Heading off to Edinburgh where schools called St Ninians from all over Scotland are celebrating the feast of the first Chistian Missionary in Scotland. One of the school's is my old one, St Ninians Primary in Gourock. If I manage to find them in the crowds, I hope the kids can give me an update on the bogeyman in the toilets.
It came as a surprise to learn that today used to be a big event in pre-reformation days. But there's a lot about the early Catholic church in Scotland we have forgotten. To mark the Pope's visit, The First Minister handed over Scotland's gift to the Pontiff (above) a stone inlaid with granite from Whithorn, where Ninian's mission was based. He also gave an important speech where he pointed out that it was the church bishops who played a crucial role in the Wars of Independence. In those days it was The Vatican that verified the independent status of a country. The Catholic Church is one of the few global institutions - the other being FIFA - that continues to give Scotland a seat at the top table in her own right. We have a separate ecclesiastical juristication from England. So although the kirk shaped the modern nation, that nation would not exist in its present form but for the earlier church
A world leader who recognises the Ancient Nation of Scotland.
Posted by: el el | September 16, 2010 at 08:44 AM