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

30th July 2026

30 July 2026

Bishop Welcomes Prime Minister’s Call to Prioritise Care Reforms Before Westminster Assisted Suicide Vote

Bishop John Keenan, the Bishop with responsibility for Marriage, Family and Life for the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, has welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s call for the serious gaps in palliative and social care to be addressed before the Westminster Parliament considers assisted suicide legislation.

Bishop Keenan said:

“The Prime Minister’s intervention is both timely and welcome. We have a duty to ensure that every person approaching the end of life has access to the compassionate palliative and social care they deserve. No one should ever feel driven towards assisted suicide because they lack the care, support or dignity they need.

“We were grateful that the Scottish Parliament resolutely rejected assisted suicide only recently. We hope this latest intervention will encourage Members of the Westminster Parliament to reflect carefully before taking a step that would fundamentally change the way our society cares for the sick and vulnerable.

“As our Catholic Parliamentary Officer, Anthony Horan, has rightly said: ‘The last thing the country needs is another divisive debate about assisted suicide. We need to make progress in improving palliative and social care, not offering vulnerable people state support to end their lives.’ I share that conviction wholeheartedly.

“This is an opportunity to rethink the whole approach to assisted suicide. The compassionate response to suffering is never to help people end their lives, but to ensure they receive the high-quality care, love and accompaniment they need. Let us pray for all who are seriously ill, for their families and carers, and for those in public office, that they may always uphold the dignity of every human life and work to build a society that truly cares for its most vulnerable members.”

Bishop John Keenan

President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

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

March 2026

13Mar

🚨 BREAKING NEWS

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

🚨 BREAKING NEWS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland has announced its opposition to the Assisted Suicide Bill following the removal of vital protections for pharmacists who may wish to conscientiously object.

This is a significant intervention from the professional body representing pharmacists in Scotland and raises further serious concerns about the impact of the Bill on healthcare professionals.

As key safeguards continue to be stripped away, the risks of this legislation are becoming clearer.

Read the statement:
👉 https://www.rpharms.com/about-us/news/details/Statement-RPS-opposes-the-Assisted-Dying-Bill-in-Scotland

Contact your MSP today and urge them to reject the Assisted Suicide Bill:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

The more we know, the more we say no.

13Mar

Where assisted suicide has been legalised around the world, the pattern is clear: the law rarely stays as it was first introduce...

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Where assisted suicide has been legalised around the world, the pattern is clear: the law rarely stays as it was first introduced.

In country after country, what begins as a tightly limited measure gradually expands. Eligibility criteria widen, safeguards change, and more people become eligible over time.

Laws that were once presented as applying only to a very small number of terminally ill patients have, in many places, expanded to include those with chronic illness, disability, or other conditions.

This is why many people are concerned about introducing such legislation. Once the door is opened, future parliaments may widen the law far beyond its original intentions.

If you are concerned about the direction Scotland is heading, please take action today.

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

13Mar

Many disabled people are passionately opposed to assisted suicide legislation

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Many disabled people are passionately opposed to assisted suicide legislation.

Why? Because they fear it will be people like them who are subtly made to feel that their lives are burdensome, that they would be better off dead, that society would be better off without them.

No law exists in a vacuum. Laws shape culture. They shape expectations. They shape how we value one another.

We do not want to live in a country where the vulnerable feel pressure to justify their existence.

Scotland must choose compassion, protection and genuine care — not a pathway that risks undermining the dignity of those who most need our support.

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

13Mar

Rights are defined by law

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Rights are defined by law. They can be expanded, limited or rewritten.

But dignity is different. It does not come from Parliament. It does not depend on health, independence or productivity. It belongs to every human person simply because they are human.

Any law that permits the intentional ending of life risks weakening that foundational truth.

Scotland should uphold the inherent dignity of every person, especially the most vulnerable.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

Carefully read the wording of the email before sending. Click the button and enter your postcode when prompted.

13Mar

𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Scottish Parliament to reject all institutional conscientious objection amendments to the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Every organisation has guiding values that shape its mission and practice and, for many faith‑based organisations, including Catholic hospices and care homes, these values are fundamentally incompatible with the introduction of assisted suicide.

The future of such institutions, which so faithfully and compassionately serve their local communities, some for hundreds of years, is now uncertain if the Bill passes.

The Bishops’ Conference maintains that no organisation should be compelled by the State to participate in the deliberate ending of life when doing so would violate its ethical or religious principles.

The Bishops’ Conference urges MSPs to reject the Bill, ensuring that organisations providing critical care services are not forced to decide between acting contrary to their foundational values or closing.

13Mar

Gospel

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Mark 12:28b-34
‘You shall love the Lord your God. You shall love your neighbour.’

At that time: One of the scribes came up to Jesus and asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

12Mar

MSPs have voted against an amendment that would have prevented doctors from raising assisted suicide with patients unprompted

12 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

MSPs have voted against an amendment that would have prevented doctors from raising assisted suicide with patients unprompted.

Without this safeguard, vulnerable people could be exposed to conversations about ending their life at moments of fear, illness or pressure.

This raises serious concerns about how the Assisted Dying Bill could affect those who are elderly, disabled or seriously ill.

This bill is a danger to vulnerable people and must be rejected.

Contact your MSP today and ask them to vote against the Assisted Suicide Bill:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO!

12Mar

When a law like this is introduced, it does not remain fixed

12 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

When a law like this is introduced, it does not remain fixed. What begins with strict limits can change over time as new cases are brought forward and pressure grows to widen eligibility.

One decision today can open the door to changes in the years ahead that we cannot fully control.

That is why it is so important to consider not only what the law says now, but where it could lead in the future.

📩 Contact your MSP and ask them to reject the Assisted Dying Bill: carenotkilling.scot

12Mar

Photos from Russell Findlay's post

12 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Yes another MSP withdraws his support for the McArthur Assisted Dying Bill.

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO!

Contact your MSP to reject this bill
👉🏼 www.carenotkilling.scot

12Mar

Liam McArthur has declined to rule out the possibility of doctors in Scotland ending a patient’s life if an assisted suicide att...

12 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Liam McArthur has declined to rule out the possibility of doctors in Scotland ending a patient’s life if an assisted suicide attempt does not work.

The warning signs of a slippery slope are already appearing and this proposal shows how quickly the boundaries can begin to shift.

Kill the bill. Contact your MSP today
👉🏼 carenotkilling.scot