FULL responsibility for the mistakes discovered in Glasgow's new #3m
museum of religious life and art has been accepted by the man is charge
of the project, Mr Mark O'Neill.
''I take the blame. I'm embarrassed and upset,'' Mr O'Neill said
yesterday after the museum's shortcomings had been rigorously exposed by
the Rt Rev. Hugh Wylie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland.
Civic leaders were themselves accutely embarrassed when the Moderator
used the occasion of a civic lunch on Tuesday to deliver an impassioned
critique of the St Mungo museum and guide book, complaining of
historical errors of fact and an unfortunate emphasis on the conflicts
that had riven the Christian communities in the past.
Mr O'Neill yesterday said he had had only two years to set up ''a new
national museum''. He believed between five and 10 years was the norm
for an exhibition of such scale.
He used only one academic consultant for the project -- Professor
Ninian Smart, the Glasgow-born professor of comparative religion at the
University of California.
Mr O'Neill said: ''He is probably the single most eminent scholar of
comparative religion in the world. He's the leader in that field.
''Obviously, we should have had someone with more in-depth knowlege of
Scottish history as well, but we thought that with him and our in-house
knowledge, it would have been enough. That's where the inadequate
preparation lay.''
He now plans to ask local historians and clerics to review the gallery
completely for factual errors and then make immediate corrections. An
errata slip is to be included in the guidebook which will be completely
rewritten in its second edition.
Perhaps the most glaring mistake was to describe the monarch as head
of the Church of Scotland, whereas presbyterians insist that only Christ
can claim that title.
How could such an error be made? ''It was fatigue,'' he said. ''That's
not an excuse. That's an explanation. I'm not trying avoid blame for
getting it wrong.''
Mr O'Neill was anticipating an angry telephone call from one of his
political masters but by late yesterday afternoon it had not come.
In his soft Irish accent, Mr O'Neill said: ''I'm not sure whether I'm
being frozen out. I think the council will accept that the mistakes made
were honest mistakes and that there was no malice involved.
''My impression is that the politicians are very pleased with the
museum. Once we've ironed out these little difficulties, the museum will
be a major asset to the city, and I think they know that.''
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