The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

16th March 2026

16 March 2026

MSPs face a binary choice on assisted dying: a new autonomy for some or protecting thousands of vulnerable and fearful Scots

The Scottish Parliament stands at a moment of profound moral consequence. On Tuesday, MSPs will cast their final vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill—legislation that would change healthcare forever by permitting, for the first time, physician-assisted suicide.

This Bill is a serious threat to vulnerable Scots, including the elderly, disabled, those who suffer from poor mental health, and victims of domestic abuse. In a world that often prizes independence, those who are vulnerable can easily feel like a burden.

An amendment to the Bill that would have prevented doctors from being able to raise assisted suicide unprompted with patients, was rejected; a decision that, in one move, dismantles thousands of years of Hippocratic tradition of ‘first do no harm’.

This decision only adds to already significant concerns expressed by MSPs about the risk of coercion, demonstrating a keen awareness of their responsibility to protect vulnerable people from this threat.

The crucial conscientious objection clauses that offered protection to doctors have been stripped out of the Bill which means MSPs will be asked to vote on an incomplete Bill devoid of a key protection for healthcare workers. This has moved the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Scotland to switch from a position of neutrality to one of opposition to the Bill.

Furthermore, an institutional opt-out was disappointingly voted down by MSPs, meaning Catholic hospices and care homes would be forced to close rather than provide assisted suicides in a hammer blow to an already creaking palliative care system.

True compassion is not found in killing but in walking with those who suffer, ensuring they receive the medical, emotional, and spiritual care that affirms their inherent worth. Every person—regardless of age, illness, disability, or circumstance—is a gift from God. There is no such thing as a life without value. Our task as a society is not to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround every individual with love, support, and dignity until their natural end.

I understand how the choice before our MSPs is unenviable, because it is now a binary one; either they vote to allow some citizens a new autonomy, or they vote to protect thousands of vulnerable and fearful Scots who do not want this legislation and who will suffer most if this Bill passes. They cannot do both at the same time, and I would urge them, in the last analysis, to think of those who, in the months and years ahead, will find themselves defenceless and who, at this moment, are depending on them most.

Bishop John Keenan

President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

Contact:

Media Office

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

2nd March 2026

2 March 2026

Christian Leaders Urge MSPs to Reject Assisted Suicide Bill Ahead of Final Vote

An Open Letter to MSPs Ahead of the Stage 3 Vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

Dear Member of the Scottish Parliament,

We write together as Christian leaders in Scotland because we believe Liam McArthur's Assisted Dying bill touches one of the most important moral questions of our time - how we care for one another at the end of life.

While we understand the deeply felt desire to relieve suffering, permitting doctors to assist in ending life undermines human dignity. However carefully framed, such legislation risks normalising he idea that some lives are no longer worth living. It would expose the most vulnerable - the elderly, the disabled, and those who feel themselves to be a burden - to subtle pressures and coercion that no safeguard can fully prevent.

True compassion does not mean helping someone to die, but committing ourselves to care for them in life. Scotland should invest in first-class palliative and end-of-life care, ensuring that no one faces pain, fear, or loneliness without support.

Courts and legislatures in Canada and Australia have grappled with the consequences of assisted dying laws: eligibility has expanded, safeguards have been challenged, and concerns about coercion and misuse have arisen. We should learn from those experiences rather than repeat their mistakes.

We urge you, therefore, to stand for the equal worth and dignity of every human life, and to vote against this legislation at Stage 3. A truly compassionate society accompanies those who suffer; it does not abandon them to an early death.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Rev. Rosemary Frew
Moderator, Church of Scotland

Bishop John Keenan
President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Rev Alasdair Macleod
Moderator, Free Church of Scotland

Rev Martin Keane, Moderator
United Free Church of Scotland

Major David Burns
Executive Secretary to Leadership (Scotland), Salvation Army

Andy Hunter
Director for Scotland, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

Alistair Matheson
Scottish Regional Superintendent for the Apostolic Church UK

Contact:

Media Office

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

27th February 2026

27 February 2026

Choosing Compassion, Not Assisted Suicide - A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Scotland

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Scotland stands at a moment of profound moral consequence. In the coming weeks, the Scottish Parliament will cast its final vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill; legislation that would, for the first time in our nation’s history, permit physician-assisted suicide. As your shepherds, entrusted with the care of souls and the protection of human dignity, we write to you with deep concern.

