DA ROBUR FER AUXILIUM
His Grace Archbishop Philip Tartaglia
President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland
His Grace Bishop Philip Tartaglia
“I
was very surprised, as we all were, to hear the news. My immediate thoughts
were that I would miss him enormously. On a personal note he was the Pope who
appointed me as a Bishop, first in Paisley and then last year he asked me to
become Archbishop of Glasgow.
“While
I was Bishop of Paisley, I had 15 minutes alone with him to present my
five-yearly report on the life of the local Church and I remember being struck
by his great kindness - he was so gentle and humble, preferring to listen to me
rather than speak himself."
“When
he came to Scotland, I had the privilege of seeing him off at Glasgow Airport.
He was clearly pleased, and a little relieved I think, with the first day of
his visit to Great Britain and he took my hand in his, and said, in Italian:
“Si vede che quì laChiesa è viva” - It’s clear
that the Church is alive here. That was as much aprogramme as it was a
statement - we need to pray and work that the Church will be fully alive in
Jesus Christ, for only He gives the Church true life."
“His
contribution to the Universal Church was to turn us all towards the person of
Jesus Christ in every circumstance. He did this in his homilies and addresses
in the most insightful and thoughtful and creative of ways. He is, I believe, a
latter-day Father of the Church in the footsteps of great saints like Irenaeus and
Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, and his writings will nourish hearts and
minds for decades to come."
“As
we look to the immediate future we recognise that this is an
unprecedented time for the Church. No Pope has resigned since Celestine V
in the 13th century. Pope Benedict will cease to be Bishop of Rome
and Successor of St. Peter on 28thFebruary. He has indicated that he will
dedicate himself to a life of prayer thereafter. We have no more detail on
that, nor as to where and how it will happen. All we know is that God will
continue to provide for His Church, as He always has. "
My
prayer today is for Pope Benedict XVI and for the man who will succeed him, and
I would ask all Catholics to join with me in that prayer. God bless our Pope.”
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