Why the Pope’s new encyclical matters to you

Archbishop to lead day of solidarity with refugees

By Andrew Smith

There has never been a more urgent time than now to make a stand against the UK government’s increasingly pernicious immigration system.

And the opportunity to do so is provided by Justice & Peace Scotland’s ‘Dignity Not Detention Solidarity Witness’ which will be staged with partners Scottish Peace Network at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre on 14th June, at 1pm.

You are urged to make the effort to support the only regular gatherings at the site by any Scottish organisations to show support for those inside and demonstrate opposition to a cruel and unjust system – the UK the only country in Europe where unlimited detention of migrants exists.

Archbishop Nolan, who will lead the event, said: “Those who find themselves in detention centres are not a number, not a statistic, they are people. And we have to look those people in the eyes and see human beings.”

Pope Leo has been unequivocal that the Commandment to “love thy neighbour” takes no account of borders, passports, or circumstances.

Yet for some in Dungavel, technical errors with visas will see them locked up, and experience the mental torture of not knowing for how long.

Immigration is an issue reserved to the UK Parliament and Dungavel is Scotland’s only detention centre. The centre will close across the summer for refurbishment and an expansion of its capacity, which currently sits at 150, to close on 200.

That means more people having their humanity disregarded. The only such facility in the UK that houses both men and women, this creates further discrimination for females incarcerated as they are denied the basic freedom of moving around the centre unless accompanied by a staff member.

St Peter’s is restored and open to all…

By Ronnie Convery

In the heart of Glasgow’s West End, amid the sandstone tenements and busy streets of Partick, stands St Peter’s Church – a landmark whose story mirrors the growth, transformation and resilience of Catholic Glasgow itself.

For more than a century, the great red sandstone church on Hyndland Street has served generations of worshippers: Irish immigrants and shipyard workers, Highland migrants, Polish Catholics, students, and young West End families.

Later this month – on Sunday June 28 – the transferred feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Archbishop will celebrate Mass at 11.00 am marking the completion of an (almost) two year renovation project on the venerable builing. Anyone with past associations with St Peter’s is invited to come and see the transformation.

While the surrounding district has changed dramatically, St Peter’s has remained a constant presence as a living centre of prayer, worship and mission.

The origins of St Peter’s lie in the extraordinary growth of Glasgow during the 19th century. Partick, once an independent burgh on the western edge of the city, expanded rapidly through shipbuilding, engineering and heavy industry along the River Clyde.

Large numbers of Irish immigrants settled in the district, many fleeing famine and poverty during the mid-1800s. By the late Victorian era, the original St Peter’s church had become too small for its growing congregation. The Catholic community was increasing not only in numbers but in confidence and civic importance.

Plans were therefore drawn up for a major new church on Hyndland Street. The foundation stone was laid in 1901 and the church opened in 1903.

The new building represented more than a place of worship. It stood as a sign that the Catholic community, once poor and marginalised, had become a permanent and confident part of Glasgow life.

Designed by the distinguished architectural firm Pugin & Pugin under the direction of Peter Paul Pugin, St Peter’s became one of their most ambitious Scottish churches and the last completed before Peter Paul’s death in 1904.

The striking red sandstone exterior still dominates Hyndland Street, while the interior retains much of its original beauty, including the impressive high altar and reredos installed in 1906 and the great west window of Christ the King, installed in 1948 by the renowned Irish firm Earley & Co.

For much of the 20th century, St Peter’s was the spiritual home of a thriving Catholic community including generations of students attending Glasgow University. Former parish priests include much-loved figures such as Monsignor Gaetano Rossi and Monsignor Jim Ryan.

Yet while St Peter’s treasures its history, the parish today is focused firmly on the future.

The adjoining presbytery, originally designed to house five priests, now accommodates Monsignor Paul Murray and Fr Isaac Abba. It has also become home to six members of NET Ministries Scotland, part of a missionary outreach to young people across the country. Through retreats, school visits and youth ministry, they aim to inspire young people to “love Jesus and embrace the life of the Church.”

Mission

The methods may have changed since the parish was founded more than 120 years ago, but the mission remains the same: proclaiming the Gospel and building a living Christian community in the heart of the city.

That same forward-looking spirit has shaped the extensive works recently completed at St Peter’s. Over the last 18 months the parish has undertaken a major programme of restoration and renewal costing more than £2 million.

Monsignor Paul explained: “All the roofs have been re-slated with Vermont slate, the cast iron gutters and downpipes restored, and the leaded glass windows completely renewed. There has also been extensive replacement, repair and repointing of the stonework. The stained-glass windows have been repaired and cleaned, while the interior has seen complete redecoration, new flooring, improved lighting, and a new sound system.”

Importantly, the work was carried out while parish life continued uninterrupted.

“We are very grateful to our contractors for planning the work so that the church could remain open on Sundays throughout the project, even if parishioners sometimes had to navigate complicated routes around scaffolding after Holy Communion!” Monsignor Paul said.

