Ordination of the Bishop of Galloway

That this House congratulates the Right Reverend Francis Dougan as Bishop of Galloway on his ordination to the Episcopate in a very moving and joyful ceremony at the Church of Saint Peter-in-Chains, Ardrossan, on 9 March 2024; is aware that Bishop Dougan, originally from Lanark, received his priestly ordination on 27 June 2001 and was incardinated in the diocese of Motherwell; understands that Bishop Dougan will succeed Archbishop William Nolan who served as the Bishop of Galloway from 2015 to 2022 before assuming the position of Archbishop of Glasgow; recognises that Bishop Dougan was ordained by the Most Reverend Leo Cushley, Metropolitan Archbishop of Saint Andrews & Edinburgh; notes that the role will see Bishop Dougan become the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway which covers the local authority areas of Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and mainland North Ayrshire and Cumbrae; acknowledges that upon his ordination Bishop Dougan proclaimed the need for a Church where everyone can feel at home and welcomed and expressed his commitment to continue to build on the solid foundations left by those who have come before us, stretching back to St Ninian who first planted the seeds of the Christian faith in Galloway; and wishes Bishop Dougan all the best in his endeavours in his new role which he will tackle with gusto and good humour.