Pope Francis has appointed Bishop William Nolan as the new Archbishop of Glasgow.

Bishop Nolan will succeed Archbishop Philip Tartaglia who died two days after his 70th birthday in January last year after contracting Covid-19.

Bishop Nolan, who has served as Bishop of Galloway since 2015, said he “overwhelmed” by the trust the Pope had invested in him.

He said: “It will be wrench for me to leave Galloway Diocese where for seven years I have experienced the kindness and friendship of so many people, particularly the clergy.

“God truly blessed me by sending me to Galloway and I hope that my successor there will be similarly blessed.

He said: “As I overcome my initial shock at being appointed archbishop my thoughts now turn to the challenges that lies ahead.

“I look forward to working with everyone in the archdiocese, laity and clergy, to carry out the mission that we share of proclaiming God’s good news and of bringing the joy of the gospel into the lives of the people of today.”

 He added: “I am well aware of my own inadequacies and of the difficulties the Church faces today. Thank God therefore that we can sure of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the Church.

“As I leave the Diocese of Galloway behind, from now on I belong to Glasgow. And I assure the people of Glasgow of my commitment and dedication to them. Please remember me in your prayers.”

Bishop Nolan, 68, was the fourth of 11 children and, like the late Cardinal Thomas Winning, was baptised at St Patrick’s Church, Craigneuk, Wishaw.

He and studied for the priesthood at the Scots College in Rome before he was ordained for the Diocese of Motherwell in 1977.

The new archbishop will be the ninth to hold office since the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy to Scotland in 1878.  

The Diocese was vacant following the Reformation from the death in Paris on 24 April 1603 of Archbishop James Beaton until the appointment of Archbishop Charles Eyre on 15 March 1878.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow is the largest of Scotland’s eight dioceses with an estimated Catholic population of 189,000.  It comprises 89 parishes and is served by 163 priests.

The Mass of Installation of the new archbishop will take place in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, on Saturday February 26.

(Photo courtesy of the Scottish Catholic Media Office)

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