The Pope has bestowed a rare award on a North-East layman for his service to the Church.
John Prendergast, 71, a County Durham coal miner's son, has been appointed a Knight of St Gregory by Pope John II. Mr Prendergast, who once worked at the Catholic Workers College in Oxford, is a former local government worker.
Originally from Blackhall in east Durham, he now lives in Washington, Wearside.
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