PRE-ORDER YOUR PAPAL VISIT SOUVENIR COPIES OF THE SCO SEE PAGE 11 FOR DETAILS SIX WEEKS UNTIL POPE BENEDICT XVI ARRIVES No 5289 Silver jubilee celebrations for Cardinal O’Brien Pages His Eminence marks 25 years as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh 12-13 No 5376 www.scottishcatholicobserver.org.uk Friday August 6 2010 | 90p BBC strike threatens Papal blackout I Television coverage in doubt as corporation staff will vote on industrial action on September 9 By Ian Dunn FEARS are growing that strike action at the BBC could prevent Scottish Catholics from watching the Papal visit live on television. The National Union of Journalists, Bectu, Unite, Equity and the Musicians Union are balloting members on strike action over the corporation’s plans to cut £50 million from staff’s pension funds. The result of the ballot is expected on September 9, just a week before Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Scotland to begin his four-day state visit. Strike repercussions If a strike goes ahead it could stop hundreds of thousands of Scots Catholics from following the Pope’s visit, which begins with his meeting with the Queen at Holyrood Palace, and could also affect transmission to the rest of the UK and overseas. Although it is anticipated that half of Catholics in Scotland will attend the parade to welcome the Pope in Edinburgh or go to the Papal Mass in Glasgow, some parishes had planned to watch the Mass live together on television. David Kerr, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland and former BBC journalist, said he hoped the BBC strike would not go ahead. “We’ll just have to keep a watching brief on this one,” he told the SCO. “As I know from my time at the BBC, rumours of strike action are not always followed by strike action itself. “I also know that the union leaders at the BBC are good and sensible people. So, hopefully, strike action won’t affect the corporation’s coverage of the Papal visit.” In England and Wales, the majority of Catholics will have to rely on television coverage to follow Papal events as demand is outstripping availability for parts of the itinerary, including the Cardinal John Henry Newman Beatification Mass at Cofton Park, Birmingham. Grievances NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said that the decision of the BBC to cut pensions meant his members had a legitimate reason to strike. Those counting on watching the Papal visit on “We continue to believe that the proposals we dogged the Pope’s mission to combat western sec- “This is nothing short of a pensions robbery television could be sorley disappointed if BBC strike are making will deliver a pension scheme that is ularism. The programme features a rare interview which has provoked unprecedented anger and action goes ahead in September sustainable, affordable and flexible for BBC staff with the Pope’s brother, Mgr Georg Ratzinger, resentment amongst staff across the BBC,” he said. and the licence fee payer,” the spokesperson said. who speaks of how his brother has been affected “While managers can look forward to gold-plated settlement to address the BBC’s pensions short- “We know that staff have concerns about the pro- by recent scandals. Ann Widdecombe will be pre- pensions, thousands of BBC staff will be left sig- fall—but not at the expense of the value of pen- posed changes but we will continue to listen and senting a programme on the Road of Cardinal nificantly worse off in retirement. The BBC has sions already earned.” try to address these during the 90-day consultation John Henry Newman to Sainthood, while BBC broken its promises to staff and is undermining the period.” Four will be showing Vatican—The Hidden World value of people’s pensions. The BBC must with- BBC reassurances The BBC has also announced that it plans to air revealing the hidden treasures of the Vatican. draw these proposals or face the prospect of wide- A BBC spokesperson said that the broadcaster was a number of relevant programmes when the Pope spread strike action and industrial unrest over the committed to covering the Papal visit and that any is here. Chief among these will be Benedict: Trials I Beatification Mass update, see page 4 coming months. strikes were, at this juncture, speculation they Of A Pope in which filmmaker Mark Dowd will “We remain committed to finding a negotiated would not comment on. explore how the current clerical abuse crisis has I [email protected] MARY’S