The Scots College Rome, 1600-2000 (review)

Oftentimes centennial projects become either apologetic or triumphalistic pieces as they move from initial concept to publication. After all, the purpose of these types of works is celebratory of the institution as it has arrived to be. Having said this, a book on the quatercentenary of the Scots College that actually "aims to make an important contribution to the continuing attempts by scholars to re-draft their understanding of Scottish culture, society, and, ultimately identity" (p. xii) warrants a positive comment even this late after publication. The Scots College Rome, 1600–2000, edited by Raymond McCluskey, provides a solid history of the Scots College, as well as an admirable contribution to the history of the Scottish Catholic Church over its last four centuries.

While its broad survey of a narrow topic leaves little room for more than basic development, McCluskey opted for a thoroughly researched collection of essays seeking institutional detail over the simply anecdotal. Thus each chapter provides student enrollment and biographies of rectors; the book also includes six appendices, two of which provide important primary sources ("Clement VII's Bull of Foundation" and "the Letters of Thomas Crumly"), while two provide lists ("Cardinal Protectors of the Scottish Nation" and "Rectors of the Scots College Rome"). Anthony Wright places the College's history in its broader historical context in his brief introduction, "Rome, the Papacy and the Foundation of National Colleges in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries." "A Register of the Scots College Archives" (Appendix 4) provides a useful resource for anyone considering further research in the relations of the Scottish Church and Rome.

Rather than arbitrarily setting each chapter at hundred-year intervals, the essays follow turning points. Thus the first chapter, "Beginnings, 1600–1707," ends with the death of Will Leslie, the priest agent for the Scottish Church in Rome. While never rector of the Scots College, Leslie gave it his attention and support, while challenging the Jesuit dominance of it and the mission. Since the Society of Jesus had a presence in Scotland during the difficult period after the Parliament of 1560, they came to predominate in the pastoral work there, and held sway over the College until the middle of the seventeenth century. Leslie's long tenure in Rome (1650–1707) did much to encourage the re-establishment of a secular clergy in Scotland, and the curtailment of Jesuit dominance in Scottish ecclesiastical affairs. Despite the controversial relations between Leslie and the Jesuits, the narrative presents a balanced approach to both sides.

The second chapter, "Development, 1707–1820," addresses the delicate issues of the presence of Jansenism in the Scottish Church, and the Suppression of the Society of Jesus. This chapter also presents a balanced summary of these contentious events without descending into a partisan position for or against the Jesuit direction of the college. The final two chapters cover the tribulations and challenges that faced the College in the last two centuries. Revolutions and World Wars threatened the existence of the College, and continuing financial burdens eventually precipitated a move from central Rome to the Via Cassia in 1964. One clear conclusion emerges from the overall work: Many of the same problems—finances, recruitment, and the many pressing needs at home—remain throughout the four centuries covered by this history. In sum, this short book provides a wealth of information on, and a good introduction to the history of the Scottish Catholic Church and its struggles to be reborn in the aftermath of a profoundly uprooting Reformation.