FOR LATEST ON LIFE, BEREAVEMENT AND COPING WITH LOSS SEE PAGES 3, 6 & 23 Faith thriving in extreme conditions Pages From Sudan to Siberia, ACN brings first-hand accounts to Scotland 12-13 No 5389 New website at www.sconews.co.uk Friday November 5 2010 | 90p Papal visit donations needed CHURCH ATTACK IN IRAQ I Scottish parishioners asked to contribute to ongoing fundraising as thanksgiving Mass is held By Martin Dunlop CATHOLICS across Scotland are being asked to contribute again towards the Church’s share of the costs for Pope Benedict XVI’s highly successful four-day state visit to the UK in September. Parish priests have been advised of the ongoing need to fundraise and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, will appeal for Scottish Catholics to UNDER SIEGE once again show their generosity to help in the final part of this process 52 dead, including three when he speaks from a pastoral letter priests, after raid on at the special Mass of Thanksgiving for the visit at St Mary’s Cathedral, church where gunmen Edinburgh, on Sunday. had taken hostages Thanksgiving Mass Page 4 Cardinal O’Brien will be joined at Sunday’s thanksgiving celebration for the Papal visit by Archbishop ‘RED HAT’ ANALYSIS Faustino Sainz Muñoz, the Apostolic Nuncio to the UK, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow and the bishops of HUGH McLOUGHLIN Scotland. offers insight into The fundraising drive is one of the points the cardinal is expected to the Holy Father’s address during the celebrations. elevation of new “I am aware that in recent months you have been asked and responded cardinals this month generously to the request already made in a national collection and in Page 8 contributing to the solidarity funds to assist with transport costs associated with the Pope’s visit,” Cardinal ST MARY OF THE CROSS O’Brien says in his letter. “However, I am approaching you again today to appeal once more to your generosity. Although some of the costs are still to be finalised, we anticipate that once the reckoning has been done, there will still be a significant shortfall in Scotland set the tone for the Papal visit to “Overall, it would appear that “There was never any prospect of funding to pay for the Scottish the UK through a series of highly success- although people were mixed in the raising all the money ahead of the visit Church’s contribution towards ful and well-organised events on personal benefits, people expressed and fundraising was already planned the visit and we must fulfil our September 16, including the St Ninian’s the positive experience of together- to run before, during and after the obligations.” Day parade (above) in which the Holy ness and community that they derived visit,” Mr Kearney said. The cardinal goes on to say that he Father sported a specially created tartan from the event.” He confirmed that a national pas- hopes parishioners will respond as PIC: JOE LYNCH toral letter had gone out to parish best they can to a special collection Ongoing fundraising priests across the country highlighting this weekend, which will ‘enable us to The Catholic Church in the UK has a request for continued fundraising cover the costs of a day which has International Centre for the Study of already raised £6.5 million towards and added that he hoped the Scottish already been recognised all over the Planned Events based at Queen the cost of Pope Benedict’s visit but, contribution towards the Papal visit’s world and by the Holy Father himself Margaret University, Edinburgh, has given the overall cost to the Church is costs would soon be raised in full. as an enduring testament to the faith, said that the majority of people £10 million, a further £3.5 million “A letter concerning the outstand- ROY BRIDGE OFFERS hope and love of the Catholic people responded positively to the Papal visit remains to be raised. ing amount went out to parishes at the thanksgiving Mass of Scotland.’ in Edinburgh. The Church in Scotland will be start of last month, asking for contri- for the Canonisation “The majority of people believed asked to contribute a further £800,000 butions,” Mr Kearney said. “There’s ‘Benedict bounce’ that the reason for the success of the towards that total. no clock ticking or deadline looming. of Mother Mary Pope Benedict’s UK visit began in event was the excellent organisation Peter Kearney, director of the The reality is, once we’ve past an MacKillop Edinburgh on St Ninian’s Day, of the visit, the opportunity to see Scottish Catholic Media Office, said event, you don’t want to wait too long September 16, and research released Pope Benedict in person, and the very that congregations have already been to raise