North Lanarkshire Provost pays own tribute to Pope Francis following Pontiff's death
Provost Kenneth Duffy has expressed his condolences following the passing of the Pontiff.
North Lanarkshire's Provost has paid his own tribute to Pope Francis following his death on Monday.
Provost Kenneth Duffy has expressed his condolences following the passing of the Pontiff.
He said: 'Pope Francis represented compassion, mercy and the promotion of peace, and offered leadership to the Catholic communities across North Lanarkshire and the world.
'He will be remembered for many things but his ability to identify with people from all backgrounds was perhaps the most striking. My condolences are with all who mourn his passing.'
Flags had been flying at half mast at the council's headquarters in Motherwell and will do so again on Saturday, April 26.
Earlier this week, the Bishop of Motherwell has given his reaction to the death of Pope Francis.
Bishop Joseph Toal, who was named by the late Pope as the fifth Bishop of Motherwell in 2014, said: 'His passing was perhaps not unexpected but it did come as a shock after his appearance on Sunday in St Peter's Square.
'Our thoughts and prayers are for his Eternal Rest and I'm sure the whole church across the world is praying in that way and we are united in prayer for him.
'It is perhaps quite fitting that he has passed away at Easter when we have that great hope of eternal life. We give thanks to God for his ministry, the many years before he became Bishop of Rome but especially for these last 12 years when he became our Pope.
'We thank God for his ministry and ask that he may enjoy Eternal Rest.'
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Exam clash fears prompt change to West Lothian school holidays
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Easter holiday dates for West Lothian schools are being changed after concerns were raised about the SQA exam dates. West Lothian council has revised its term dates for the new school year in 2026-27. The changes will see Easter holiday moved forward, and will also take account of the council election in early May 2027. In a report to the Education PDSP Hannah Haywood, Customer Services Manager said: 'Easter is early in 2027.' She added: 'Proposed dates for session 2026/27 were presented to Education PDSP on 1 April. Consultation on the proposed dates was still under way at that time. 'Four responses were received, two expressing satisfaction with the proposed dates, and two requesting that the Easter Break should be later. 'Since the meeting on 1 April 2025, new information about the SQA time-scales has been provided, and it is now clear that the previously proposed timing of the Easter break would potentially negatively impact on students meeting submission deadlines for SQA awards. She added: ' Easter is early in 2027, and the original proposal was for the schools to break up on Friday 19 March, and resume on Monday 5 April, with the Easter weekend in the middle. 'A new proposal is now being presented, which moves the Easter break to make it one week later, starting on Good Friday 26 March, and resuming on Monday 12 April. 'As the Easter break is now two weeks and one day long rather than two weeks, the new proposal removes the Friday from the September weekend to make sure that we provide the required 190 teaching days in the session.' As ever the West Lothian holidays are unlikely to tie with neighbouring councils, many of which have yet to be confirmed. Chairing the PDSP Councillor Andrew McGuire said he and fellow councillors were unlikely to forget to move an in-service day to the first Thursday in May as this marks the end of their current council term. The in-service day in May 2026 has also been moved from Tuesday 5 May to Thursday 7 May to coincide with the Scottish Parliamentary Election. Term dates for 2026/27 are:- Pupils return: Wednesday 12 August September weekend: Monday 21 September October holiday: Friday 16 October-Tuesday 27 October Christmas holiday: Friday 18 December- Tuesday 5 January Mid Term: Friday 5 February - Tuesday 16 February Easter Holidays: Thursday 26 March - Monday 5 April May Day holiday Monday 3 May Staff in-service Thursday 6 May. The new term dates will have to be confirmed by the Education Executive when it meets in two weeks' time.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
'Delighted': Glasgow primary school praised by inspectors
Pupils and teachers at St Clare's Primary in Drumchapel are celebrating following the positive report from Education Scotland after a recent visit. The team also found that across the school, pupils achieve above both Glasgow and national comparator schools in literacy and numeracy. The report praised the school's young leaders, adding: 'Children in 'class councils' have been responsible for identifying and ordering a range of resources for the school … including playground equipment and class furniture' which 'helps children understand better that they have unique gifts and talents that can be used to influence positive change.' The inspectors also praised the school's headteacher Maryann McGuinness, senior leaders and teachers, adding: 'They have worked effectively to develop a culture where raising attainment is a key focus for improvement. 