Cardinal Keith O'Brien, President of the Bishops' Confernce of Scotland has written to the Archbishop of Paris, Archbishop André Vingt-Trois expressing his condolences and those of the Bishops of Scotland following the death of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop Emeritus of Paris. Cardinal Lustiger who died on Sunday aged 80 was the only Jewish convert to Roman Catholicism to become a French bishop in modern times. The text of Cardinal O'Brien's letter is shown below.

ENDS

Peter Kearney Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St. Vincent Place
Glasgow
G1 2DH
0141 221 1168
pk@scmo.org
www.scmo.org

His Excellency
Archbishop André Vingt-Trois
Archbishop of Paris
7 rue Saint-Vincent
75018 PARIS
France


Your Excellency

I extend to you my own sympathy, that of Archbishop Conti of Glasgow and my brother Bishops of Scotland and indeed that of the whole Catholic community of Scotland, on the death of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop Emeritus of Paris.

Cardinal Lustiger was an outstanding figure in the life of our Church in recent years, both because of his own life history and then because of the way in which he handed on the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Famed for his ministry to young people and students, it was a particular joy for very many of us from Scotland to be in Paris as guests of the Cardinal, along with Pope John Paul II for the wonderful celebrations of World Youth Day in your capital city in August 1997. It is also only 18 months ago that Cardinal Lustiger presided at the re-dedication celebrations of the chapel of the Scots College in rue du Cardinal Lemoine, underlining the long connection between Scotland and France.

Thankfully, I will be able to be present at the funeral Mass for the late Cardinal on Friday morning and look forward to being with you and uniting in prayer with you and your people on that occasion.

We pray that God may grant him eternal rest and comfort all who mourn his death.

Yours sincerely in Christ

+ Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien
Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland