The Church will emerge purified

"The message of Salvation of Jesus Christ is not conditioned by the failure of the men of the Church". With these words the Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia explained that today more than ever he feels the need to cling close to the cross of Christ. The archbishop, 62, was appointed apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh by Benedict XVI after the resignation of cardinal Keith O’Brien who was at the centre of accusations and eventually admitted that he held "inappropriate" behaviour and pleaded forgiveness to the people he had hurt, to the Church and to the people of Scotland. In an interview with Silvia Guazzetti for SIR Europe, Monsignor Tartaglia, elder son of two Italian immigrants, owners of a "fish & chips" restaurant, admitted that "it’s a moment of great vulnerability for us", and "only by acknowledging the situation and the problems that lie ahead will we be able to deliver a response". Monsignor Tartaglia, it’s a very said moment for you and for your Church. How are you living it? What are your feelings and those of the faithful, especially in the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh? "There is a certain amount of anxiety. How could I not feel perturbed by the damage inflicted on the Church’s reputation? But I also live this moment with a religious sentiment. Today, more than ever, we all should cling close to the cross of Christ, and under certain aspects be crucified with Him, during these days, in the hope that resurrection will come. A resurrection that I hope will mark a new beginning and a luminous future for the Catholic faith in Scotland. My feelings of shock and disconcertment have an echo, and perhaps they are lived with greater intensity by the Catholics in Edinburgh who have lost their pastor in dramatic circumstances".The Catholic Church as a whole is experiencing a delicate moment… "The difficult situation that we are living today falls within a period of great vulnerability for us. We are without a Pope, given the present interregnum Holy See dycasteries are not fully operative and here in Scotland in only three out of eight dioceses the archbishops are below retirement-age. We feel vulnerable and we need the prayers and the support of our brothers and sisters in faith, and of the shores of our islands".The moral authority of the Catholic Church and her leadership are being questioned. What is your answer? Where should the recovery of moral leadership start from?"Let’s start by acknowledging the facts! Only by recognizing the problems that lie ahead will be it possible to overcome them. Indeed, the image of the Church has been taunted, our credibility is questioned. In my capacities as archbishop of Glasgow and apostolic administrator of St. Andrews and Edinburgh I am carrying a heavy burden and in some ways I must find the words to give people hope at this time of great ordeal". How did you cope with this situation?"I did so by highlighting the fact that soon Peter will again be among us. We feel the need for a Pope, a Holy Father, today more than ever. I want to remind my people that our faith in Jesus Christ and in His message of Salvation do not depend on the failures of the men of the Church. I want to tell them that today, more than ever before: we have to draw close to God in prayer, and experience the solidarity of the universal Church". Let’s look at the future. What should we do to avoid that such facts are repeated? If similar episodes should happen again what will the Church do, what will be her line of action? "I think that it’s too early to clearly understand what went wrong. We’re still in the eye of the storm. Lessons shall be learnt. The Church will emerge purified and renewed, but the pain caused by this experience will be hard to overcome. I hope that nothing similar will happen again, neither here nor elsewhere".