Pro-life group SPUC welcomes new Catholic archbishop of Glasgow : The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk has welcomed the appointment of Bishop Philip Tartaglia as the new Catholic archbishop of Glasgow.

John Smeaton, SPUC’s chief executive, commented: "Archbishop-elect Tartaglia has been outspoken in the defence of the sanctity of human life, as well as the dignity of the family based solely on marriage between one man and one woman. In 2011 he said that: ‘[T]he fundamental human right is the right to life from conception to its natural end... [L]egalised abortion is the primary fatal injustice of our times, which has no place in a civilised society.’"(endorsement, 40 Days for Life 2011 )

Mr Smeaton continued: "Archbishop-elect Tartaglia has been equally strong in opposing same-sex marriage, saying: ‘Nature, reason and religion concur that marriage is uniquely the union of a man and a woman, which, by its very nature, is designed for the mutual good of the spouses and to give the children who may be born of that union a father and a mother ... Same-sex ‘marriage’ will change the nature of parenting. The normal mother and father model of parenting will be replaced in law and then gradually in culture by a non gender-specific model of parenting which will deprive children of their right to have a mother and a father’ (pastoral letter, 4 October 2011 )

Mr Smeaton concluded: "We at SPUC look forward to supporting Archbishop-elect Tartaglia in his pro-life and pro-family ministry in the coming, challenging years. We thank Archbishop-emeritus Mario Conti for the support he has given to SPUC and to the pro-life and pro-family cause over many years."

John Smeaton, SPUC director, can be contacted on 07785 325808 or 020 7820 3128.