordained a priest half a century ago.

The Archbishop was joined by family and friends from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Italy as well as staff and students of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome.

He said: "It was 50 years ago to the day that I came here to the Church of S Marcello on the Corso to be ordained a priest. From that moment on, this church has had a very special place in my heart, and I am delighted to be able to return here today to thank God for these 50 years of priesthood."

In his homily, the Archbishop added: "It would not be appropriate for me at this Mass to give an account of my priesthood throughout the years, but it would be right to recognise in your presence the goodness of God towards me which I can express in the words of the psalm from this Mass: My God is a rock where I take refuge; my shield, my stronghold. The Lord is worthy of all praise ...

"The privileges attached to the priesthood are immense, and the service we render the people of God over whom we are placed as shepherds is reciprocated with an affection that sustains us, as it has sustained me, throughout these 50 years of priesthood and I hope that your very presence here today is an assurance that it will continue throughout the years that remain to me in which I hope to continue in one mode or another to be of service to God’s people. And may the Lord continue to look with kindness on the face of His annointed."

Peter Howson

with a sketch of

St John Ogilvie inside

St Andrew's Cathedral

Pic:Paul McSherry

Historic Commission for Cathedral

The most important commission for a Scottish Catholic Cathedral since the Reformation has been announced by Glasgow’s Archbishop Mario Conti for St Andrew’s Cathedral in Clyde Street.

Peter Howson, Scotland’s most famous painter, has been asked to paint a huge, dramatic rendering of the martyrdom of St John Ogilvie, to be placed in St Andrew’s Cathedral when it re-opens after renovation works in 2010.

The painting, which will be the largest crowd scene ever painted in Scotland – with upwards of 600 individual figures included – will become the focal point in the renewed worship space, providing the backdrop to the new Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Peter Howson is widely acclaimed in the UK and abroad for his powerful religious imagery and has been fascinated by the figure of St John Ogilvie for some time.

Announcing the commission, Archbishop Conti said the iconic new painting would become a major tourist attraction its own right, but more importantly had an important religious role. He said: “St John Ogilvie is our only canonised Scottish martyr. He met his death within the territory of what is now the Cathedral parish, just a few hundred yards from where his image will now be housed.

“I have always felt that we should have some memorial to this saint whose canonisation so many of us remember with great pride within our Cathedral. Now the opportunity has arisen to have a truly world-class painting done by Peter Howson, a painter I have long admired both for his artistic talent and his spirituality.

“The new work will grace our Blessed Sacrament shrine and it is very appropriate since St John Ogilvie was arrested and condemned because of his devotion to the Mass. Although a political gloss was put on his trial, his ‘crime’ was to continue to bring the solace of the Eucharist to the persecuted Catholics of his time.”

The painting will be underwritten by sponsors and donors so that the Archdiocese will not have to raise any special funds to finance its completion and installation.

Peter Howson said he was delighted to be asked to do the commission. He said: “As an artist it is a huge honour to be asked to create a work of art for a Cathedral. It was the patronage of the Church and its appreciation of the power of the image which led to so much that is great in western art. I feel delighted and humbled that my work is to be part of that story and that history. I am very enthusiastic about the subject matter. I have read everything I can get my hands on about St John Ogilvie, and have already completed a few initial portraits. I feel I know the man so well now, and that will increase over the year I expect to be working on the painting.

“His is an inspiring story of courage in the face of adversity, and I look forward to telling it through my art. So often the power of the image is as great if not greater than the power of the word.”

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Comeback in sight for Saint Francis', Gorbals

ONE OF Glasgow’s best-known church buildings and a Gorbals icon, Saint Francis' in Cumberland St, is set to re-open for worship – 15 years after it was sold to the City Council for a pound.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow has accepted an offer from Glasgow City Council to buy back the historic building – again for the token sum of one pound. The agreement requires final ratification by the Council.

Archbishop Mario Conti announced his decision to accept the council's offer to parishioners of Blessed John Duns Scotus – the current Gorbals parish - on Tuesday 2 September. The news was greeted with spontaneous applause.

The Archbishop said: “This decision is the culmination of a lot of hard work, discussion and good will on the part of many people. I have taken into account the misgivings of some and the enthusiasm of others.”

FULL STORY

See also Flourish

Archbishop backs Fertility Care Scotland

Archbishop Conti has paid handsome tribute to the work carried out by volunteers of Fertility Care Scotland in helping couples understand natural methods of family planning.

Addressing the group’s AGM in Glasgow, the Archbishop said they offered a sterling service in the “suffocating context of a contraceptive mentality which is utterly dominant in western society.”

He said: “In today’s society, unfortunately, this great gift of sexuality is taken for granted and often traduced by those who do not fully appreciate the enormous dignity and responsibility of couples in co-operating with the Creator in bringing new life into the world.

“It is therefore very fitting that as the Bishop of this diocese I thank you in the name of the Church for all you do to counter that culture by upholding the dignity of loving procreation in your counselling work with couples.”

The Archbishop went on to urge the volunteers to take advantage of the new-found enthusiasm of a return to nature. He said: “You can find a new and ready audience for your message of responsible parenthood carried out in co-operation with nature rather than in suppression of nature.

“In recent years you have found a new focus in offering advice to couples anxious to conceive a child. Once more your approach, building as it does on natural patterns and the wonders of nature, should find a ready welcome in a society which extols ever more the value of the natural.

“One might say that what is ethically correct - in this area at least - is also politically correct, as well as being medically advantageous.”

More information at www.fertilitycare.org.uk

For the full text of the Archbishop's homily click here

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Celebrations and New Challenges for St Vincent de Paul Society

To mark the 160th anniversary of the establishment of the St Vincent de Paul Society in the Archdiocese of Glasgow, Archbishop Conti celebrated Mass for the members and friends of the society in St Andrew’s Cathedral.

Calling to mind the lengthy history of the society in Glasgow, the Archbishop congratulated members on maintaining their unique spirit of charity despite changing circumstances.

He said: “There was terrible poverty in Glasgow at the time the society was founded here. There is still poverty in the city – much of its spiritual but not only. Inevitably as times have changed the way in which the society has expressed its mission has also changed, but never has it forgotten that all such charity should not be given at a distance and coldly, but rather in an inter-personal relationship where the giver and those who receive the gift look and smile at one another. The giver, too, receives something.”

Encouraging members to pray for the canonisation of the Society’s founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and follow his example, Archbishop Conti outlined a programme of tasks which the society faces in today’s socio-economic situation. He said: “As one hand stretches out in charity to the poor the other must stretch out towards those in government, whether nationally or at local authority level, pointing to the need in society for injustice to be remedied, for those in poor housing to be better housed, for those who can’t afford the basic necessities of life to be given the opportunity to obtain them and for those who work to be more evenly recompensed, since it is what people put into work rather than the economic benefit of their work which ought to be recognized in any wage paid to them.”

For the full text of the Archbishop’s homily, click here

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LAUNCH OF THE YEAR OF SAINT PAUL

The Year of Saint Paul was launched on the

Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul,

June 29 2008.

The special year of grace was proclaimed by

Pope Benedict to mark the 2000th anniversary

of the birth of the Apostle of the Gentiles.

In Rome the Holy Father opened the year with special ceremonies during which he was accompanied by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I.

In Glasgow, Archbishop Conti addressed a special pastoral letter to the Archdiocese to launch the year, and published a decree establishing three centres within the diocese at which the Jubilee Indulgence can be obtained.

The Archbishop, in his letter, says: “It is a year in which to hear with fresh ears St Paul’s preaching; to reflect again on his marvellous example; and to seek his help in prayer. I invite my priestly co-operators and all teachers to give a lead. Places and times are suggested for imaginative efforts in regard to prayer. Our young people will be challenged to study St Paul’s life. And from the treasury of the Church we will all be able to seek and obtain those graces which we call “indulgences”.

Full text of the Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter

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CATHEDRAL CLOISTER

PLANS UNVEILED

A forgotten tragedy of World War II is to be marked in a special way through the opening of a new cloister in Glasgow.

Full plans for the proposed Italian Cloister Garden were revealed by First Minister Alex Salmond and Archbishop Mario Conti on Wednesday May 28 as they launched the exciting new project.

The cloister and garden will be built next to St Andrew's Cathedral in Clyde Street. It will recall in a special way all who died aboard the liner Arandora Star, which was sunk while carrying mainly Italian civilians who had been rounded up from their homes, shops and cafes as "enemy aliens" in 1940. The victims have never been properly remembered.

The last remaining survivor of the ship Mr Rando Bertoia, aged 88, (pictured above with Archbishop Conti, Mr Salmond and the architect Giulia Chiarini) was present at the launch as were relatives of those who died. Details of the proposed garden are to be found at the specially set up website www.italiancloister.org.uk

Archbishop Conti said: "The chance to build a cloister garden like this one comes but once in a lifetime. It falls to our generation to make this wonderful monument a reality. The appeal is open to anyone of any race or nationality. This will be a garden for everyone. We plan a "wall of names " to remember those who have died and those who help build the cloister.

"The monument itself will be a fitting symbol of the great bonds of friendship between Scotland and Italy. Besides offering much needed facilities and gathering space for the Cathedral, the Cloister Garden will quickly become a much-loved oasis of tranquility amid the city bustle; a place to come alone or with friends, to reflect, to sit awhile and to remember."

More pictures at www.paulmcsherry.co.uk

For further information please click on Italian Cloister Garden

How to make a donation to the Italian Cloister Garden Fund

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