Archbishop Mario Conti – former Caithness parish priest and 'a much-loved figure' – dies at age of 88
A FORMER Caithness parish priest – described as "a man of culture " and a much-loved figure", has died at the age of 88 following a short illness. Archbishop Mario Conti, who served in Wick and Thurso for 15 years in the 1960s and 70s, passed away on Tuesday evening at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
He was born in Elgin on March 20, 1934 and had been a priest for 64 years and a bishop for 45 years. He wanted to be a priest for as long as he could remember.
Mr Conti trained at St Mary's College, Blairs, Aberdeenshire, before studying at the Scots College and Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he obtained degrees in philosophy and theology. He was ordained priest in Rome in October 1958.
After a series of roles, including his only parish priest appointment to St Joachim's in Wick and St Anne's in Thurso – Scotland’s most northerly mainland Catholic parishes – where he served from 1962 to 1977, he was named bishop of Aberdeen in February 1977 and was ordained by Cardinal Gordon Gray, of St Andrews and Edinburgh at Aberdeen, in May 1977.
He was one of the last surviving bishops to have been appointed by Pope (now saint) Paul VI.
After 25 years in Aberdeen as Bishop he was named as successor to Cardinal Tom Winning as Archbishop of Glasgow in 2002, serving for 10 years during which time he developed deep ties with the city and its people.
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One of his proudest moments came when he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to Britain at the first public Mass of the German Pope's state visit in 2010 at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
He held honorary doctorates from the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian.
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Glasgow, said it was "with great sorrow" it announced the death of Archbishop Mario Conti, Emeritus Archbishop of Glasgow.
It described the Archbishop as "a man of culture" who was "involved in a wide range of activities." He was held in high esteem in Rome and led the Vatican delegation to the World Council of Churches in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1998.
"During the pontificate of St John Paul II he also served as a member of two departments of the Roman Curia – the Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Council for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church.
"He was much loved by the Italian community in Scotland."
The statement added: "His episcopal motto was to serve with a sincere heart – and those who knew him well can testify that he lived up to that motto to a heroic degree.
"He lived quietly after his retirement as Archbishop, assisting his successors when asked to do so."
Commenting on the death of his predecessor, Archbishop William Nolan said: "The death of Archbishop Mario will be felt not just in the Archdiocese of Glasgow, but across Scotland and beyond. He was a much-loved figure, a man of great energy and pastoral zeal, who loved the Church and loved the people in his care.
"When I was appointed Archbishop earlier this year I found him both gracious and welcoming and full of ideas and suggestions for the future".