Scottish Catholic Observer

Though he did not join the bold pilgrims, including George Lockhart, 9, (above) for the entirety of their journey to St Andrews for New Dawn in Scotland, the cardinal did visit the ancient town on Monday for the opening of the New Dawn conference where he told attendees that ‘each one of us by virtue of our Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion’ has a duty ‘to spread the Gospel’ in a world where many seek to silence religion.

The cardinal preached this message of New Evangelisation throughout the weekend, on Sunday at the closing Mass of the 40th meeting of general secretaries of the bishops’ conferences of Europe (CCEE) and on Saturday at the ordination of two new priests for St Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocese, Fr Jeremy Milne and Fr John Deighan.

On Sunday at St Mary’s Cathedral he told emissaries from around Europe as well as Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini and Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, that in ‘an increasingly faithless Europe, it is people of faith who need to be able to demonstrate that in our own need it is in Jesus, it is in the Christian message, that we find the answer to our own questions, our problems, our sufferings.’

The day before, in the same cathedral at the ordination Mass for Scotland’s new priests this year, he told the two newly ordained clergy and the gathered congregation that these were worrying times for Catholics.

They faced ‘a daily contest’ with enemies of the Faith, he said, and might have to suffer ‘in some of the same ways as the early martyrs’ Ss Peter and Paul.

The cardinal, however, added they should ‘always remember the example of the Good Shepherd’ and follow His example to serve and ‘seek out those who are lost.’

Pic: Paul McSherry