Scotland: Glasgow, Mgr. Tartaglia dies. Bishops, “a gentle and caring pastor who combined compassion with intellect”. Celtic Football Club pays tribute to him

“It is with the deepest sadness that we have learned of the death of our brother bishop and friend Philip Tartaglia. His loss to his family, his clergy and the people of the Archdiocese of Glasgow will be immeasurable”. With these words, the Scottish Bishops announced in a statement the sudden death of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after Christmas and has self-isolated ever since. The news, which is the top story on the websites of the Scottish dailies, was also relayed by the BBC. The Bishops in their statement also recalled the Archbishop, at the head of the Archdiocese of the Catholic Church of Scotland with its 95 parishes and 200,000 inhabitants, as “a gentle and caring pastor who combined compassion with a piercing intellect”. “We will miss his wisdom and wit very much”, the Bishops wrote. Philip Tartaglia was born in Glasgow, to Catholic parents, on 11 January 1951. He was the first of nine children. He completed his studies at the Pontifical Scots College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He then returned to Scotland where he was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Thomas Winning on 30 June 1975. He took office as the eighth Archbishop of Glasgow, succeeding Italian Mario Conti, on 8 September 2012. Even the Celtic Football Club, supported by Catholics, of which he has always been a fan, paid tribute to him in a tweet.
Gianni Borsa