By Peter Kearney
Pope Francis has agreed to bestow the papal awards of Knight and Dame of St Gregory the Great on Lord William Haughey and Lady Susan Haughey, in recognition of their considerable charitable work for the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Motherwell, the City of Glasgow, throughout Scotland, and worldwide.
Bishop Joseph Toal, the Bishop of Motherwell, said: “I am delighted that Pope Francis has recognised the long history of charitable donations both to church and community charities and to the support of many Church and charitable causes in the across the West of Scotland and the world.
“I offer many congratulations to Lord and Lady Haughey on these awards and thank them for their tireless generosity.”
Lord Haughey said: “We are both surprised, humbled and honoured that the Holy Father has graciously chosen to bestow these wonderful Knighthoods upon us, our faith means everything to us, we very much appreciate how lucky we are to be in a position to give something back.
“Our Parish and local community are a huge part of our lives, we are delighted to help in all their charitable endeavours.”
Lord and Lady Haughey have been honoured by Pope Francis.
The awards ceremony will take place at a Mass on the 29th of June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in the parish of St Mark’s and St Anthony’s in Rutherglen at 7.00pm
William Haughey was born in Glasgow and attended Holyrood Secondary School and Langside College. He was awarded an OBE in 2003 and was knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to business and philanthropy.
In September 2013, he was appointed as a Life Peer in the House of Lords.
Susan Haughey attended Holyrood Secondary School and was awarded the CBE in 2016 in 2017 she was appointed as Lord Lieutenant for Lanarkshire.
William and Susan married in 1978. In 2002, they established the City Charitable Trust, which has donated over £20 million to deserving causes over the past 22 years, many of them in Scotland but also internationally.
Some of the projects the Haughey Trust has assisted:
• The building of the Kilbryde Hospice
• Medical research – Cystic Fibrosis, MND, Cancer Research
• EMMAUS – the trust built the EMMAUS homeless shelter
• They fund local pensioners clubs and foodbanks on an annual basis
• Lord Provost Goodwill Fund
• Huge support for underprivileged children
The City Charitable Trust also supported the fight against human trafficking through the work of the Galileo Foundation.