Mass in St Andrews Cathedral Glasgow for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis

The Scotsman

St Andrews Cathedral mass for Pope Francis   Mass in Glasgow for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis   Catholics in Glasgow paid their respects to Pope Francis with a special Easter Sunday mass at St Andrew’s Metropolitan Cathedral.   Archbishop of Glasgow William Nolan led the mass for the repose of the souls of Pope Francis.   He said the congregation was meeting “with tears of sadness and joy in our hearts as he has returned to his home.”

Transcript

00:30I'm William Nolan, I'm the Archbishop of Glasgow and we're here in the Catholic Cathedral in Glasgow.

00:36I was just celebrating a Mass marking the death, the passing of Pope Francis.

00:40Well this morning I think there is sadness in our hearts. It wasn't unexpected.

00:44We knew the Pope was 88, we knew he'd had a serious illness and so it wasn't a surprise that he died.

00:51But there's still sadness when that happens.

00:54I felt very close to the Pope. I know many people in Scotland felt very close to the Pope as well,

00:59with great affection, whether it was Catholics or whether it was people of other faiths and none.

01:03So we feel we've lost a father, we've lost a great spiritual guide,

01:07and we've lost, I think, someone who we felt was a genuinely human, humble man.

01:14And so there's sadness at that.

01:17But at the same time, this is Easter, you know, and we've just celebrated the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.

01:22So this is someone reaching the end of their life's journey and going back to be with God.

01:27That gives us great hope, and that's a cause of joy.

01:29That, and of course, also a feeling of thanksgiving in our hearts as well.

01:33We had Francis for 12 years as Pope.

01:35I don't think when he was appointed Pope in the age of 76 that we thought we'd have him for 12 years,

01:41but we have had him for 12 years, and it's been a great blessing to the Church,

01:44and we give thanks to God for that.

01:47I thought it was important to be here today to mark the life of Pope Francis,

01:53who will be, of course, a huge loss to Scotland's Catholic communities,

01:56but actually to Catholics right around the world.

01:59And Pope Francis was more than just a great representative of the Catholic community.

02:03He was loved and respected by people of all faiths and none.

02:06And if you think about the level of injustice and war that there is around the world right now,

02:12if we can all encapsulate a bit of the equality and peace and justice of Pope Francis,

02:17then I think our world would be a much better place.

02:19And his last message was talking about peace and the importance of recognising people of all faiths and none,

02:26and looking out for those less fortunate.

02:28That's something I think all of us can learn from,

02:31and the world would be a much better, safer place if we could all live a bit more of Pope Francis.

02:36So I think those fundamental values of dignity and peace will be his lasting legacy.

02:41We've been aware that the Pope has been in bad health for some time.

02:44It still comes as a deeply sad moment for Catholics in Glasgow and across the world.

02:49I think Pope Francis' election 12 years ago was a moment that was really exciting for Catholics,

02:57particularly because he was the first non-European Catholic to be elected Pope in many centuries,

03:04and also because he brought a really interesting perspective to practising Catholics,

03:09which was unique perhaps in recent years for those of a younger generation,

03:15preaching mercy, preaching compassion,

03:18and preaching a church that should be a poor church for the poor.

03:22And I think that was really powerful, certainly from my perspective,

03:25perhaps bringing more of a socialist perspective to my outlook on life,

03:28and marrying up that with my own faith that I was brought up in.

03:31I think that was a really powerful thing for younger people,

03:34and perhaps people of a more progressive perspective,

03:37that we had a Pope that represented those values,

03:39speaking for peace in the world, speaking for compassion,

03:41and speaking for a check on bridal capitalism and market forces

03:46that are so exploitative in our world today.

03:49I would like to see that legacy continue in the Catholic Church, I think,

03:52in a world riven by conflict and huge existential challenges,

03:55whether it's climate, whether it's the immense inequality of wealth in our society.

03:59We need to see spiritual leadership in tackling those huge structural problems

04:04that are leading to so much alienation and despair in our world today.

04:08I think a lot of Scots are feeling a deep sense of disconnect and alienation in general in life,

04:14whether it's the cost of living, whether it's a sense of despair in their lives,

04:18and actually, you know, they're yearning for some sort of spiritual connection,

04:22something that even at the meditative level can be useful for them,

04:25and I think that's where the church can offer a real place of sanctuary,

04:28a real place of focus and reflection.

04:30You don't have to be, you know, religious and doctrinaire,

04:34but actually I find a lot more people coming back to church in recent years,

04:37just anecdotally, because they feel that resonance and connection with it.

04:41Whether it's just Easter, like we've seen the attendances over Easter

04:44being really good in Glasgow at churches,

04:46but also other times of the year more regularly people are reconnecting with the church,

04:50particularly where there's a real mission,

04:52whether it's helping people seeking asylum,

04:54whether it's helping people who are in poor health,

04:57or whether it's about poverty,

04:59whether there's a real mission and a real focus on leadership from a church congregation,

05:03that can be a really powerful thing for a community.

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