Raising a glass to the Pope

WORK of art . . . the six coloured panes by Brian Clarke which make up the window at the Vatican Embassy in London, to be blessed by the Pope

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INTERNATIONALLY renowned stained-glass artist Brian Clarke is playing a colourful part in the visit of the Pope to England in September.

Brian (56) was born in Oldham and educated at Oldham School of Art, has designed stained glass for the chapel at the Papal Nunciature in London (The Vatican Embassy).

The windows will be blessed by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit. They show three lit candles in rich red and blue stained glass to reflect three prominent Catholic intellectuals — Thomas More, John Fisher and John Henry Newman.

A detail from the design has also been used as the cover for the 2010 UK Papal visit booklet, and the logo for the entire Papal Visit is based on the design.

It will be the first official state visit by invitation of the Government by a Pontiff — the 1982 visit by Pope John Paul II was a pastoral visit.

Talented Brian, who created the stained-glass design in the Spindles Shopping Centre, has been awarded an honorary degree by University Colege Oldham and is world famous for his stained-glass designs, which began with church glass.

Among other projects he was the artist for the King Faisal Foundation in Saudi Arabia, the Holocaust Memorial in Darmstadt and the Stamford Cone in Connecticut.