Archbishop who smeared dead gay Labour MP suffers heart attack
The Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia – who was criticised for making offensive remarks about the late gay Labour MP David Cairns – has suffered a heart attack.
Archbishop Tartaglia, who leads the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, in 2012 linked the death of gay Labour MP David Cairns to his sexuality.
He said: “Recently in Scotland there was a gay Catholic MP who died at the age of 44 or so and nobody said anything and why his body should just shut down at that age, obviously he could have had a disease which would have killed anyone, but you seem to hear so many stories about this kind of thing. But society won’t address it.”
Mr Cairns’ partner of 15 years Dermot Kehoe and Labour leader Ed Miliband condemned the comments, and Archbishop Tartaglia subsequently apologised.
The 64-year-old was admitted to hospital in the Spanish city of Salamanca on Thursday.
The church said the Archbishop – who was attending a conference in the country – was “conscious and in good spirits”.
However, he will remain in hospital until he is well enough to return home.
The Archbishop’s spokesman said: “The Archbishop today is conscious and in good spirits has been visited by other Scots bishops attending the meeting.
“The Archbishop will remain in hospital in Spain until he is well enough to return home. Further medical updates will be released if any change in the Archbishop’s condition takes place.”
Leo Cushley, the Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, added: “Please pray for Archbishop Tartaglia’s health as he undergoes tests following a heart attack. Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for him.”
