Peter Kearney

Peter Kearney (born 10 February 1963) is the Director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office (SCMO). He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and is a graduate of Glasgow university.
He is a former Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate for the United Kingdom Parliament.
Peter kearney was instrumental in the visit of Pope Benedict to Scotland on Thursday 16th September 2010.
In his capacity as Director of Communications for the Catholic Church in Scotland, Kearney is in regular contact with his counterparts throughout the world, both in the Catholic Church and other faiths.
On 6 May 1999 Kearney contested the devolved Scottish elections for the SNP, a first time candidate and the SNP's National Political Education and Training officer. There was a swing of 8.4% from Labour to the SNP and Elaine Smith, the Labour candidate, was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Coatbridge & Chryston with a (reduced) Labour majority of 10,404 over Kearney. Labour (Smith) took 17,923 votes (or 59.35%), down 8.97%, while the SNP (Kearney) took 7,519 votes (24.90%) up 7.88%. Coatbridge & Chryston is one of the safest Labour seats in the UK.
As a lifelong supporter of Scottish independence, he has maintained a great deal of scepticism toward the devolved Scottish executive, believing it would be a cul de sac for nationalists. "It would appear Scotland is no significantly nearer to independence now than before devolution".
A devout Catholic, Peter Kearney strongly supports Catholic schools in Scotland and throughout the world, however this is a contentious subject amongst those in Scotland who still uphold an anti-Catholic bias. He strongly believes that in an inclusive modern democracy parents should have the right to choose the type of education they want for their children.
He has shown himself to be a calm and determined defender of Catholic values. A regular on TV and radio programmes Kearney is often attacked by dogmatic secularists, and anti faith bigots.
His intellect and fine debating skills make him a formidable opponent in any debate, often leaving fellow panelists tongue tied and embarrassed.
Personal life :
In 2008 he founded the Andrea Kearney Fund in memory of his late wife. It is a charity that supports women who are diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. www.andreakearney.org .
He has five children.
He is an accomplished motorcyclist and scuba diver, and is currently undergoing training for his PPL (private pilot's licence).
Quotes
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church, said Scotland had excelled itself in the reception it had given.
“Scotland has set the bar extremely high for this papal visit. The sun shone, the crowds were singing and cheering, and Scotland presented an especially welcoming face to the Pope and indeed the world.”
He said claims that the visit of Pope Benedict would not generate the same reception as his predecessor, John Paul II, in 1982 had been rendered irrelevant by the turnout.
“I think today saw an explosion of enthusiasm which has really made all the negativity irrelevant. It has dramatically exceeded expectation
“In terms of our PR strategy, the objections to the Pope’s visit within Scotland have been so small and frankly insignificant they haven’t really demanded much in the way of a response,” said Peter Kearney, SCMO director. Kearney also dismissed the calls for change from within the Church, from the likes of Catholic Voices for Reform.
“It is clichéd,” he said. “It was fashionable 40 years ago. A new generation of Catholics active in the Church today would find those objections, such as wanting an end to celibacy or the ordination of women, laughable. These calls are as dramatic and revolutionary as wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt.”
Herald, 5 Sep 2010
The human foetus cannot feel pain before 24 weeks, according to a Government-commissioned report, which has reignited the debate over the abortion time limit.
However, Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: “The idea of justifying the killing of another by citing, as a legal defence, that the victim was under a general anaesthetic or even asleep would rightly be seen as ludicrous. The same applies for protecting the pre-born human being. Human rights for all, not pain levels and sedation, is the issue.”
Herald, 26 June 2010
PLANS to carry out a world-first stem cell treatment on stroke patients at a Scottish hospital, which uses tissue taken from an aborted foetus, were yesterday criticised as “unethical” by critics.
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said the source of the stem cells was unethical.
He said: “No one should act as the means to someone else’s end. The parallel here would be that lots of people in this country need a kidney.
“Should we go to countries, let’s say that have the death penalty, and take them from people that have been hanged or should we go to prisoners who are serving life sentences in this country and take their kidneys out? “You can make a strong case that it will transform the life of someone else, which it would, but that doesn’t mean it is justifiable.”
Daily Express Monday August 23,2010
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church, said the move to caution Boruc was "regrettable".
He said: "It's a worrying and alarming development, especially since the sign of the cross is globally accepted as a gesture of religious reverence.
"It's also very common in international football and was commonplace throughout the World Cup.
"It is extremely regrettable that Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simple religious gesture is considered an offence."
Sportinglife.com - May 9, 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11341295
*“I believe an evangelical media office would be a major asset and it could work with other denominations such as ourselves, to better present the Christian voice to Scotland.” July 2006
*“inter-church co-operation has never been closer than it is today.” September 2, 2004
*“There is an overwhelming body of evidence showing that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and reduce the life expectancy of those involved.” quoted in the Daily Mail, January 28, 2009

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