Pope Leo XIV meets two Scottish VIPs!

POPE Leo XIV met some very important Scottish visitors at the Vatican recently in the shape of Missio Scotland’s National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart, and our schools’ mascot Missy Moo (above)!

Fr Vincent had travelled to Rome as one of the 120 national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) who meet annually for the General Assembly, at which those gathered enjoyed an audience with his Holiness at the start of June in the Clementine Hall in the Vatican.

In his address to the National Directors, the Holy Father reflected on the rich history and enduring contribution of the societies to the Church’s missionary mission throughout the world. He highlighted several important missionary anniversaries being celebrated in 2026—especially the centenary of World Mission Sunday—established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 at the request of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

The Pope noted that for 100 years World Mission Sunday has been dedicated to prayer, reflection and support for evangelisation—particularly in young Churches and regions where the Gospel is only beginning to take root. He stressed that the occasion also serves to remind Christians in older, more established Churches that they too share responsibility for the Church’s universal missionary mission.

Pope Leo expressed gratitude for the generosity of the faithful whose contributions on World Mission Sunday enable the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith to support more than 1130 ecclesiastical territories through infrastructure development, pastoral initiatives, and missionary outreach.

Speaking about his own personal encounter—and that of Missy Moo—Fr Vincent commented on the Holy Father’s warm and engaging style, as noted by everyone who met him.

“When you meet him, Pope Leo has this great capacity to focus his whole attention on you so that you feel you are the only person in the world for him at that moment,” Fr Vincent said. “I told him a bit about myself and gave the greetings of the staff at Missio Scotland.

“Then during the conversation, I presented Pope Leo with Missy Moo and said: ‘This is the mascot of Missionary Children in Scotland. It is a wee Scottish highland cow. The children of Scotland would like you to have it.’

“He smiled and said: ‘Thank you very much and please thank the children of Scotland for me and God bless them.’ He then held Missy Moo up and shook her, pointing to Cardinal Tagle, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation.”