Monday, May 21, 2012

Archbishop set to meet the Pope

THE next Archbishop of Glasgow could be appointed in “a matter of days” in order to allow him to receive the pallium, the symbol of a metropolitan archbishop, from the Pope in June.

Following reports that Philip Tartaglia, the Bishop of Paisley was the likely successor to Mario Conti, who is retiring as Archbishop of Glasgow, sources within the church say the appointment may be within the next week.

An appointment before the end of May would allow the successor to be installed during a mass in Glasgow Cathedral before flying to Rome for the annual service in St Peter’s where the Pope dispenses the pallium, a strip of cloth marked with six crosses and worn around the neck, to each of the world’s new archbishops. 

The service takes place each year on 29 June, the feast of St Peter and St Paul.

Last night a Catholic source said: “It would make sense for the Pope to appoint the new Archbishop of Glasgow before the end of May which would allow him to take part in the annual service in Rome.”

Although Philip Tartaglia is the most likely candidate, he has not yet received official confirmation in a phone call from the Papal Nuncio, the Vatican’s ambassador in London.