Mass as Angelika church reopens

Archbishop Mario Conti sought to cleanse the church

The Glasgow church where the Polish student Angelika Kluk was found murdered has been officially re-opened.

Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti officiated at the first Sunday mass at St Patrick's in Anderson in 11 months.

He said the brutal death of the 23-year-old, whose body was found under the floorboards, would not be forgotten but it was now time for a fresh start.

Peter Tobin, 60, who had worked at the church as a handyman, was jailed for life for her rape and murder.

The archbishop carried out a ceremony which sought to symbocially cleanse the congregation and the church with holy water at the beginning of mass.

Renovation work

He said: "The message today is that we can move from the past to the future, so the present is a turning point."

Canon Robert Hill has replaced Father Gerry Nugent, who was found guilty of contempt of court, as parish priest.

Nugent, 63, was repeatedly warned about "prevaricating" when being questioned during the high court trial of Tobin.

The priest, who revealed he was an alcoholic, said he had a sexual relationship with Ms Kluk, 23, who had been working as a cleaner at the church and saving up money for her studies.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow issued an apology for his actions.

Major renovation work was carried out during the closure of the church.

In the past St Patrick's has operated an open-door policy but church officials said this would now be reviewed.

Prayers were said for Angelika at an informal service earlier in the week.