money, as it becomes harder Page 2 last week hailed the visit of the Holy positive experience of a community advised that more money needs to be to do that as the event becomes more Father to Scotland’s capital city as a coming together,” Professor Goldblatt raised, and that one way of doing this distant.” great success. Cardinal O’Brien goes said. “When analysing the longer- would be special collections. The government covered many of on to state in the pastoral letter that ‘the term impact of the event, people said Mr Kearney added that, as a result the Church’s contributions towards Pope’s first day in Scotland set the tone that they would have very positive of the shorter preparation time leading the Papal visit, with the money for a highly successful and quite unfor- memories of the event, but only a few up to the visit, compared with the visit expected to be repaid by the end of the gettable visit to the United Kingdom as believed that the event would help to of Pope John Paul II in 1982, it had financial year. a whole.’ transform negative images about the always been anticipated that fundrais- Professor Joe Goldblatt, from the Catholic Church into positive ones. ing would continue after the event. I [email protected] SCO, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6BT I tel 0141 221 4956 I fax 0141 221 4546 e-mail [email protected] 2 PICTURE NEWS SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER Friday November 5 2010 Knights of St Columba relax after Papal visit THE Knights of St Columba held (Above) JonJo McDonagh, Knights of St their annual supreme council at Columba Supreme Knight, with Cardinal the Beardmore Hotel, Clydebank, Keith O’Brien, Archbishop Mario Conti, Roy Bridge celebrates a new saint on Saturday and had members of Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell, Bishop Malcolm McMahon and Bishop the Catholic hierarchy from both By Martin Dunlop (Above) Bishop Emeritus John Mone. (Below) Mr Joseph Toal, Mgr Scotland and England in atten- McDonagh, Bishop McMahon, Mr William Thomas Wynne dance alongside leaders of the Gallagher, Mr Bertie Grogan and Mr Harry CELEBRATIONS of the and Cardinal Keith order from across the UK. Welsh watch Cardinal O’Brien and Canonisation of St Mary of the O’Brien at St Members of the knights, including Archbishop Conti sign the Papal scarf Cross MacKillop, continued at a Margaret’s, Roy PICS: PAUL McSHERRY JonJo McDonagh, supreme knight, packed St Margaret’s Church, Bridge. (Left) Sr Scotland and special guests were Roy Bridge on Sunday evening Therese joined by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, as a Mass of Thanksgiving was McConway and Sr president of the Bishops’ Conference hierarchy’s request to provide mar- celebrated in recognition of the Audrey Thomson of Scotland, Archbishop Mario Conti shals at all of the venues in the UK new saint. help Bishop Toal of Glasgow, Bishop Joseph Devine of and Cardinal O’Brien said the hard Cardinal Keith O’Brien joined cut a celebratory Motherwell, Bishop Emeritus John work starts now as we try to capi- parish priest Mgr Thomas Wynne for cake at the Mone of Paisley and Bishop Malcolm talise on the ‘Benedict Bounce.’ the Mass, which was celebrated by reception after McMahon of Nottingham, England, Mr McDonagh thanked the cardinal Bishop Joseph Toal of Argyll and the the Mass for the celebrations. for his remarks and said that the Isles Diocese and a total of ten cler- PICS: ANTHONY Cardinal O’Brien spoke of the Knights of St Columba ‘do what we gy. Cardinal O’Brien had joined Mgr MacMILLAN and ‘wonderful four days’ when Pope can, when we can’ and put them- Wynne and Bishop Toal at the PAUL McSHERRY Benedict XVI visited the UK in selves ‘at the front of anti-secular- Canonisation Mass in Rome on September and thanked the knights ism.’ October 17 and the large contingent Wynne said after Sunday’s celebra- blessed the Mary MacKillop shrine lay faithful for the way they rose to Mr Harry Welsh also presented a of Scottish pilgrims, mainly from the tions. “It was a tremendous celebra- at St Margaret’s during Sunday’s cel- the occasion to help the Pope ‘see the cheque for £13,500 to Vision Aid Lochaber area. Mary MacKillop’s tion for everyone and a great oppor- ebrations where he said: “Let us all caring, loving face of Scotland.’ Overseas, the order’s action project parents both emigrated from the area tunity for those who did not manage continue to appreciate the value of The knights had responded to the for this year. before meeting in Australia and to Rome to celebrate Mary education: in our homes, in our devotion to her has been held in the MacKillop’s life.” parishes, and in our schools.