BY Ian Dunn | May 6 | 
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Burma’s first cardinal about to visit Scotland
Burma’s first cardinal is to visit Scotland next week to promote religious freedom.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and the first cardinal from Burma (Myanmar), is famous for speaking out on religious liberty in his homeland.
“Religion teaches us to love and care for one another,” he said before he left for Scotland. “As we live virtuous lives we are to show love and respect to others. The goodwill of religion is the capacity to live in harmony with different faiths and religions.”
His three-day visit to Scotland is being hosted by Missio Scotland, Aid to the Church in Need, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and SCIAF. The cardinal is also expected to speak about minority rights, global poverty, and respect for life and the integrity of creation.
He is a lifelong advocate for those in poverty, stating: “I want to be a voice for the voiceless.”
Among his events in Scotland will be Mass at St Andrews Cathedral, Glasgow, this Sunday; a school gathering at Ravenscraig Centre in Motherwell on Monday and a civic reception at Glasgow City Chambers with interfaith leaders and friends of partner organisations later the same day. On Tuesday he will meet with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland before taking part in a public event at the Lauriston Jesuit Centre in Edinburgh from 2.30-4.30pm with politicians and interfaith leaders. Finally, he will visit the Carmelite Monastery in Edinburgh on Wednesday before leaving for further appointments in London.
Lorraine McMahon, ACN head of operations in Scotland, said: “ACN Scotland is excited to welcome Cardinal Bo to Scotland. For the past six months we have been working with Missio Scotland, CSW and SCIAF in organising this historic visit. Our hope for the visit is to provide Cardinal Bo, as one of the most courageous religious leaders in Burma (Myanmar) the opportunity to highlight the challenges his nation continues to face, especially in respect to human rights, freedom of religion, conflict and poverty.”
—This story ran in full in the May 6 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.
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