The Glasgow loyalist march is a procession held by unionist groups in support of maintaining Northern Ireland's union with the United Kingdom, often associated with Protestant and British heritage.
Canon Tom White, who was assaulted in 2018 outside St Alphonsus while greeting parishioners, is advocating for the rerouting of such marches to prevent a repeat of past disturbances.
The 2018 incident involved sectarian abuse and physical threats, with one individual jailed after being identified by DNA evidence from spitting on the priest's vestments.
While the council initially rejected applications for marches near these churches after the incident, a procession was approved in 2019, leading Police Scotland to recommend prohibiting future processions in the area.
Despite these recommendations, the council has now authorised another march, sparking concern from the parish council of both churches.
In a statement, Glasgow City Council acknowledged their legal limitations regarding imposing restrictions on processions.
They concluded that the upcoming march posed no significant threat to public safety or order.
Canon White, who served the Calton community for 25 years before his recent appointment to Holy Cross in Croy, voiced his concerns about the lack of community engagement in the council’s decision-making process.
He criticised the authorities for not considering past incidents or the disruption such events cause.
“I don’t understand how they justified this decision.
“It seems they ignored past arrest records and the history of division these marches create.
“I’ve spent my whole priesthood in Glasgow, but now I feel almost relieved to be away,” he said.