The Archbishop of Glasgow has told youngsters from schools in
Scotland about the importance of standing up for religious freedom,
saying that around the world Christians suffer the most persecution.
Speaking last Monday at a memorial Mass for Aid to the Church in
Need's founder, Father Werenfried van Straaten, Archbishop Philip
Tartaglia also paid tribute to the charity’s work for oppressed
Christians.
Taking part in the service at St Bride’s Catholic Church in
Cambuslang, near Glasgow, were children from St Bride’s Primary School,
St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock, John Ogilvie High School in
Hamilton, Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill and St Ambrose High
School in Coatbridge.
Quoting research showing that around the world Christians suffer 80
percent of religious hatred, Archbishop Tartaglia added: “In the
developed world, religious liberty, especially the liberty to act in
accordance with your faith and conscience, is seriously undermined even
in the most sophisticated societies like our own.”
Archbishop Tartaglia made the comments during his homily, in which he
also said: “Who could have guessed that Father Werenfried’s work
carried out by Aid to the Church in Need could have become so relevant
and so vital in today’s world?”
He added: “Aid to the Church in Need is a sign and an instrument of
the indomitable spirit of the Church which, with love and humility and
acts of charity and courage, looks evil in the face, refuses to be
intimidated, seeks to help those who suffer for their faith in Jesus
Christ.”
The archbishop reported on last month’s Synod of Bishops which he
attended in Rome, where he said fellow bishops expressed concern about
aggression towards Christians and the need to redouble efforts towards
inter-religious dialogue and peace-building.
Aid to the Church in Need's UK Director Neville Kyrke-Smith received a
cheque for £10,500 raised by St Bride’s parish, Cambuslang, split
between schooling for seven Christian girls in Jordan and pastoral work
carried out by Holy Family parish, Gaza. St Ninian’s High School also
handed over a cheque for £500 to support the charity's work.
Mr Kyrke-Smith, recently back from a fact-finding and
project-assessment trip to Russia, quoted Metropolitan Kirill of
Stavropol, saying: “There are no borders to charity – no boundaries or
divisions – as we saw with Christ in the way he cared for them. And the
support of Scottish Catholics for the suffering Church knows no
boundaries either.”
After the Mass, Lorraine McMahon, the charity's Head of Operations in
Scotland, said she was very impressed by the “spread of ages”
represented at St Bride’s, adding: “For me, the important thing is that,
in the Year of Faith, people see how Aid to the Church in Need is
supporting those who strive to live their faith, often in very difficult
circumstances.”
Aid to the Church in Need’s Scottish Secretary Dr John Watts
highlighted the witness of faith encapsulated in the Mass, saying: “It
was, as the annual Father Werenfried Memorial Mass always is, a
wonderful night – very spiritual, a great team effort.”