SCOTLAND
The Tablet
State of religion 1: Scotland
Tom Gallagher – 21 September 2013
Today, Leo Cushley is due to be ordained Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh. His installation comes after one of the greatest periods of crisis in the history of Scottish Catholicism. Can his appointment mark a new beginning that will see the Church regain trust and relevance?
Few tourists see Edinburgh’s Ninian’s Church. On 27 August, it was the setting for a Mass dedicated to the victims of clerical sex abuse. It was an occasion for Catholics to gather and “lament the failings of those who minister in your name which has caused such hurt to the innocent”. This was according to the notes issued in advance by the parish council.
Words encapsulating the Church’s mission were displayed on the wall behind the altar with one of them, “Trust”, conspicuously scored through. The notes prepared under the aegis of the local priest, Fr Hugh Purcell, were explicit about the actions needed for trust to be restored: “we have yet to establish the full account of the abuse committed by Cardinal O’Brien … Now some may feel that since [he] has confessed and apologised, should we not just move on? Well, we cannot move on until we establish truth and justice for those who have been abused.”
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