A recently appointed bishop has told how Scotland’s Catholics now embrace Guy Fawkes Night – despite its links to anti-Catholicism.
Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, famously marks the failed gunpowder plot of 1603 when mercenary Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters failed in their bid to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and King James VI of Scotland.
In England, ‘Gunpowder Treason Day’ became a major state celebration and it remained so until well into the 1850s.
Its significance was always less in Scotland, and Bishop Frank Dougan, Bishop of Galloway, told jounalists that Catholics are comfortable celebrating Bonfire Night despite its historical connotations.
He said: “Catholics in Scotland quite happily celebrate Guy Fawkes night as a secular celebration rather than anything else.
“I remember learning about the Gunpowder Plot in my Catholic primary school in the 1970s and it was learned as a matter of history rather than having any sectarian threat. To be honest, my biggest concern then was how much my dog hated the fireworks!”
While Fawkes has become the face of the murderous conspiracy, he was just one of 13 Catholics involved who hoped to steer England away from Protestantism.
He wasn’t even the ringleader but it was him caught guarding the cache of explosives totalling 36 barrels below Parliament on November 5, 1603.
Bishop Dougan, pictured right, added: “Whatever the history of Bonfire Night might be, I wonder how many people would be aware of any anti-Catholic history or sentiment.
“A more significant event in recent days that shows where we are would be the visit of King Charles to Pope Leo XIV and the unprecedented sight of the two praying together.”