13 Facts About Donal Lamont

Donal Raymond Lamont was born on 27 July 1911 at Ballycastle, County Antrim, in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland.

Donal Lamont was a pupil at the Carmelite school Terenure College, in Dublin.

In 1957, Umtali was given the status of a diocese, and Lamont appointed its first bishop.

In 1959, Bishop Donal Lamont wrote his first pastoral letter as a bishop, entitled Purchased People.

Donal Lamont had been a long-time critic of the policies of both the Government of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and the Government of Southern Rhodesia, claiming they were racist.

Donal Lamont denounced the white people in power in the country as a colonial-style clique while praising black leaders and their guerrillas as freedom fighters.

Donal Lamont continued to be highly critical of the Rhodesian Government, speaking out against their segregationist policies and accusing them of responsibility for atrocities carried out by the armed forces.

Donal Lamont had no criticism to make of the guerillas' activities.

Bishop Donal Lamont was tried in 1976, accused of permitting nuns within his diocese to give medical aid to black guerrillas and advising the nuns not to report this to the authorities, for their own safety.

Donal Lamont pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard labour, which was reduced to four years on appeal.

Donal Lamont was detained in Salisbury Hospital, where he received treatment for injuries caused in a car accident, while the Rhodesian Government quietly made arrangements to just have him deported.

Donal Lamont was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

Donal Lamont then retired to the Carmelite community at Terenure College in Dublin, where he died on 14 August 2003.