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The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Pope Francis RIP


17th December 1936 – 21st April 2025

May he rest in peace


Message of Bishop Keenan President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

It was with deep sadness that we woke to the news that Pope Francis has died and we share in the sense of loss of millions of people across the world. It is a consolation to us that he went to the LORD on Easter Monday and the great Easter Day as a sort of first fruits of the salvation which the Risen Christ shares with His Church.

We thank GOD for the Pope’s service which was always human and humble in its informal style and with a message of GOD’s universal love and unconditional mercy that brought hope to so many.

A man of the poor who lived simply, Pope Francis was a voice for the voiceless and all those who find themselves on the margins in our world. A man of peace, he called the Church to listen to everyone, to move forward together as a family, to find a conciliatory approach to those of different beliefs and lifestyles, for an end to conflicts across the world and for the care of Creation as GOD’s precious gift to humanity.

He gave of himself to the end, offering up his final illness with serenity, his last acts being to visit Rome’s prison on Holy Thursday and to wish the crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s a Happy Easter.

We pray he will be enjoying the full fruits of the Resurrection, resting from his work, his good deeds going with him.
May he rest in peace.
Bishop John Keenan

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.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

https://www.holyyear2025.org.uk

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

News from the Commissions and Agencies

April 2025



Visiting the official website of the Holy See one can browse: the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs (from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis); the fundamental texts of Catholicism in various languages (the Sacred Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of the Second Vatican Council a...
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-coffin-rite-sealing-funeral-mass-novemdiales.html


Pope Francis’ coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite held in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, April 25, at 8:00 PM.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-04/those-who-are-last-will-be-the-last-to-say-goodbye.html


Our Editorial Director, Andrea Tornielli, reflects on the initiative for several people from the margins of society to welcome Pope Francis' mortal ...
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Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major has been made with materials from the Italian region of Liguria. It is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription “Franciscus” and a reproduction of the late Pope’s pectoral cross.

The tomb is located near the Altar of St. Francis, in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Salus Populi Romani Chapel) and the Sforza Chapel.

Speaking on television, the Coadjutor Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, announced Pope Francis’ desire to be buried in a tomb made from the “stone of Liguria, the land of his grandparents.”
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Holy Mass at the Underground Basilica of Saint Pius X on the HCPT Lourdes Pilgrimage this morning.

Main pic from left:
▪️Bishop Joseph Toal, Motherwell Diocese.
▪️Archbishop Leo Cushley, Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh.
▪️Bishop Frank Dougan, RC Diocese of Galloway.

Pics: Elaine Furmage/HCPT







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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-04/cercas-first-and-foremost-pope-francis-was-a-priest.html


Spanish writer Javier Cercas, who has written a book on the Pope's visit to Mongolia, reflects on the Pope’s humanity and legacy.
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-04/novendiales-the-schedule-for-the-nine-days-of-mourning.html


Pope Francis' funeral Mass will mark the beginning of an ancient tradition of holding nine consecutive days of mourning, which will be marked by ...
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Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of the sealing of Pope Francis' coffin in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday, April 25, at 8 PM, according to the Holy See Press Office.
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