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.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

3rd September 2026

3 September 2026

Scotland Must Stand with Both Mother and Child

I note with concern the Scottish Government’s response to a recent parliamentary question on abortion law and access to later-stage abortion services. While the Government has indicated that it has no immediate plans to reform abortion law in 2026–27, it has also reaffirmed its intention to consult on the recommendations of the abortion law review advisory group and to establish a nationally commissioned later-stage abortion service in Scotland.

The advisory group, which excluded prolife voices and which adopted a principle of “non-regression” on abortion provision, lacks both legitimacy and credibility. It has made radical recommendations to the Scottish Government which, if implemented, would effectively permit abortion up to birth for any reason and remove the current requirement for two doctors to approve abortions up to 24 weeks. It is astonishing that the report also recommends that future legislation should make no reference to sex-selective abortion, paving the way for unborn babies to be aborted simply because they are deemed to be the wrong sex.

I recognise the real fear, pressure and hardship that can accompany an unexpected or crisis pregnancy. Women in such circumstances deserve compassion, practical assistance, emotional support and the assurance that neither they nor their children will be abandoned. A truly caring society must respond to vulnerability by offering hope and help, not by making abortion more readily available at later stages of pregnancy.

The establishment of later-stage abortion provision in Scotland, alongside proposals to weaken existing legal safeguards, raises grave moral and social questions. Every unborn child is a unique human life deserving of protection, and every mother should be supported in ways that uphold her dignity and the dignity of her child. I therefore make a direct appeal to all elected representatives who recognise the inherent dignity of every human life, to reject any further liberalisation of abortion provisions in Scotland and to oppose measures that would remove essential safeguards or further weaken protection for unborn children.

I urge the Scottish Government and all MSPs to prioritise policies that expand support for women and families, reduce the pressures that lead to abortion, and foster a culture in which every life is welcomed and protected from conception to natural death. Scotland should aspire to be a nation where compassion means standing with both mother and child.

Bishop John Keenan,

President of the National Office for Marriage, Family and Life, Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

...ENDS

Notes for editors

Photo of Bishop John Keenan: Photo of Bishop John Keenan

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCoS) is the assembly of the Catholic bishops of Scotland, working together on national pastoral, social and legislative matters on behalf of the Church. www.bcos.org.uk
For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office, Email: [email protected]

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

21st August 2026

21 August 2026

Final appeal to Catholics ahead of Westminster assisted suicide vote

Bishop John Keenan has issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics across Scotland to contact their MPs ahead of the return of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to the House of Commons on Friday 11 September.

The Bill, reintroduced by Lauren Edwards MP, would permit eligible terminally ill adults in England and Wales to receive assistance to end their lives. A similar Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament last March.

Although this new legislation would apply only to England and Wales, Bishop Keenan stresses that this remains an important moment for Catholics in Scotland. The outcome at Westminster could have significant consequences north of the border and potentially reignite attempts to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.

In his letter, Bishop Keenan describes the coming vote as a “grave moment for the protection of human life” and urges Catholics to contact their MPs “without delay” and ask them to oppose the Bill.

Bishop Keenan said:

“Our opposition to assisted suicide is rooted in compassion. Every person, from conception until natural death, possesses an inviolable dignity as one made in the image and likeness of God.”

Warning particularly of the potential consequences for vulnerable people, he added:

“Illness, frailty, disability, dependence or fear must never lead society to conclude that some lives are no longer worth living.”

The Bishop calls instead for greater investment in palliative and hospice care and better support for carers, insisting that “the proper response to suffering is care, presence, skilled palliative medicine and practical support—not the deliberate ending of life.”

Scotland’s Catholic bishops encourage all who stand on the side of life to contact their MP today and without delay, asking them to protect vulnerable people, support better palliative and hospice care, and vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

...ENDS

Notes to Editor

Photo of the Bishop John Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/photos/bishop%20john%20keenan.gif

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/letters/Pastoral Letter - Assisted Suicide Westminster - August 2026.pdf

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCoS) is the assembly of the Catholic bishops of Scotland, working together on national pastoral, social and legislative matters on behalf of the Church. Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office. Email: [email protected]

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn

July 2026

22Jul

Gospel

22 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
John 20:1-2, 11-18
‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’

On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’
Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ Having said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’ — and that he had said these things to her.

21Jul

Gospel

21 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 12:46-50
‘Stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers and sisters!” ’

At that time: While Jesus was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers and sisters stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers and sisters?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers and sisters! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

20Jul

Lord Jesus, may we always seek more strongly to believe

20 Jul, 2026 | Missio Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Lord Jesus, may we always seek more strongly to believe

#MissiosMondayPrayer

@followers

19Jul

Gospel

19 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 13:24-30
‘Let both grow together until the harvest.’

At that time: Jesus put another parable before the crowd, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ” ’

18Jul

Gospel

18 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 12:14-21
‘He ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet.’

At that time: The Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.’

17Jul

Gospel

17 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 12:1-8
‘The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’

At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears of corn and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here. And if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’

16Jul

If God is at the centre of your life, no words are necessary, your mere presence will touch hearts

16 Jul, 2026 | Missio Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

If God is at the centre of your life, no words are necessary, your mere presence will touch hearts

#MissiosWednesdayWisdom

@followers

16Jul

Gospel

16 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 11:28-30
‘Come to me, all who labour.’

At that time: Jesus declared, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

15Jul

Though not as widely known today as some of the great saints of the Church, Saint Bonaventure was one of the most influential th...

15 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Though not as widely known today as some of the great saints of the Church, Saint Bonaventure was one of the most influential theologians and spiritual leaders of the medieval period. A distinguished scholar at the University of Paris, he was admired not only for his intellectual brilliance but also for his deep Franciscan spirituality. Inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure placed Christ at the centre of everything he did—his teaching, writing, leadership, and prayer. His profound wisdom and holiness earned him the title *“Seraphic Doctor”* of the Church.

Born in Bagnoregio, Italy, in 1221, he was baptised John. At the age of 22, he joined the Franciscan Order and took the name Bonaventure. His parents, Giovanni di Fidanza and Maria Ritella, provided him with a comfortable upbringing, and tradition holds that he was miraculously healed from a serious childhood illness through the intercession of Saint Francis.

A gifted spiritual writer, Bonaventure combined practical leadership with deep theological insight. Drawing on the example of Saint Francis, he developed a spirituality rooted in love of Christ, contemplation, and faithful service to the Church. His writings continue to be valued for their warmth, clarity, and ability to unite intellectual understanding with heartfelt devotion.

In 1273, Pope Gregory X appointed him Cardinal and Bishop of Albano. The following year, while taking part in the Second Council of Lyon, Saint Bonaventure died unexpectedly on 15 July 1274. Although some later theories suggested he may have been poisoned, no conclusive evidence exists. He is remembered as a great teacher, theologian, and saint whose life reflected both profound learning and deep holiness.

15Jul

Gospel

15 Jul, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Matthew 11:25-27
‘You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children.’

At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’