Cardinal Thomas Winning - Vivienne Belton

Thomas Joseph Winning is the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic community and, as a Cardinal, is well known on the international church stage. After a steady but unspectacular rise through the ranks of the church, he became Archbishop of Glasgow in 1974. Winning made history as the first roman Catholic Archbishop to address the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, ending over four hundred years of official silence between Protestants and Catholics. He played a key role in bringing the Pope to Britain when the Falklands War put John Paul II's visit in jeopardy, and by the time he was made Cardinal in 1994, the name Tom Winning was synonymous with straight talking. Seen as a strong defender of Christian values by some and as a hide-bound reactionary by others, his well-publicised comments on religious, moral and social issues have been both admired and reviled. This biographical portrait chronicles the life of Thomas Winning, the characters and events which had a formative influence upon him, and gives an insight into the personality of the miner's son who became a Prince of the Church but whose heart lies firmly with his people.