Scottish Catholic Observer

The Bishops of Scotland came together in Glasgow’s St Andrew’s Cathedral this afternoon as Archbishop Philip Tartaglia apologised on behalf of the hierarchy to those abused by people in the Church, saying such abuse ‘shamed and pained’ them.

At a Mass concelebrated by Bishops Joseph Toal of Motherwell, Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen and William Nolan of Galloway and Archbishop Emeritus Mario Conti of Glasgow and Bishop Emeritus Maurice Taylor of Galloway, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishop’s Conference of Scotland, gave the Church’s response to the final report from the McLellan Commission report into safeguarding practice in the Church.

The Archbishop of Glasgow began by addressing the first recommendation in the report that the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland make a public apology to all victims and survivors of abuse.

“As the President of the Bishops’ Conference, and on behalf of all the Bishops of Scotland, I want to offer a profound apology to all those who have been harmed and who have suffered in any way as a result of actions by anyone within the Catholic Church,” the Archbishop said to parishioners and gathered members of the media at midday Mass. “Child abuse is a horrific crime. That this abuse should have been carried out within the Church, and by priests and religious, takes that abuse to another level. Such actions are inexcusable and intolerable. The harm the perpetrators of abuse have caused is first and foremost to their victims, but it extends far beyond them, to their families and friends, as well as to the Church and wider society.

“I would like to assure the survivors of abuse that the Catholic Bishops of Scotland are shamed and pained by what you have suffered. We say sorry. We ask forgiveness.

“We apologise to those who have found the Church’s response slow, unsympathetic or uncaring and reach out to them as we take up the recommendations of the McLellan Commission. Since 2007 we have had a comprehensive programme of safeguarding in place. In a spirit of openness and transparency, with our dedicated staff and volunteers across the country, whom we thank for the time and effort they give, we commit ourselves to renewing and improving our Safeguarding structures, processes and protocols.

“In faith, hope and repentance, we renew our commitment to the welfare of children, young people and the vulnerable in all our communities and to the service of all God’s people.”

The archbishop concluded by saying he wished to ‘repeat what I said when the McLellan Commission was announced,’ that  ‘we recognise the trauma and pain that victims and survivors of abuse have suffered and we are committed to providing for them both justice and healing.’

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Pic: Paul McSherry