Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy
Encyclopedia
The Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy refers to the re-establishment of the hierarchy
of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland
on 15 March 1878. This followed on from the Restoration of the English hierarchy
in 1850.
The restoration was carried out on the instructions of Pope Leo XIII
and was one of the first acts of his papacy.
The "old" hierarchy had ended in 1603 when Archbishop Beaton of the Archdiocese of Glasgow
died in Paris
. In the intervening period from the Scottish Reformation
until the restoration of the hierarchy, the Catholics in Scotland were ministered to by an "underground" network of priests (including the martyr
Saint John Ogilvie
) who were overseen by Apostolic prefect
s then Apostolic Vicars
as the oppression of Catholics became less severe.
The restored hierarchy were members of the Apostolic Vicariate and the territories of the new dioceses and archdioceses were based on the ancient (pre-reformation) ones.
There were two archbishop
s and six bishop
s in the new hierarchy:
The Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh
was to be the Metropolitan See for Scotland with the Archdiocese of Glasgow
to be under control of the Holy See
.
It was nearly 100 years before Scotland had its first post-Reformation cardinal
appointed. In 1969 Archbishop Gray of Edinburgh was elevated to the rank of Cardinal. Since then Cardinal Winning
and Cardinal O'Brien
have held the post.
Catholic Church hierarchy
The term Hierarchy in the Catholic Church has a variety of related usages. Literally, "holy government", the term is employed in different instances. There is a Hierarchy of Truths, which refers to the levels of solemnity of the official teaching of the faith...
of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 15 March 1878. This followed on from the Restoration of the English hierarchy
Universalis Ecclesiae
Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...
in 1850.
The restoration was carried out on the instructions of Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
and was one of the first acts of his papacy.
The "old" hierarchy had ended in 1603 when Archbishop Beaton of the Archdiocese of Glasgow
Archdiocese of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow was one of the thirteen dioceses of the Scottish church. It was the second largest diocese in the Kingdom of Scotland, including Clydesdale, Teviotdale, parts of Tweeddale, Liddesdale, Annandale, Nithsdale, Cunninghame, Kyle, and Strathgryfe, as well as Lennox Carrick...
died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In the intervening period from the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
until the restoration of the hierarchy, the Catholics in Scotland were ministered to by an "underground" network of priests (including the martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
Saint John Ogilvie
Saint John Ogilvie
Saint John Ogilvie was a Scottish Roman Catholic Jesuit martyr.-Biography:Ogilvie, the son of a wealthy laird, was born into a respected Calvinist family at Drum-na-Keith near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland and was educated in mainland Europe where he attended a number of Roman Catholic educational...
) who were overseen by Apostolic prefect
Apostolic prefect
An apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese....
s then Apostolic Vicars
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
as the oppression of Catholics became less severe.
The restored hierarchy were members of the Apostolic Vicariate and the territories of the new dioceses and archdioceses were based on the ancient (pre-reformation) ones.
There were two archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s and six bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s in the new hierarchy:
- Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh
- Bishop of AberdeenBishop of AberdeenThe Bishop of Aberdeen was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Nechtan...
- Bishop of Argyll and the IslesBishop of Argyll and the Isles (Catholic)The Bishop of Argyll and The Isles is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland....
- Bishop of DunkeldBishop of DunkeldThe Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Cormac...
- Bishop of GallowayBishop of GallowayThe Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
- Bishop of Aberdeen
- Archbishop of GlasgowArchbishop of GlasgowThe Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
- Bishop of MotherwellBishop of MotherwellThe Bishop of Motherwell is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell in the Province of Glasgow.The diocese covers an area of 1,178 km². The see is in the town of Motherwell where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid...
- Bishop of PaisleyBishop of PaisleyThe Bishop of Paisley is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley in the Province of Glasgow.The diocese covers an area of and is the smallest by area in Scotland. The see is in the town of Paisley where the seat is located at St Mirin's Cathedral.The diocese was erected on 25 May...
- Bishop of Motherwell
The Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh
Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. It is the Metropolitan see of the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, consisting of the additional suffragan sees of Aberdeen, Argyll and the Isles,...
was to be the Metropolitan See for Scotland with the Archdiocese of Glasgow
Archdiocese of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow was one of the thirteen dioceses of the Scottish church. It was the second largest diocese in the Kingdom of Scotland, including Clydesdale, Teviotdale, parts of Tweeddale, Liddesdale, Annandale, Nithsdale, Cunninghame, Kyle, and Strathgryfe, as well as Lennox Carrick...
to be under control of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
It was nearly 100 years before Scotland had its first post-Reformation cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
appointed. In 1969 Archbishop Gray of Edinburgh was elevated to the rank of Cardinal. Since then Cardinal Winning
Thomas Winning
Thomas Joseph Winning was a Scottish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 and President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland from 1985 until his death...
and Cardinal O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien is a Scottish Cardinal and the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh of the Roman Catholic Church. O'Brien is currently the only living Cardinal from Scotland....
have held the post.