Rosminians deny abuse cover-up Report, page 34


Tartaglia praises Pope for ‘rescuing’ Vatican II agenda


Hugh Farmer in Glasgow


ONE OF THE Scottish hierarchy’s leading thinkers has set himself firmly in the camp of those who identify continuity in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and reject the notion that it marked a rupture with the past. In a homily on 10 June, Bishop Philip


Tartaglia of Paisley highlighted the crises that had damaged the Church in the last 40 years including the fall in vocations, the strain on marriage and the family, and declining con- gregations, and hinted this was connected with those who saw Vatican II as marking a new beginning. He said Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI had “rescued” the council’s agenda and teaching by emphasising contin - uity and tradition. Bishop Tartaglia was speaking at a Mass to mark the fortieth anniversary of the modern Church of St Joseph at Clarkston, which stands on the boundary between the Paisley and Glasgow Dioceses. He is seen as one of the rising stars in the Scottish hierarchy and


is a favourite to succeed Archbishop Mario Conti in the archdiocese of Glasgow later this year. Bishop Tartaglia said the post-Vatican II period had brought great graces but also an unprecedented crisis in the Church. “It has been a crisis which has undermined


the unity of faith and morals in the Church and the ability of Catholic parents, teachers and educators to transmit the faith in its full- ness to new generations. “It is a crisis which has sometimes made a


battlefield of the Church’s liturgy, which is supposed to be the sacrament of unity. And the saddest thing of all is that many people just do not go any longer to Sunday Mass,” said the bishop. The major question, he went on, was


whether the Catholic Church is in continuity with its tradition or has found a new way of “being church”. He praised Pope Benedict for coming down firmly on the side of continuity. Bishop Tartaglia said that Pope Benedict’s understanding of reform was not revolution nor reinvention, but rather entering more deeply into the mystery of Jesus Christ.


Lawyers clear way for gay Anglican bishops


CHURCH OF ENGLAND lawyers appear to have cleared the way for appointing gay clergy as bishops, writes Paul Wilkinson. Their advice – that there is no barrier to homosexual clergy becoming bishops so long as they are celibate and have always remained so as priests – emerged this week in briefings ahead of next month’s meeting of the General Synod in York.


But the opinion, “Choosing Bishops – the


Equality Act 2010”, drawn up last December by Church House’s legal office, adds that a candidate could be vetoed if the appointment would cause “division and disunity” within the diocese to which they were to be appointed. “A person’s sexual orientation is, in itself,


■The Bishop of Motherwell has backed the prompt passage of new Scottish legislation outlawing sectarian abuse, writes Brian Morton. Amid growing concern that


the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill has been drafted in haste,


irrelevant to their suitability for episcopal office or indeed ordained ministry more gen- erally,” the advice says, adding that if someone is sexually active outside marriage they cannot be considered as a candidate for ordained ministry or as a bishop. However, it continues: “There is [no] statement of the position of the Church of England that declares that a celibate person in a civil partnership cannot be considered for appointment as a bishop.” The wider circulation of the legal opinion has sparked controversy, with the Revd Rod Thomas, chairman of the evangelical group Reform and a member of the synod, saying he will be writing to Church House to demand the withdrawal of the advice.


Bishop Joseph Devine said this week: “Ideally it would have been helpful to have had more time to prepare and to examine the legislation now being introduced to tackle the malignant cancer of sectarianism. We recognise, however, the importance of having the legislation in place


prior to the start of the new football season, for no one wishes to see a repeat of the disgraceful scenes and sickening incidents of last season that shamed Scotland across the world. “Every Scot should get behind the Government’s exemplary initiative.”


■Archbishop Peter Smith, right, formerly Archbishop of Cardiff, hands the crosier to his successor, Archbishop George Stack, who was installed at St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff, on Monday. Photo: Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk (See Harri Pritchard Jones, page 10.)


Equality chief backs same-sex couple adoption agencies


THE LASTremaining Catholic adoption agency should not be allowed to work only with heterosexual couples, according to the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, writes Christopher Lamb. This week Catholic Care, based in Leeds,


was refused permission by the Charity Tribunal to appeal the decision to bar them from discriminating against gay couples. Trevor Phillips, the commission’s chairman, told The Sunday Telegraph in an interview: “Catholic Care was a clearer and simpler case. You’re offering a public service and you’re a charity and there are rules about how charities behave.” The charity, which can appeal the latest


decision at the Upper Tribunal, has been in a long-running legal battle seeking permission not to work with gay couples. Mr Phillips also said in the interview that he understood why certain faith groups feel “under siege”. His commission, he added, was there to stand up for religious believers. However, Mr Phillips explained that he


was concerned about the growing number of faithful from African and Caribbean backgrounds with “old-time” views on faith. “I come from that kind of community. We


like our faith strong and pretty undiluted. If you come from an Afro-Caribbean Christian background, the attitudes to homosexuality are unambiguous, they are undiluted, they are nasty and in some cases homicidal,” he said.


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