SCOTLAND
Evening Times
Stef Lach
Senior Reporter
SCOTLAND’S newest archbishop has the personal skills that will help him fill a difficult role, according to people who worked with him when he was a young priest.
Airdrie man Monsignor Leo Cushley was appointed Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh by the Roman Catholic Church, replacing Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who left the post this year after admitting inappropriate sexual conduct.
In taking over from Cardinal O’Brien, Mgr Cushley, 52, is stepping into the role at a difficult time for the Catholic Church in Scotland.
People who knew him as a chaplain at three Lanarkshire schools in the 1980s and 1990s – St Aidan’s High in Wishaw, Our Lady’s High in Motherwell and St Margaret’s High in Airdrie – describe him as, “highly intelligent, kind and thoughtful, just decent” and add that “he can be very witty.”
Liz Leydon, editor of the Scottish Catholic Observer, said: “That personal touch bodes well for what lies ahead for the archbishop-elect.
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