The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

The Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland work together to undertake nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies.

The members of the Bishops' Conference are the Bishops of the eight Scottish Dioceses. Where appropriate the Bishops Emeriti (retired) provide a much welcomed contribution to the work of the conference. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland is a permanently constituted assembly which meets regularly throughout the year to address relevant business matters.

BISHOPS RESPOND TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT'S PALLIATIVE CARE CONSULTATION

Scotland’s Catholic Bishops: Scottish Government’s laudable draft strategy on palliative care stands in stark contrast to dangerous assisted suicide proposal

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has responded positively to Scottish Government proposals for a new strategy on palliative care.

In its submission to a recent consultation the bishops declared their support for the draft strategy, stating that the proposals “uphold the dignity of human life for those at the end of life, their families, and carers” and said that the “laudable” proposals “stand in stark contrast to the dangerous Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament.

The bishops said: “rather than being used to kill people, many of whom are vulnerable, public resources should be invested in helping people to live and to be more comfortable at the end of life.”

The bishops emphasised the crucial role of palliative care, declaring it to be “a precious and crucial instrument in the care of patients during terminal illness” and encouraged the government to ensure that a framework is in place to allow hospices to be appropriately funded to continue to deliver end-of-life care to all those who need it.

The bishops also stressed the importance of spiritual care and assistance for patients and their families at the end of life and called for such support to be a key element of a holistic approach to end-of-life care. Please see the full submission at the Catholic Parliamentary Office website

Click here to visit the Jubilee 2025 website

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.
Amen

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News from the Commissions and Agencies

January 2025

17Jan

Photos from Justice & Peace Scotland's post

17 Jan, 2025 | Justice & Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

📸 Journals From Jerusalem - Day One

⛪Today was spent visiting some of the holy sites in and around the Old City of Jerusalem associated with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These places are often bustling with Christian pilgrims but they have not been visiting over the past fifteen months because of the war, although small numbers have started to return more recently.

✝️A memorable part of Day One was joining the Franciscans on the Via Dolorosa. Every Friday at 3pm they process and pray the Way of the Cross, walking the path Jesus took on Good Friday through the city from the Church of the Condemnation to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

🕯️We offered our prayers while following in the footsteps of Christ's Passion for peace and inside the basilica, in view of the empty tomb, lit candles praying that the light of hope may shine through the darkness.

17Jan

Fantastic film by @sciaf_insta and great words from Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue!

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Fantastic film by @sciaf_insta and great words from Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue!

17Jan

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

17Jan

Together with the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, we pray that the proposed ceasefire deal ends the violence t...

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Together with the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, we pray that the proposed ceasefire deal ends the violence that has caused immeasurable suffering.

Read the full statement on our website: https://www.sciaf.org.uk/about-us/news/736-declaration-of-the-catholic-ordinaries-on-the-ceasefire-in-gaza

17Jan

St. Anthony Abbot: The Tradition of Blessing Animals

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.ewtnvatican.com/articles/st-anthony-abbot-the-tradition-of-blessing-animals-2096

Each year on February 17th, Pope Pius XII’s Square outside of St. Peter’s Basilica turns into a farm for the Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot.

17Jan

Saint Anthony of Egypt | Franciscan Media

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-anthony-of-egypt/

Saint Anthony was a solitary ascetic who practiced great mortification yet drew many people to himself. He responded by founding an early form of monastic life. He lived until age 105.

17Jan

A family’s journey of Faith - The Irish Catholic

17 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.irishcatholic.com/a-familys-journey-of-faith/
What’s your story?

When a relative asked me to write about my family’s Catholic background, it felt like an adventure into the unknown. I’ve always been curious about our past, and this seemed like the perfect excuse to dig into the stories that shaped us. What I found was a tapestry of faith, family, and history ...

16Jan

✝️ Archbishop Nolan travels today to Jerusalem to join fellow bishops from across Europe for the Holy Land Coordination 2025

16 Jan, 2025 | Justice & Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

✝️ Archbishop Nolan travels today to Jerusalem to join fellow bishops from across Europe for the Holy Land Coordination 2025. He will be accompanied by Justice & Peace Scotland's Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer, Anne-Marie Clements.

🙏The Holy Land Coordination is an annual meeting that is defined by four Ps – Presence, Prayer, Pilgrimage, and Pressure.

⛪The bishops, accompanied by representatives from various Catholic organisations, go to be present to the Christians who remain in the Holy Land, to let them know they are not forgotten; to pray with them; to encourage pilgrimage to their land; and to advocate on their behalf at home.

📸 Anne-Marie will be sharing "Journals From Jerusalem" posts over the next week, look out for these across our social media.

Image credit: Marcin Mazur, CBCEW.

16Jan

Final Document of the XVI Assembly

16 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Yesterday the Bishops' Conference Synodality Committee met under the guidance of Bishop McGee, to discuss the final document of the Oct 2023/4 Synod. The Committee which includes lay members from all the Scottish dioceses, prayed and shared their hopes for the implementation of synodality at all levels within the Church in Scotland. Its recommendations will be submitted to the next Conference meeting at the end of January.

Final Document of the XVI Assembly

16Jan

An LA Fire captain’s surprising find in rubble of Palisades church

16 Jan, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://angelusnews.com/local/la-catholics/corpus-christi-tabernacle/

LA Fire Department Captain Bryan Nassour and his team retrieved several sacred objects from inside the church spared by the Palisades Fire.