Scottish Catholic Observer

One of the Vatican’s most senior officials will give this year’s Cardinal Winning Lecture, which will also serve as the launch event of the new St Andrew’s Foundation for Catholic teacher education.

Archbishop Gerhard Müller (above), Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in the will give the lecture at 10.30am in the Bute Hall, University of Glasgow on June 15 2013.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said the presence of such a senior member of the curia is a excellent omen for the launch of the St Andrew’s Foundation, an initiative intended to build on the 1999 agreement between the Catholic Church in Scotland and Glasgow University which led to the formation of the faculty, now school of education.

“We are delighted to have Archbishop Müller with us for this significant and important event,” he said. “The university was born from the heart of the Church at its foundation, and it is good that in our own day the links remain strong and fruitful.”

The evening before the lecture Archbishop Tartaglia will celebrate a special Mass to mark the launch of the foundation at St Andrew’s cathedral and said he hoped ‘the new Foundation will provide support and inspiration for all involved in Catholic education in Scotland.’

Leonard Franchi, head of the St Andrew’s Foundation, agreed saying the launch promised to be ‘an exciting event’ and that he was ‘delighted that Archbishop Müller has agreed to speak at the launch of the Foundation.’

Anne Anderson, vice-principal of Glasgow University and head of the College of Social Sciences, said it was a privilege for the university to host the event.

“This is an exciting time in the life of the university when we both celebrate our heritage and new opportunities to develop an international profile in research and scholarship in the field of Catholic education,” she said.

— Leonard Franchi’s insight into the foundation and lecture in May 24 SCO next week.