Scottish Catholic Observer

Addressing more than a thousand Catholic school pupils at the Aid to the Church in Need youth rally at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes at Carfin, near Motherwell, Bishop Keenan commended the bravery of the keynote speaker, 20-year-old Sarmad Ozan who fled Mosul, northern Iraq after it was seized by IS in 2014.

Bishop Keenan called on Scotland’s political leaders to renew their commitment to religious freedom and to ‘show compassion for those fleeing unimaginable violence and intolerance.’

Quoting Pope Francis, the Bishop said ‘persecution is the daily bread of the Church, Jesus said so himself, it is a reality and has been part of the history of Christianity for 2000 years.’

“A number of our fellow Scots have paid with their lives for their religious beliefs, not least of all our own St John Ogilvie, martyred just a few miles from here at Glasgow Cross, for refusing to accept the King’s spiritual jurisdiction,” he said. “We unite today in prayer to bear witness to the atrocities committed against Christians and all those who are persecuted and oppressed for their religious beliefs.  We ask those in power in Scotland and across the world to show a renewed commitment to religious freedom and a gentle compassion for those fleeing unimaginable violence and intolerance.”

The youth rally was organised by the Scottish office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Catholic charity for persecuted Christians.  Bishop Joseph Toal of Motherwell joined Bishop John Keenan at the event where both acted as representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.