Funeral of Archbishop Mario Conti takes place in Glasgow

The funeral of Archbishop Mario Conti, the Archbishop Emeritus of Glasgow, took place at St Andrew’s Cathedral in the city on Friday.

The archbishop died at the age of 88, following a short illness, in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on November 8.

Bishop Hugh Gilbert, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland and the Bishop of Aberdeen, said that Archbishop Conti would be remembered with “real affection and appreciation” as “a good and faithful servant” of the church.

He added: “He will be remembered for his ecumenical sensibility and his wide and appreciated involvement in dialogue with other Christians.”

Archbishop Mario Conti at the mass to mark his installation in Glasgow in 2002 PA Media

The archbishop had been a priest in the Catholic Church for 64 years and a bishop for 45 years.

He trained at St Mary’s College, Blairs, near Aberdeen, and went on to study at the Scots College and Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He gained degrees in theology and philosophy.

He was ordained a priest in Rome on October 26 1958 and was one of the last surviving bishops in the world to have been appointed by Pope Paul VI.

After a few roles in the church, Mr Conti was named Bishop of Aberdeen in February 1977 and chosen as Cardinal Thomas Winning’s successor as the Archbishop of Glasgow in 2002.

He served in that role for 10 years.

After his death, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon; Archbishop William Nolan, the current Archbishop of Glasgow; Bishop Hugh Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen; and Rt Rev Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; all paid tribute to him and his legacy.