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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

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

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn
April 2025



As we prepare to celebrate the triumph of the Lord's Resurrection at the Easter Vigil in parishes across the Diocese, Bishop Toal offers his Easter Message to the people of the Diocese.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year there can be no day more hope-filled than Easter Sunday as we celebrate with great joy the Lord’s Resurrection. May the Risen Lord Jesus therefore renew our faith, fill us with great hope, and inspire further acts of Christian love and service.

A special word of welcome to those received into the Church this Easter. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you experience the power of the Lord’s presence in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. May your participation in Christ and his Church sustain you constantly now in the pilgrimage of life.

As we continue to hear of the ravages of war and of the terror felt by many in our troubled world we pray earnestly for peace and justice, for forgiveness and healing, for a respite from fear and a glimmer of hope.

We pray that the Lord of New Life will keep us and our loved ones safe in his care and bring consolation to all in pain.

With my Easter blessing and good wishes,

+ Joseph Toal
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Images of Mary the sorrowful mother and the hopeful mother awaiting the resurrection of Her Son🙏



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From the Via Crucis at the Colosseum this evening
We have walked the Stations of the Cross. We have turned towards the love from which nothing can ever separate us. Now, as the King sleeps and a great silence descends upon all the earth, let us pray, in the words of Saint Francis, for the gift of heartfelt conversion:
“Most High and glorious God, Cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Grant me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity, and profound humility. Grant me, Lord, wisdom and understanding, so that I may do your true and holy will. Amen.”

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-via-crucis-meditations-easter-2025-god-s-economy.html


In his meditations written for the Good Friday Way of the Cross at the Colosseum—presided over this evening, 18 April, by Cardinal Baldo Reina on ...
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Betrayed by a kiss. Raised up in glory 🙏



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Can't celebrate the Triduum in person? You can join Bishop Frank for all of the Triduum liturgies live from St Margaret's Cathedral, Ayr, on our Diocesan YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/VyRWNoj

Looking for Triduum liturgies near you? Head over to our website to find Masses and Services near you: https://buff.ly/LG1QztL
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Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Today we begin the Easter Triduum, the shortest but most important Liturgical Season. This evening we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, his agony and betrayal in the garden. Tomorrow we commemorate his passion, death and burial while at Easter we celebrate his glorious Resurrection. Let us enter fully into the Triduum through personal contemplation, family prayer and participating at the Ceremonies in our parishes. May all our hearts be touched by the Lord’s love and may our own love be deepened so that we will enter more fully into the Paschal Mystery
+Brian
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Please pray for all your priests on this Feast of the Priesthood 🙏

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Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of Christ Himself in the Eucharist and of the institution of the sacerdotal priesthood. With the disciples, Christ is the self-offered Passover Victim, and every ordained priest presents this same sacrifice.

The action of the Church on this night also witnesses to the Church's esteem for Christ's Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection.

Learn more:
👉https://hubs.la/Q03hylBf0
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📄STATEMENT: "A Sanctuary of Healing Struck in the Land of the Divine Healer"

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem have issued a statement in response to the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Palm Sunday. The full text of the statement is below and you can download and share on our website via the link in the comments.

"On this sacred Palm Sunday, as the faithful around the world raise palm branches in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem—an entry marked not by conquest, but by meekness, peace, and divine compassion—we find our hearts weighed with sorrow over the suffering endured in the very land upon which He walked.

"In the early light of this holy day, the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza, a place consecrated to healing and long rooted in the Christian vocation of mercy, was struck by an Israeli air assault that rendered its emergency and other critical departments inoperative. Patients in fragile condition, including children, were forced into the open streets. Among them, a twelve-year-old who perished during the chaotic evacuation. This death, like so many others, is a silent cry, a reminder of the innocent who suffer where care should prevail.

"This hospital, already strained by months of siege, stood as one of the last beacons of medical hope in Gaza, where dozens of healthcare institutions have been systematically destroyed. The stripping away of such sanctuaries of life and dignity is a tragedy that transcends all boundaries of politics and enters the realm of the sacred.

"Yet even amidst devastation, the light of faith remains unextinguished. In Gaza’s Zaytun Quarter, within the heart of the Old City, the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius held Palm Sunday prayers—quiet, steadfast, and full of grace—affirming that the witness of Christ’s peace endures, even when sorrow surrounds the sanctuary.

"As the Church that guards the Tomb of Christ and walks daily in the path of His Passion and Resurrection, we cannot turn away from this anguish. Yet we respond in prayer, bearing witness to the truth that mercy remains stronger than hatred, and that humanity, even when wounded, is never defeated.

"For as it is written: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

"Lord Jesus Christ, Divine Healer, have mercy on Gaza."

📸Photo: Aftermath of airstrike on Al-Ahli Arab Baptist hospital. Credit: AP.
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