Catholics Urged to Spread the Word on Facebook

By Gerry Braiden
Herald Scotland
May 13, 2013

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/catholics-urged-to-spread-the-word-on-facebook.21061687

Gerry Braiden

CATHOLICS have been hurt and embarrassed by the "shameful revelations" surrounding the church's leading figure in Scotland, according to the head of the faith's biggest congregation in the country.

In a message to parishes read at churches yesterday, Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia said the fall-out from the Cardinal Keith O'Brien scandal had highlighted how stretched the Church has been in dealing with the crisis.

He urged Catholics to embrace Facebook and Twitter, as well as more traditional platforms, adding that the Church had to "take up the challenge to be present, to be coherent and to be convincing in the media".

Archbishop Tartaglia's letter was sent out as part of Communications Sunday.

It comes on the back of almost three months of revelations surrounding Cardinal O'Brien, who has faced allegations of sex abuse against trainee priests and admitted having had same-sex relations going back decades despite preaching against gay marriage.

Last week it was revealed he had been instructed to leave Scotland, but it is thought he has not as yet been told where to go or for how long.

In his letter to congregations across the Archdiocese, Archbishop Tartaglia said: "On this Communications Sunday I hardly need to draw your attention to the importance of communications in the life of the church and in our own everyday existence.

"In recent months we have seen the media carrying the best and the worst of news for us as Catholics in Scotland.

"We have been dismayed, hurt and embarrassed to read headlines and hear news bulletins bringing shameful revelations about the Church in our country at the highest levels."

He added: "But the media are more than just newspapers and television news bulletins and this year's Communications Sunday Message invites us to open our eyes and minds to the new media and all it offers beyond newspapers and television news bulletins."