A priest who shot to world attention in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing has been forced to retire or risk never being able to speak again.
The Very Rev Canon Patrick Keegans was the parish priest in the small Scottish town when Pan Am Flight 103 came down in 1988.
He was praised for his handling of the atrocity and provided comfort for many of the 290 families affected.
Now the 70-year-old has been ordered to retire from ministry by doctors who say if he doesn't rest his voice "completely with immediate effect" he will be permanently unable to speak.
Canon Keegans is currently serving at St Margaret's Cathedral in Ayr but will leave the parish in September.
Bishop William Nolan, Bishop of the Diocese of Galloway, told the Daily Record: "It was such a shock when we got this news.
"It all happened so quickly, he's been told that he has to stop speaking right away to preserve his voice.
"It's not just the sadness, it's the shock. There's no warning for something like this.
"Canon Keegans has been a great servant of the church and a great servant to the people of Ayr in his 19 years."
It's hoped his voice will heal with rest but it will not recover enough for him to go back into ministry.
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