DAILY CATHOLIC     WEDNESDAY     August 11, 1999     vol. 10, no. 150

NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

To print out entire text of Today's issue,
go to SECTION ONE and SECTION TWO

COMPOSER SAYS ANTI-CATHOLICISM RAMPANT IN SCOTLAND, WHILE PROTESTANTS GIVEN PERMISSION FOR MARCH IN NORTHERN IRELAND

          EDINBURGH (CWNews.com) - A leading Scottish composer said at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival that Scotland's hidden shame is rampant anti-Catholic bigotry.

          "In many walks of life -- in the workplace, in the professions, in academia, in the media, in politics and in sport -- anti-Catholicism, even when it is not particularly malign, is as endemic as it is second nature," said James MacMillan, a Catholic from Glasgow. "Many of us are either happy to live with or deny completely the existence of anti-Catholicism, which is still a significant element of Scottish culture," added MacMillan, who composed the fanfare for the opening in July of the first Scottish parliament in 300 years.

          MacMillan's composition, the Seven Last Words from the Cross, is a finalist for the festival's Mercury prize. After citing the Protestant Orange marches that are still held every year, similar to those held in Northern Ireland, commemorating historic victories over Catholics, and the sometimes violent soccer rivalry between the mainly Catholic Celtics and mainly Protestant Rangers.

          "I have been spat on for being Catholic. And when my daughter attended her first Easter vigil at the age of six, she came into her first contact with sectarian abuse from a few drunks who noticed the candles burning outside," MacMillan said.

          Last week, a magazine run by the Free Presbyterian Church condemned the influence of the late English Cardinal Basil Hume, and members of the Church of Scotland launched a campaign to make members of the new Scottish parliament use Presbyterian prayers instead of planned prayers that embrace all faiths.

          Meanwhile in Belfast, the Northern Ireland Parades Commission on Monday gave permission to the Protestant Apprentice Boys group to hold a controversial march through a Catholic neighborhood in Belfast, prompting fears of a clash.

          The Apprentice Boys will be allowed to march along Lower Ormeau Road on Saturday as part of the annual marches which historic victories over Catholics. The commission said it gave permission because there had been progress in dialogue between the Apprentice Boys and the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community (LOCC) group.

          But LOCC representatives protested the decision calling it "unfair." "We are very angry at this decision," said LOCC spokesman John Gormley, vowing that residents would demonstrate against the march when it passed through their neighborhood.


Articles provided through Catholic World News and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and International Dossiers, Daily Dispatches and Features at ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

August 11, 1999       volume 10, no. 150
NEWS & VIEWS

DAILY CATHOLIC

|    Back to Graphics Front Page     Back to Text Only Front Page     |    Archives     |    What the DAILY CATHOLIC offers     |    DAILY CATHOLIC Ship Logs    |    Ports o' Call LINKS     |    Catholic Webrings    |    Catholic & World News Ticker Headlines     |    Why we NEED YOUR HELP     |    Why the DAILY CATHOLIC is FREE     |    Our Mission     |    Who we are    |    Books offered     |    Permissions     |    Top 100 Catholics of the Century    |    Enter Porthole HomePort Page    |    Port of Entry Home Page |    E-Mail Us