Pope ‘wants to hold a Mass for the people of Scotland’ during COP26
Pontiff hopes to address thousands while at Glasgow climate conference
POPE Francis wants to celebrate a huge open-air Mass during his first visit to Scotland later this year, sources have revealed.
It would potentially see thousands of Catholics gather for the first address by a Pontiff here for more than a decade.
The 84-year-old is due to attend the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow in November – one of his first major public visits since he had colon surgery.
It was expected he would just address the conference and later meet Scottish bishops, in a relatively fleeting visit.
However, it is now understood he has expressed a desire to say a Mass, and organisers have started looking at when and where that could take place.
Tens of thousands of flag-waving pilgrims attended a Mass by Pope Benedict XVI at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow in 2010, while the 300,000 who came to see Pope John Paul II at the same venue, in 1982, were thought to be the biggest crowd ever assembled in Scotland.
It is highly unlikely such numbers would be possible this time, after 18 months of limited gatherings due to Covid. But an address by Pope Francis would still be a significant event and another logistical headache for organisers and police, already facing the prospect of thousands of delegates from 98 countries flying in for COP26.
A senior source said: ‘While the Pope saying Mass is not 100 per cent confirmed, we have had word that he wants to do it and that’s why people are looking at the practicalities, such as a venue and timing, depending on the rest of his pretty tight schedule.
‘It would have to fit in with his address to the conference and his meeting with the bishops.
‘There is some doubt about whether it can be fitted in, but the Pope says Mass every day and would like to say a Mass for the people of Scotland.
‘It’s not absolutely confirmed, but he wants to do it, and if the Pope wants to say mass for the Scottish public, there is going to be a huge desire to make it happen.’
Pope Francis has been recovering from surgery, which took place in July, to remove a portion of his large intestine at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.
The Pope, who was born in Argentina to Italian parents, was cheered up in hospital by Italy’s victory in the Euro 2020 championship, after the football team beat England in a nail-biting penalty shootout in the final at Wembley stadium.
On July 11, he made his first public appearance since undergoing surgery as he spoke to crowds from his hospital balcony in Rome.
The Scottish Catholic Church is not currently planning for a Mass in November, but admitted the situation is ‘fluid’.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: ‘Scotland’s Catholic bishops have welcomed the prospect of a meeting with Pope Francis when he attends the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November.
‘Scotland’s bishops express their prayerful support for Pope Francis as he recovers from his recent surgery.
‘Having written to the Holy Father to assure him of a warm welcome, should he attend the conference, they are delighted to hear that he does hope to attend and would be glad to meet with them in Glasgow.’
‘The Pope will be in Scotland for a very short time, most of which will be spent participating in the COP26 conference.’