Pope Francis has chosen Scotland’s justice and peace bishop, William Nolan, as the next leader of the Archdiocese of Glasgow.
Bishop Nolan, 68, who shares Francis’ concerns for the plight of migrants, protection of the planet and opposition to the arms trade, will take charge of one of the UK’s largest Catholic communities. As Archbishop of Glasgow, his position will also give him a voice on the national stage.
The archbishop-elect currently leads the Diocese of Galloway, in southwest Scotland, and is president of Justice and Peace Scotland, a national body that advocates on a variety of social issues from climate change to nuclear weapons. Last year, Bishop Nolan announced the establishment of a Scotland-wide “Care of Creation Office”, an initiative that had been inspired by the Pope’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’ and established in time for the Cop26 green summit in Glasgow.
“As Bishop of Galloway, Bishop Nolan presented a pastoral vision with a genuinely collaborative approach. He led with humility and determination, inspired by the initiatives of Pope Francis, and focussing on the needs of the Church for the 21st century," Fr. William McFadden, Vicar General of the Diocese of Galloway, said.
Bishop Nolan succeeds Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who died suddenly on 13 January 2021, which is also the feast day of St Kentigern, known as St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. Aged 70, the archbishop, who had a heart condition, had recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Around a quarter of Scotland’s 800,000 Catholics live in the Archdiocese of Glasgow, which includes 89 parishes, 83 primary schools and 21 secondary schools. The archdiocese covers the majority of the city of Glasgow, the most populous in Scotland and the fourth-most populous in the UK, along with some areas on its outskirts.
Although the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh is the Scottish diocese traditionally led by a cardinal, in 1994 Glasgow’s Archbishop Thomas Winning was given the red hat by Pope St John Paul II. Bishop Nolan’s focus on the social gospel would make him a strong contender for a red hat in the Francis papacy. Scotland is currently without a cardinal.
The Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh has been led since 2013 by Archbishop Leo Cushley, a former Vatican diplomat. He took over from the late Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned amid scandal after he was accused of acts of sexual misconduct against priests and seminarians. He later gave up the rights and privileges associated with being cardinal.
As Archbishop of Glasgow, Bishop Nolan could also be chosen as leader of Scotland's bishops’ conference, a position which is voted for by fellow bishops. The current president is Bishop of Aberdeen Hugh Gilbert OSB, a Benedictine monk, although the post was previously held by Archbishop Tartaglia.
“I am well aware of my own inadequacies and of the difficulties the Church faces today,” the archbishop-elect said about his appointment. “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." He added that he felt "overwhelmed by the trust Pope Francis is putting in me.”
Alistair Dutton, chief executive of Sciaf, said: “A very warm congratulations to Bishop William Nolan who has been appointed as Archbishop of Glasgow by Pope Francis today. We deeply appreciate his presence on Sciaf’s Board and his commitment to social justice. Sciaf has benefited greatly from his leadership, most recently his contributions throughout Cop26. We wish him well as he concludes his time with the people and priests of Galloway and begins a new chapter in Glasgow.”
Bishop Nolan was educated at Catholic schools in the Motherwell area and trained for the priesthood at the Scots College, in Rome, from 1971-78 where he later served as vice-rector from 1983-90. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Motherwell in 1977 and has spent the majority of his priestly ministry working parishes, including 20 years at Our Lady of Lourdes, East Kilbride, in South Lanarkshire. In November 2014, he was appointed bishop of Galloway, a diocese believed to have been founded by St Ninian in the fifth century and which is sometimes referred to Scotland’s “primatial see”.
As a bishop, he has been a member of the “Holy Land Co-ordination” group, a delegation of prelates who make annual trips to the Holy Land. He has talked about the “unjust situation” facing people in that region and lamented the departure of Christians in the area.
In November 2017, Bishop Galloway made a visit to France to highlight the plight of young people and children held in the Calais migrant camp and while in Calais stayed at the Maria Stobkova Catholic Worker House. His visit was later mentioned in parliament by Scottish MP, Patrick Grady.
Bishop Nolan made the trip to Calais alongside Bishop Paul McAleenan, an auxiliary in Westminster and the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ spokesman on migrant issues. Last year, they wrote a joint letter to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, expressing their strong opposition to the Government’s immigration plans.
The appointment of the new Archbishop of Glasgow is the first leader of a major archdiocese that has taken place since Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti was appointed papal ambassador to Great Britain. As the Pope’s envoy, he assists in the appointment process by drawing up a shortlist of candidates and other briefing materials. So far, Archbishop Gugerotti has shown he is determined to appoint bishops who share the pastoral, synodal style and priorities of the Francis pontificate.
He is understood to already be working on another major appointment for the church in Great Britain: a new Archbishop of Westminster.
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