True compassion is not found in hastening death but in walking with those who suffer, ensuring they receive the medical, emotional, and spiritual care that affirms their inherent worth. Every person—regardless of age, illness, disability, or circumstance—is a gift from God. There is no such thing as a life without value. Our task as a society is not to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround every individual with love, support, and dignity until their natural end.

Over recent months, several Members of the Scottish Parliament who once supported the proposal have now either withdrawn, or are seriously considering withdrawing, their backing, recognising that the risks embedded within it are too grave to ignore. Their change of heart reflects a dawning awareness that coercion, especially the subtle, hidden coercion experienced by the most vulnerable, including the elderly, the sick, the disabled and those living with domestic abuse, cannot be reliably detected, let alone prevented.

Key protections that should form the very foundation of such legislation, however flawed the principle may be, have been removed or rejected. Proposals for mandatory training for doctors to recognise coercive control were voted down by the Parliament Health and Social Care Committee. Measures ensuring that patients are offered proper palliative and social care before considering assisted suicide were dismissed. An opt-out for hospices and care homes who object to assisted suicide was also rejected. Even the conscience rights of healthcare workers remain uncertain. As a result, MSPs are being asked to vote on a Bill that is incomplete and reliant on future intervention from Westminster—an arrangement that several parliamentarians have already described as unworkable and irresponsible.

Experience from abroad also offers a sober warning. In countries where assisted suicide has been introduced, narrow criteria have widened over time, placing ever more people at risk—not because of unbearable physical suffering, but because they feel abandoned, isolated, or burdensome. We must not allow such a trajectory to take root here in Scotland.

We therefore urge you, the Catholic faithful of Scotland, to act. Please contact your MSPs and respectfully ask them to oppose this legislation. Make your voice heard in defence of those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Resources to assist you—including Care Not Killing’s online email tool—are available and we invite you to use them prayerfully and thoughtfully.

Let us also hold in prayer all those approaching the end of life, all who care for them, and all charged with shaping the laws of our land. May the Holy Spirit grant our nation the wisdom to choose the path of life, compassion, and genuine human solidarity.

Yours devotedly in Christ,
+ John Keenan, President, Bishop of Paisley
+ Brian McGee, Vice-President, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles
+ Andrew McKenzie, Episcopal Secretary, Bishop of Dunkeld
+ Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
+ William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow
+ Joseph Toal, Bishop of Motherwell
+ Hugh Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen
+ Francis Dougan, Bishop of Galloway

Contact:
Media Office

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

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

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News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn

March 2026

10Mar

What happens to medicine if doctors are asked to help end life?

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

What happens to medicine if doctors are asked to help end life?

The foundation of medical practice has always been to heal, to relieve suffering, and to protect life. Changing that role would fundamentally alter the relationship between patient and doctor.

Care and killing are not interchangeable. They represent two very different visions of what medicine is for.

Watch the video to hear why this question matters so deeply.

The more we know, the more we say no!

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.

10Mar

The Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland has raised serious concerns about the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adul...

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

The Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland has raised serious concerns about the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, warning that the legislation as it currently stands does not provide adequate safeguards for healthcare professionals or patients.

While the College takes a neutral position on assisted dying in principle, it has made clear that no law of this magnitude should be introduced without strong legal protections.

RCGP Scotland has warned that doctors must have the clear right to choose whether or not to participate and must be protected from discrimination based on that decision. The College is also concerned that essential protections for healthcare staff could be removed due to questions about whether the Scottish Parliament has the legal power to include them in the Bill.

There are also concerns about the pressure already facing general practice. Introducing a complex service of this nature without proper structure, funding, and safeguards could place further strain on an already stretched healthcare system.

As the Scottish Parliament prepares to vote on this Bill, it is vital that serious questions about protections, oversight, and patient safety are fully addressed.

The more we know, the more we say no!

