Scottish Catholic Observer

Saturday October 6

After a good journey on BA, I booked into the Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican where I had been assigned a room. They are good rooms, and some kind person left a fridge and TV (just the basic channels) in mine—I don’t think these are standard issue. I unpacked and got my laptop connected to the broadband at €7.50 a day. But it is worth it. I don’t know what I’d do without email and internet. No wifi in the building. Free wifi should be elevated to human right status. There was a synod welcome-pack which I organised for closer scrutiny on the morrow. I skipped the evening meal, checked my e-mails, the news and the sports reports, and went to bed early because I was shattered.

Sunday October 7

I had a walk round the Vatican gardens after breakfast. What a privilege. Then I concelebrated at Mass at St Peter’s—outside—for the opening of the synod with cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay Faithful from everywhere, and, of course Pope Benedict XVI himself—an encouraging snapshot of the Catholicity of the Synod and of the Church. It is a pity it won’t get much coverage at home.

The Pope’s voice was a little tired but judging from his profound words, his mind was lucid. I could have jumped up and applauded when he spoke about marriage.

“There is a clear link between the crisis in Faith and the crisis in marriage,” he said. “And, as the Church has said and witnessed for a long time now, marriage is called to be not only an object but a subject of the New Evangelisation.”

This explains a lot about our recent experience at home.

Anyway, the Holy Father perked up noticeably when he interacted with the people as he was driven round St Peter’s Square after the Mass. Before Mass I met Cardinal Tim Dolan of New York for the first time. He was a whirlwind of generous and spontaneous positivity. He even said he had heard of me.

I went to the Scots College for lunch—my first time as Archbishop of Glasgow. The rector and community were very gracious and welcoming, and presented me with a gift of some altar linen for my new oratory at home. I was asked to bless a re-ordered teaching and learning space in the college, designed by Roman architect Giulia Chiarini, who was happily present—Glasgow connection—she designed the cloister garden at St Andrew’s Cathedral. The new facility at the college is called the Henry Benedict Room, after the Stuart Prince and Cardinal, Archbishop of Frascati and brother of the Bonnie Prince, both of whom, along with their father Charles III—the Old Pretender—are buried in St Peter’s Basilica. So, a very Scottish Catholic thing. As a former student, post-graduate and rector, coming back to the Scots College is always a bit like coming home.

Glasgow only has three seminarians in the college, one at Oscott and one in Maynooth—just five. I need to do something about that. At any one time, we should have about 10 seminarians. Because I had eaten so well earlier in the day, I skipped the evening meal in the residence and spent my time reading the newspapers for the first working day. I also sacrificed Barcelona v Real Madrid and Inter v Milan. Not to worry, Celtic won earlier in the day, which is the most important score for me.

Monday October 8

The work started this morning in the presence of the Holy Father, who looked relaxed at close quarters among the cardinals and bishops. He gave an inspiring 25-minute reflection of some theological and spiritual depth on the meaning of ‘gospel’ and ‘confession of faith’ without a single note or prompt. His voice was still throaty but his mind crystal clear. The bishops were like excited school kids on the first day of term and there was a ‘buzz about the place,’ as Celtic star Paul McStay used  to say. However, the first two set-piece addresses were long, in Latin, and so the coffee break was welcome.

Among others, I met Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster and Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, Australia with whom I had briefly communicated by email. He said I could come visit. I also caught up with my classmate, the American Prefect of the Apostolic Signature, Cardinal Raymond Burke. He said he would invite me to dinner—watch this space.

No one complained when, at the end of the second long address, the secretary general let us out an hour early. It was hot in the hall and everyone was feeling it. He told us to be back at 4.30pm for the early evening session. There was applause though and a laugh when the Pope inadvertently said he would see us later at 5pm. No one corrected him, but I think we have to be back for 4.30pm. As the session broke up, I caught a word with Cardinal Pell, who is coming to Glasgow at the end of November for our Year of Faith Conference.

The afternoon session included more free interventions from the floor. A number of bishops from Africa and the Middle East commented on sometimes tense and complicated relations with Islam, and a bishop from Iraq described how his community had evangelised, witnessing to Christ with their lives as they were massacred in a church in Baghdad.

After that it seems somewhat incongruous to record that in the evening I had dinner in a restaurant down the Borgo Pio with my old friend and classmate Archbishop James Harvey who is the Prefect of the Apostolic Palace and the Pope’s head of protocol. We had a nice time catching up. The spaghetti alle vongole was pretty good too.

Tuesday October 9

In the residence where I am staying for the synod, there is a concelebrated Mass at 7am. All the bishops and priests staying here from across the world can concelebrate. It is in Latin—ordinary form—with readings in the vernacular languages of Europe, with sung parts of the Mass, and a couple of hymns—with well-known melodies and verses in different languages. It is not at all strange and it is a very devout and Liturgically developed act of worship. For the last couple of days, I have been beside Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa. What a fine man.

I handed in my text to the Synod Secretariat today. I should be called to deliver it tomorrow or Thursday.

Wednesday October 10

We had our first language group meeting. There are 19 bishops in my group: five from Africa; eight from Asia; one from the US; one from the Bahamas (Nassau—sounds wonderful. Archbishop Patrick Pinder who seems like a nice guy); one from the UK—me; two from Oceania; and a stray from Guatemala. I found myself elected general secretary of the group which means I have to write up the reports, present them in plenary, and get involved with the drafting of the propositions.

No free time for me, I am afraid. We had a visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury this evening, invited by the Pope who gave an address on the contemplative dimension of Christian faith.  He is clearly an erudite man. He retires soon and I think that is why he is visiting the Pope one last time.

Thursday October 11

Mass in St Peter’ s Square for the start of the Year of Faith, for the 50th Anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council, and for the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It was another splendid Vatican Liturgical occasion, which they do almost effortlessly. The bishop-concelebrants walked the same processional route that the council fathers took on October 11, 1962.

Another Scottish connection was the presence of composer James MacMillan, who received  a gift from the Pope on behalf of the artists of the world, another symbolic action that recalled the various messages to the various categories of people given by Pope Paul VI at the end of the Second Vatican Council on December 8, 1965.

Friday October 12

I gave my five-minute address in the Synod Hall today. I was so nervous, but it seemed to go quite well. Then we all had lunch with the Pope in the Audience Hall. There must have been about 350 of us. Being Friday, there was no meat, but the food was still really excellent. At the end the Pope declared that the afternoon session would begin at 5.45pm rather than 4.30pm, which was met with applause.

Saturday October 13

The morning session opened with a real wee human touch. The general secretary, apparently at the instigation of some Latin American bishops announced the results of some international football matches played the day before involving national teams from those countries. The Pope took it all in good heart, but I was glad Scotland’s defeat to Wales was not mentioned. How embarrassing that would have been.

This evening there was the beginning of some passionate exchanges about the order of the Sacraments for Baptised children and especially about the age of confirmation. It has been suggested by some senior figures that bishops ought to bring their practice into line with what is thought to be the classical order of Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist. I was going to speak on this but we ran out of time and I was not called. Maybe just as well because I was about to disagree—courteously—with a very prominent curial cardinal, although another cardinal did that for me! My first impression of this topic is that the bishops are not having it. But this is not over. Thank goodness tomorrow is Sunday and we get a wee rest.

-To read part 2 of Archbishop Tartaglia’s synod diary, click here.

-To read part 3 of Archbishop Tartaglia’s synod diary, click here.