Catholic Church in Scotland the eastern suburbs of Glasgow, especially around Coatbridge, populated mostly by the descendants of Irish immigrants. According to the 2011 census, Catholics comprise 16% of the overall population, making it the second largest church after the Church of Scotland (32%). In recent years the Catholic Church in Scotland has suffered from poor publicity connected to attacks made against secular and liberal values by senior clergy. Joseph Devine, Bishop of Motherwell, came under fire after describing the "gay lobby" as "the opposition" who were responsible for mounting "a giant conspiracy" to shape public policy. Criticism has also been levelled at perceived
School debating in Scotland new competition, the East of Scotland Debater, has since started. Regional heats have taken place and the final will be held on 4 June in St Andrews University's Parliament Hall. Finalists are Robert Gordon's College, Morrison's Academy, the High School of Dundee and Forfar Academy. The largest competition in Scotland for S1-S3 debaters and is run by English-Speaking Union Scotland. The 2006/7 competition received 113 entries. The competition is in BP format, with four teams of two competing in the debate. The 2007 grand final took place in the National Galleries of Scotland. The winners were Georgina Barker and Hannah