The aim was never simply to preserve an historic building. The renewal of St Peter’s is ultimately about supporting the mission of the Church for future generations.

Community

In recent decades St Peter’s has become a spiritual home for Glasgow’s Polish Catholic community, with regular Polish Masses reflecting migration patterns. The parish was linked with the former St Simon’s Parish in 2013 and formally merged in 2023.

More recently, St Peter’s has welcomed parishioners from the former parish of St Patrick’s in Anderston.

Monsignor Paul said: “Our eastern boundary has expanded from Kelvin Way to Finnieston Street, taking in some of the territory of Saint Patrick’s Parish. We hope the parishioners from Saint Patrick’s will feel at home in Saint Peter’s.”

Like churches across Scotland, St Peter’s faces the challenges of secularisation and changing demographics. Yet the parish continues to adapt with confidence and energy.

Daily Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, youth outreach, sacramental preparation, care for the sick, work with schools and a growing missionary presence all form part of parish life. In an area where many churches of various denominations have closed or been converted to other uses, St Peter’s continues to look outward with hope.

More than 120 years after its opening, the doors of St Peter’s remain open wide, welcoming new generations to encounter Christ, discover faith and become part of the continuing story of the Catholic Church in Glasgow.

Why the Pope’s new encyclical matters to you

By Ronnie Convery

The temptation to look away now is strong. “I don’t even know what AI is so what the Pope says doesn’t affect me...” But that’s where you are wrong.

AI is already affecting you. As an example of ‘good use’ of the technology, the front page of this newspaper was designed with the help of Artificial Intelligence. But there are far more profound ways this new technology will change your life for better or worse in coming months and years.

Artificial Intelligence is likely to impact employment with many jobs being lost because they can be done by AI.

AI’s power to create ‘fake’ images and videos will raise serious issues about privacy on social media and evidence in courts.

The non-human intelligence of AI systems means that decisions are made and advice is given without reference to conscience, to morality or to justice.

It is a sign of how seriously Pope Leo considers the ‘revolution’ taking place in our times that he has devoted his landmark first encyclical to the topic.

The lengthy document offers endless food for thought. At the presentation of the document, the Pope called for AI to be “disarmed” and argued that uncontrolled digital technologies risk creating new forms of slavery. And he also warned of the dangers of allowing children to have unfettered access to smartphone technology.

Pope Leo was joined at the launch of Magnifica Humanitas by AI developer and founder of Anthropic, Chris Olah. He confessed that the speed of AI development required action. He said: “There is a real possibility that AI will displace human labour at very large scale. If that happens, supporting those displaced will be a moral imperative of historic proportions.”

His words echoed what Pope Leo wrote in the encyclical: “The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good.”

Yet it is important to realise that the Pope did not condemn the new technology, nor brand it is evil.

Indeed he pointed out that it can be used for good or for evil and asked humanity to see it as a gift to be used carefully for the common good.

* To read the encyclical in full visit www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html

Pope will visit Spain this month

By Ronnie Convery

Pope Leo is to pay an extensive visit to Spain this month taking in major cities, holiday islands and cultural centres.

The Papal visit will include a massive Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Madrid.

The packed June 6–12 itinerary also included public Masses, a visit to Barcelona’s Sagrada Família basilica, and stops at migrant reception centers in the Canary Islands.

Upon his arrival June 6, the Pope will meet with Spanish King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, followed by meetings with government authorities and the country’s diplomatic corps.

In the evening, the pope will visit an emergency homeless shelter operated by Caritas Madrid, before a meeting with young people at the Plaza de Lima, where St John Paul II celebrated Mass during his 1982 visit to the country.

Cardinal Cobo of Madrid said the meeting will serve as a “platform” for the Pope to “speak with the youth of the entire world.”

Procession

The Cardinal said the following day would see the traditional procession through the streets. “The Corpus Christi procession will be beautiful,” he said. “A great many people are involved: those preparing floral carpets, those carrying the platforms, numerous associations. We are expecting an enormous crowd.”

During his stop in Barcelona the Pope will pay a visit to a prison, followed by a visit to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, where he will pray the Rosary and have lunch with the Benedictine community.

Then there will be a Mass at the Sagrada Família, where he will inaugurate the tower of Jesus Christ.

At more than 564 feet tall, the tower makes the basilica the tallest Catholic church in the world.

On June 11, Pope Leo will depart for the Canary Islands where he will meet with organisations working with migrants before another Mass at Gran Canaria Stadium.

On the pope’s final day in Spain June 12, he will depart for Tenerife where he will meet with migrants living at the “Las Raíces Center” followed by a meeting with organisations helping to integrate migrants.

Before departing for Rome, Pope Leo will also preside over an outdoor Mass at the port of Santa Cruz, chosen for its closeness to the sea, where so many people arrive.