📩 You can contact your MSP and ask them to reject the Assisted Suicide Bill at
carenotkilling.scot

10Mar

Concerns over Scotland Assisted Dying Bill

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

Scotland’s leading healthcare organisations raise serious concerns over proposed changes to Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

10Mar

Saint John Ogilvie was born into a noble Scottish family that was divided between Catholic and Presbyterian beliefs

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

Saint John Ogilvie was born into a noble Scottish family that was divided between Catholic and Presbyterian beliefs. Raised as a Calvinist by his father, he was sent to Europe for his education. While studying abroad he became interested in the debates between Catholic and Calvinist scholars. The strength of the Catholic arguments unsettled him, so he turned to Scripture for guidance. Two verses in particular stayed with him: “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” and “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Slowly he became convinced that the Catholic Church truly embraced all people, including those who had given their lives as martyrs. At just 17 years old, he was received into the Church in Louvain in 1596.

He continued his studies with the Benedictines and later at the Jesuit College in Olomouc. He joined the Jesuits and spent ten years in formation. After his ordination in France in 1610, he met Jesuits who had returned from Scotland after imprisonment under the harsh penal laws. Although they saw little hope for mission work there, John felt strongly called to return to his homeland. For more than two years he asked to be sent.

When permission was granted, he entered Scotland secretly, sometimes posing as a soldier or horse trader. The mission was dangerous. He ministered quietly to Catholics and brought some into the Church. Eventually he was betrayed and arrested.

His imprisonment was severe. He was deprived of food and sleep and endured days of physical torture. Still he refused to name other Catholics or to recognise the king’s authority in spiritual matters. At his final trial he declared that he would obey the king in all temporal affairs, even to the point of shedding his blood, but he could not obey in matters of spiritual authority.

Condemned as a traitor, he remained faithful to the end. Even when offered freedom and wealth if he would deny his faith, he refused. His courage inspired Catholics throughout Scotland.

Saint John Ogilvie was canonised in 1976, becoming the first Scottish saint since 1250. His feast day is celebrated on 10 March.

10Mar

Gospel

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

Gospel
John 12:24-26
‘If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.’

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.’

09Mar

Dr Gillian Wright raises serious concerns about the impact of assisted suicide legislation on the most vulnerable in our society

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

Dr Gillian Wright raises serious concerns about the impact of assisted suicide legislation on the most vulnerable in our society. While no one wants to see people suffer at the end of life, she warns that laws like this risk sending a dangerous message that the lives of those who are frail, terminally ill, elderly, lonely, or struggling with mental illness are somehow less valuable.

Experience from other countries shows how quickly such laws can expand. In Canada, legislation that was first presented as tightly restricted to those who were terminally ill has since been widened to include people with chronic illness and is moving toward including those with psychiatric conditions.

These developments raise important questions about whether any system can truly safeguard those who may feel pressure, isolation, or a sense of being a burden.

The more we know, the more we say no.

Learn more and contact your MSP today:
🌐 http://carenotkilling.scot

09Mar

💡 Funding Opportunity for Catholic Projects

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

💡 Funding Opportunity for Catholic Projects

The Columba Trust provides grants to support projects that promote and strengthen the practice of the Roman Catholic faith, its ministry and values. Priority is given to initiatives that benefit the wider community, particularly those based in Scotland.

📅 Applications close on 30 June 2026.

If you are involved in a parish, ministry, charity or project that could benefit from funding, you can find full details and how to apply below.

🔗 https://columbatrust.org.uk/

09Mar

Lord Jesus, who lived and died for us, when your presence seems far away, may we reach out for your healing touch—for the comfor...

09 Mar, 2026 | Missio Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Lord Jesus, who lived and died for us, when your presence seems far away, may we reach out for your healing touch—for the comfort of your embrace

#MissiosMondayPrayer

09Mar

Gospel

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

Gospel
Luke 4:24-30
Jesus, like Elijah and Elisha, is not sent only to the Jews.

When Jesus came to Nazareth, he said to the people in the synagogue: ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his home town. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up, and drove him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.

08Mar

Bishop Toal Sunday Reflection 8 March 2026

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

Bishop Toal Sunday Reflection 8 March 2026