William Nolan (bishop)

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Archbishop

| honorific-prefix = The Most Reverend

| name = William Nolan

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Bishops Conference meeting with the First Minister (54168248454) (William Nolan cropped).jpg

| caption = Nolan in 2024

| title = Archbishop of Glasgow

| see = Glasgow

| appointed = 4 February 2022

| enthroned = 26 February 2022

| ended =

| predecessor = Philip Tartaglia

| successor =

| previous_post = Bishop of Galloway (2014–2022)

| ordination = 30 June 1977

| ordained_by =

| consecration = 14 February 2015

| consecrated_by = Leo Cushley

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1954|1|26}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| buried =

| church = Roman Catholic

| residence =

| parents = William and Catherine Nolan

| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Pontifical Scots College, Rome|Pontifical Gregorian University}}

| motto = Sibilus Aurae Tenius (1 Kings 19:12, 'The Sound of Sheer Silence')

| signature =

}}{{Infobox bishop styles

| name = William Nolan

| dipstyle = The Most Reverend

| offstyle = Archbishop|[Your Grace]

| relstyle = Archbishop

| image =

| deathstyle =

}}

William Nolan (born 26 January 1954) is a Scottish prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Archbishop of Glasgow since February 2022. He was previously Bishop of Galloway from 2015 to 2022.

Early life

William Nolan was born on 26 January 1954 and baptised in St Patrick’s Church, Craigneuk. He was the fourth of eleven children born to William and Catherine Nolan and has five brothers and five sisters. He attended Cathedral Primary School, Motherwell, St Patrick’s Primary School, Craigneuk, St Vincent’s College, Langbank, and, from 1967 to 1971, St Mary’s College, Blairs.{{cite web | access-date = 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.gallowaydiocese.org.uk/bishop-nolan | url-status= live | title = Bishop Nolan | publisher = Diocese of Galloway | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200221230042/https://www.gallowaydiocese.org.uk/bishop-nolan | archive-date= 21 February 2020 }}

Ordained ministry

=Priest=

Nolan completed his studies for ordination at the Pontifical Scots College, Rome, from 1971 to 1978, earning a license in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in June 1978.

Nolan was ordained priest for the Diocese of Motherwell on 30 June 1977. He was assistant priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, East Kilbride, from 1978 to 1980 and at St. David’s, Plains, from 1980 to 1983. He was Vice-Rector of the Scots College in Rome from 1983 to 1990. Returning to Scotland, he was assistant priest at St Bridget’s, Baillieston, from 1990 to 1994. While parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, East Kilbride, from 1994 to 2014 he held several other assignments, including judge of the National Ecclesisatical Tribunal in Scotland, dean of his zone, head of permanent formation of the clergy of Motherwell, and a member and vice-president of the Presbyteral Council. He became vicar general of the Motherwell Diocese in June 2014.

In 2013, Nolan was appointed administrator of St John Ogilvie Parish in Blantyre when its pastor, Matthew Despard, was suspended during a canonical investigation. Despard had published an attack on the Church hierarchy and tangled with Bishop Joseph Toal, apostolic administrator of the diocese.{{cite news | access-date = 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-24985796 | publisher = BBC News | title = Gay clergy book row priest Father Matthew Despard suspended | date = 18 November 2013 }} Despard's refusal to accept his removal produced an extended dispute with Nolan.{{cite news | access-date = 5 February 2022 | url = https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13175048.clergyman-not-target-fellow-priest/ | work = The Herald (Scotland)| date = 14 August 2014 | title =Clergyman: I did not target fellow priest }}

=Bishop=

File:William Nolan, captain's chair.jpg, November 2017]]

Pope Francis appointed Nolan on 22 November 2014 to succeed John Cunningham as bishop of Galloway.{{cite press release | access-date = 4 February 2022 | date = 22 November 2014 | language = it | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2014/11/22/0877/01889.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 22.11.2014 }}{{cite press release |url=http://www.scmo.org/index.php?page=briefings&article=pope-francis-appoints-new-bish&perma=1416673278 | publisher = Scottish Catholic Media Office|title=Pope Francis appoints new Bishop of Galloway|accessdate=16 January 2017 | date = 22 November 2014 }} Nolan received his episcopal consecration on 14 February 2015 from Leo Cushley. The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini and Bishop emeritus Maurice Taylor served as principal co-consecrators.{{cite web|author=David M. Cheney |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bnolanw.html |title=Bishop William Nolan |website=Catholic hierarchy |date= |accessdate=2016-01-29}} At the time of his appointment, the Galloway diocese had "a troubled history of rebel priests" and Nolan's predecessor had been incapacitated by poor health for several years.

He managed the scandal of a priest of the diocese who stole parish funds to support a gambling addiction in 2015 and was jailed in June 2016.{{cite news | access-date = 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14556107.priest-jailed-10-months-gambling-away-nearly-100-000-parish-funds/ | work = The Herald (Scotland)| date = 14 June 2016 | title = Priest jailed for 10 months after gambling away nearly £100,000 in parish funds | first = Gerry | last = Braiden}} Nolan suffered a heart attack in August 2016.{{cite news | work = The Herald (Scotland) | access-date = 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14684123.scottish-catholic-church-blow-prominent-bishop-william-nolan-suffers-heart-attack/ | date = 15 August 2016 | title = Scottish Catholic Church blow as prominent bishop William Nolan suffers heart attack | first = Gerry | last = Braiden }}

In January 2021, Nolan called upon the UK government to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and abandon its nuclear arsenal.{{cite news | access-date = 5 February 2022 | url = https://cruxnow.com/church-in-uk-and-ireland/2021/01/bishops-say-uk-should-eliminate-nuclear-arsenal-use-money-for-poor | work = Crux | title =Bishops say UK should eliminate nuclear arsenal, use money for poor | first = Simon | last = Caldwell | date= 11 January 2021}} In May 2021, along with Bishop Paul McAleenan, he criticized the government's plans for asylum seekers.{{cite news | access-date = 5 February 2022 | url = https://cruxnow.com/church-in-uk-and-ireland/2021/05/uk-bishops-urge-government-to-show-more-compassion-to-refugees | work = Crux | title = UK bishops urge government to show more compassion to refugees | first = Charles | last = Collins | date= 11 May 2021}} In 2021, he established a Scotland-wide Care of Creation Office to reflect the priorities of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' and anticipating the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.

On 4 February 2022, Pope Francis appointed him to succeed Philip Tartaglia as archbishop of Glasgow.{{cite press release | access-date = 4 February 2022 | date = 4 February 2022 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/02/04/220204d.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Resignations and Appointments, 04.02.2022 }} He was installed there on 26 February.{{cite news | url = https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/national/19954886.new-archbishop-glasgow-reaches-survivors-abuse/ | access-date = 28 February 2022 | date = 26 February 2022 | work = York Press | title = New Archbishop of Glasgow reaches out to survivors of abuse }}

He is the president of Justice and Peace Scotland, a national body that advocates on a variety of social issues from climate change to nuclear weapons. He serves on the board of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund.{{cite news | work = BBC News | access-date = 5 February 2022 | date= 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-60260778 | title = Bishop William Nolan appointed as Archbishop of Glasgow }} Within the Scottish Bishops Conference he heads the Commission on Justice and Peace and The Tablet magazine has described him as "Scotland’s justice and peace bishop".{{cite news | access-date = 5 February 2022 | date= 4 February 2022 | url = https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/14978/william-nolan-to-be-next-archbishop-of-glasgow | title = William Nolan to be next Archbishop of Glasgow | first = Christopher | last = Lamb | work = The Tablet }}