THIS IS OUR FAITH: Catholic Education TOWARDS HEALING AND RENEWAL: Vatican Week special section on the new RE symposium hears Holy Father’s call for syllabus, the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas healing for abuse victims and major Award and more. Pa ges 11-16 renewal within the Church. Pag e 8 No 5453 www.sconews.co.uk Friday February 10 2012 | £1 KINNOULL MONASTERY VATICAN UNDER BLANKET OF SNOW Pope Benedict XVI looks out the window overlooking St Peter’s REDEMPTORISTS Square at the Vatican on Friday at St Mary’s Monastery, February 3 after a snowfall in Rome as temperatures dipped Perth, issue urgent dangerously throughout many call for support to European countries. The rare accumulation at the Vatican prevent closure blanketed the Eternal City with almost 8 cms of snow and the Page 3 Holy Father had to wear an overcoat for Sunday’s Angelus INSIDE YOUR SCO after which he prayed for an early Spring. For the Pope’s NEWS pages 1-8 Lenten message, see page 8 OPINION page 10 FEATURES pages 12-13, 21 COLUMNISTS pages 9, 10, 22 EDUCATION pages 11-16 Charity boss blames Catholic schools INTIMATIONS pages 17-20 BISHOPS’ ENGAGEMENTS I Bishop Devine and education director challenge sectarianism allegation I MSP calls for apology or resignation page 20 CHILDREN’S LITURGY page 23 By Ian Dunn mary cause of sectarianism in Scotland. said. “Like me, 95 per cent of Catholic of Mr Downie’s personal blog within VOCATIONS page 24 “In my opinion, one key cause of parents and a significant percentage of SCVO’s website is not healthy.” THE Church in Scotland is angered sectarianism is Scotland continuing to parents of other religious denominations Mr McGrath of SCES said that Mr and dismayed at claims by a leading have separate denominational and non- who send their children to Catholic Downie’s comments were ‘unacceptable’ DAY FOR RELIGIOUS charity executive that Catholic denominational schools,” Mr Downie schools would be pleased to examine it. “His comments were unacceptable schools promote sectarianism. writes. “The Scottish Government “If he has no evidence to support his coming from an executive of a body John Downie, director of public pol- needs to recognise that Scotland is not reckless claims perhaps he would have that receives government funding,” he icy for the Scottish Council for Volun- now a religious country and that they the good grace to withdraw them and said. “As executive of a quango he has tary Organisations (SCVO), made the over-estimate the real power of the better spend his time and energy pro- no right to voice such a prejudiced allegations in a blog on his organisa- Catholic Church and the Church of moting the interests of his members opinion. I would challenge him to look tion’s website. Scotland, they don’t now influence how instead.” at his position because he has no facts Ahead of Catholic Education Week, people vote or think.” Bishop Devine also said that in to back it up. The SCVO claims to rep- Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell, allowing such controversial material resent Catholic organisations and oth- president of the Commission for Church reaction to be published on its website, Mr ers with Catholic members, but they are Catholic Education, and Michael Bishop Devine said Mr Downie, who Downie had compromised the ability of not doing so by airing such comments.” McGrath, director of the Scottish originally posted the remarks in June the SCVO to represent its Catholic Catholic Education Service (SCES), 2011, did not know what he was talking members. Defence have challenged Mr Downie’s allega- about. “It is all very well pointing out that Mr Downie, a Rangers FC season ticket tions, questioning the tenability of his “Mr Downie has misused the SCVO the opinions expressed by the SCVO’s holder, claimed his views were an position at the publicly funded SCVO. website to make offensive and unten- director of public affairs, Mr Downie, acceptable form of free speech and that Catholic MSP Michael McMahon has able claims that Catholic schools are a are personal and do not necessarily rep- the issue was ‘complicated.’ called for the charity boss’s resignation cause of sectarianism in Scotland,” resent the views of the organisations “Eight months ago I wrote a blog on if no apology is forthcoming. Bishop Devine said. “Such an interven- within the family of SCVO, but in prac- the issues surrounding the sectarian bill CELEBRATIONS tion is not what one would expect to tice it seems somewhat problematic and being debated in the Scottish Parlia- throughout Scotland, in Unsubstantiated attack read on the official website of a a cause for concern that his views, con- ment,” he said. “In it I expressed my The SCVO is an umbrella group that respected social agency that is expected tained within SCVO’s official website, personal view that in the fight to eradi- Rome, on World Day for represents charities, including the Scot- to champion co-operation, harmony and not only contradict but manifestly cate sectarianism we should not con- Consecrated Life tish Catholic International Aid Fund tolerance between autonomous but insult a significant percentage of the tinue to have separate denominational (SCIAF), and other public bodies, and interdependent groups for the greater Scottish population, many of whom and non-denominational schools in Pages 2, 24 drew support for its recent campaign on social good of Scotland.” one would imagine are active support- Scotland.” a better quality of debate on Scottish The bishop also stated that Mr ers of many of the charities and volun- Despite being unable to produce evi- independence from groups including Downie had no evidence for his claims tary organisations associated with dence to support his assertions, Mr Action for Churches Together. because none existed. “Should Mr SCVO,” he added. “Of course Mr Downie claimed his remarks were not Mr Downie’s SCVO blog makes a sus- Downie be able to provide evidence to Downie as a private citizen is perfectly an attack on Catholic schools. tained but unsubstantiated attack on support his malicious representation of entitled to express his opinions on any- Catholic schools, claiming they are a pri- Catholic education let him do so,” he thing he chooses but the juxtaposition I Continued on page 2 SCO, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6BT I tel 0141 221 4956 I fax 0141 221 4546 I e-mail [email protected] 2 PICTURE NEWS SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER Friday February 10 2012 MSP calls for charity boss to apologise or resign over blog Scotland marks Day for Religious Events held throughout the country in honour of the World Day for Consecrated Life I Continued from page 1 By Martin Dunlop den to allow a procession at the start of (Clockwise from top left) Archbishop Mario Conti blesses the religious gathered at St Andrew’s “These comments were not Mass. I was heartened by the large amount cathedral cloister garden; Cardinal Keith O’Brien an attack on either the Catholic THE World Day for Consecrated Life of male and female members of the many at the Gillis Centre talk in Edinburgh and Bishop Church or the Catholic educa- was celebrated in dioceses across Scot- religious orders and congregations who Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen with local religious tion system. I wouldn’t as my land last Thursday, with many religious enrich the archdiocese with their charisms.” PICS ABOVE: PAUL McSHERRY wife was brought up within joining members of the Scottish Catholic Meanwhile, Cardinal Keith O’Brien both of them,” he said. “It is a hierarchy for the celebrations. joined more than 70 religious from St complicated issue but we have The day for religious, celebrated on the Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocese at tion of men and women who have dedicated a responsibility to debate this, same day as the Feast of the Presentation of Edinburgh’s Gillis Centre for Mass and their lives to the Church. and in a democratic country I the Lord, was marked in Glasgow Archdio- lunch. The cardinal and the religious present “On today’s feast we therefore celebrate can have a different opinion. I cese with a celebration of Mass for religious enjoyed a talk from Patricia Carroll, episco- the mystery of consecration: the consecra- would encourage your readers at the city’s St Andrew’s Cathedral. pal delegate for pastoral resources for the tion of Christ, the consecration of Mary, the to read my blog post in full and Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow archdiocese. consecration of all those who commit them- make up their own minds joined men and women from various reli- In Aberdeen, Bishop Hugh Gilbert selves to following Jesus for the sake of the about what I said rather than gious congregations throughout the archdio- celebrated Mass with religious from the dio- Kingdom of God,” the Pope said taking heed of the contrived cese in the cathedral’s cloister garden, where cese, during which they renewed their reli- and misleading media reports candles were blessed, before processing into gious vows. The bishop’s celebrations I [email protected] that have appeared over the the cathedral for the celebration of Mass continued over lunch with the religious fol- last day or so.” with clergy from the archdiocese. lowing the Mass. CORRECTION In the January 27 print edition of The Scottish Politicians’ stance “This year’s celebration of the World Day On the same day, Pope Benedict XVI Catholic Observer the name of the nuncio at the for Consecrated Life was a most memorable marked the World Day for Consecrated Life United Nations was incorrect.