MEALS NEW PRIEST TROUBLE AND FAITH is named as one Fr Martin Kane Catholics in of the charities to on the Glasgow Pakistan grow benefit from the Archdiocesan strong in the face Pope’s arrival pilgrimage of persecution PAPAL VISIT PAPAL ACN IN PAKISTAN visit www.scottishcatholic Page 3 Page 7 Pages 14-15 observer.org.uk LOURDES PILGRIMAGE 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 August 6 2010 Relics help put St Pio’s name in lights MARIA DORRIAN, the Scottish delegate for the Sanctuary of St Pio of Pietrelcina reports on her recent trip to Las Vegas with the relics of Padre Pio and the connections between those with a devotion to the saint in the US and Scottish singer Susan Boyle “The people of Las Vegas need- Scotland-Nevada Rosary and As people were arriving for Mass, ed something like this,” Bishop Cardinal Keith O’Brien. they were met by a life size cut- Joseph Pepe. During our visit the Bishop out of Susan Boyle. was also presented with an oil Fr Robert Puhlman knew the S THE Scottish painting of Padre Pio by Angela story of how people throughout delegate for the Ciccone of San Giovanni the world had connected to Sanctuary of Saint Rotondo; its ‘partner’ had been Padre Pio through Susan Boyle. Pio of Pietrelcina, gifted to Cardinal Keith O’Brien He had told the story of how this I had accepted an in Scotland. amazing tour of Las Vegas Ainvitation to visit Las Vegas churches had come about as a with the relics of Padre Pio. Susan’s twin result of a chance meeting on Ms Bishop Pepe looked at the One of the extraordinarily beauti- Boyle’s official fansite between Scottish Catholic Observer we ful places we were to visit was in myself and Mirla Dissette of the had brought to show him the the desert—Mesquite and the Marian/Medjugorje Information story of Susan Boyle, the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Centre of Las Vegas. That led to an invitation from their spiritual director Mgr Benjamin Franzinelli—who himself had met Padre Pio in 1966—to visit Las Vegas with the hope of organising this present tour. This tour could have remained but a dream but for the ladies of the centre. They had asked their members to gift a bead from their own rosary so that a unique Rosary could be made for Susan. The Rosary Maria Dorrian (above left), accepted elled to the US twice in order to tor will be continuing, with the project, became known as the the invitation of Bishop Joseph Pepe pay for his son’s studies for the blessing of Bishop Pepe, the ‘Scotland-Nevada St Pio con- (above centre) to bring St Pio’s relics priesthood. visits to the sick, taking with nection’ and was completed to devotees in Las Vegas. Bishop In his homily Bishop Pepe her a relic of St Pio. Pepe enjoyed reading the story with the inclusion of a piece of featured in the SCO about the spoke of his grandmother’s The schedule was gruelling, Padre Pio’s blood-stained band- Scotland-Nevada Rosary given to meeting with Padre Pio in 1950 and the heat intense, and we age inside a silver locket. singer Susan Boyle who is as loved when she returned to Italy to were constantly on the go but it across the Atlantic (below) as she is confession. was so rewarding to connect Relics in US in Scotland The bishop spoke of a friend with people. To Bishop Pepe’s great delight, a facing an operation for a tumour Mirla had organised a veritable spiritual explosion had Ignatius’, Wishaw, and on the on her lung. She had asked farewell ‘SuBo’ lunch for me. It occurred during our two weeks second Monday of each month Bishop Pepe to pray for her as was here I meet Lauren Cazden, in the churches in the region. in St Alphonsus at the Barras, the doctor. Unknown to him, she an artistic photographer from He had agreed to a visit of the Glasgow—but this would be a had a devotion to Padre Pio. She Los Angeles. She had turned a relics after a meeting in March one-off for these people. had kept up the Novenas for photograph taken during our with Fr GianMaria Digiorgio The congregations have a real four weeks prior to surgery. meeting with Susan and the car- OFM Cap, a Superior of the understanding that it is not the Bishop Pepe recounted: dinal, now referred to as ‘The Capuchin Friary in San Giovanni saint who we worship, but God. “When the doctor went in on Hug,’ very cleverly into a paint- Rotondo in Italy where Padre Monday afternoon, he did not ing in which we were held in Pio’s remains now lie. Visit highlights operate,” the bishop said.