'Staff have a deep understanding of the children and context of the school. They have a strong focus on supporting children's wellbeing. This is helping children to feel more confident, secure and be ready to learn.' The report said: 'Children are welcoming, friendly, polite and proud of their school. They are keen to share and celebrate their successes and achievements. 'The positive opportunities for children to achieve success and develop a wide range of skills through a variety of clubs, committees and groups … is supporting successfully children's understanding of leadership and developing their skills for learning life and work.' As areas for improvement, the inspectors said the headteacher and senior leaders 'now need to develop more effective approaches to seek and respond to the views of all stakeholders.' They added: 'This includes parents and staff to inform improved decision-making. 'Staff should continue to develop consistently high-quality approaches to learning, teaching and assessment.' The report also noted that senior leaders and teachers should 'develop plans to help parents understand how best to support their children's learning and wellbeing' and 'continue to raise attainment of all children, particularly in writing by providing sustained opportunities for children to write independently.' Councillor Christina Cannon, Glasgow City Council's education and early years convener, said: 'This is a lovely report for the school, and I think what shines throughout it is how valued pupil voice is in St Clare's. 'I love the idea of the 'class councils' where the children get to influence decisions in their school and get to pick resources that will ultimately impact their learning. 'The school's motto is 'believe and you will achieve' which is something we want every child and young person in the city to do. 'Well done to everyone in the school community for such a good inspection.' Ms McGuinness said: 'It makes us so proud to know that the inspectors recognised our deeply embedded Catholic values across the school. 'We are also absolutely delighted that the inspection team recognised our effective work in developing a culture where raising attainment is a key driver for improvement. 'Children are achieving above both their Glasgow and national comparator schools in literacy and numeracy.'
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Former Church of Ireland Primate's 50 years of service are honoured at St Columb's Cathedral
Among the congregation were his wife Lady Eames and members of his family including their sons Niall and Michael. They were joined by a number of bishops from the three dioceses where Lord Eames served, namely Derry and Raphoe, Down and Dromore and Armagh where he was archbishop and primate from 1986 to 2006. Parishioners from the Derry and Raphoe Diocese also attended yesterday, the Feast Day of St Columba, which is celebrated by both main religious traditions. In Ireland, Columba is also remembered as a patron saint of poets, and is associated with the Book of Kells. The sermon was preached by the current Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Reverend Andrew Foster, who earlier paid tribute to Lord Eames. He said: 'Lord Eames has been a blessing to our diocese, to the Church of Ireland as a whole, and to the wider society on this island during his decades in ministry. He has been a distinguished and courageous church leader who has made an immense contribution to peace-building and reconciliation. 'We in Derry and Raphoe give thanks for Lord Eames' stewardship of our diocese in a troubled period of its history in the late Seventies. 'We are thankful for his leadership of the Church of Ireland over two decades during which our society went from the darkness of the Troubles into the light of a new, admittedly fragile peace. Even in the darkest days, Lord Eames preached a message of hope, born out of his faith in God. He is someone who can always see the good in humanity.' During his five years as Bishop of Derry before he moved to Belfast, Lord Eames worked closely with the Catholic Bishop of Derry, Edward Daly, and the late SDLP leader John Hume. He also made a special point of visiting homes in the Bogside area. He said: 'I wanted to hold out the hand of friendship to the whole Catholic community in Derry.' During his long career, Lord Eames, who is now 88, travelled widely to help solve problems in the worldwide Anglican communion. News Catch Up - Tuesday 10th June 'It was my experience in Derry which taught me much about bridge-building and reconciliation and this benefitted me greatly in subsequent stages of my ministry, including my time as Bishop of Down and Dromore and also in Armagh,' he said. When he retired as primate, he became a cross-bencher peer in the House of Lords and continued to foster the interests of Northern Ireland, and to continue his widespread ministry through preaching. With Sir John Major, he paid tribute at a thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey for Peter Brooke, a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Last year, Lord Eames was injured in a fall, but is making a steady recovery. He said prior to the Derry service yesterday that 'it was one of the most touching invitations of my career which brought back memories of the vast changes in church life and politics in the last half century'.
