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.

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

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland announces Luisa Campbell as the next General Secretary

The Bishops of Scotland welcome Luisa Campbell to the office of General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland from February 2026, when Fr. Gerry Maguiness completes his second term of office.

In parallel with her working career, Luisa has been actively involved in the life of the Church in Scotland at both parish and diocesan level in the areas of youth work, parish administration, liturgy, evangelisation, RCIA and finance.

Luisa retired early from work in 2020 to pursue her passion for voluntary work in the Catholic Church.

After gaining Master’s degrees in both Engineering and Business Administration, she worked for almost forty years in industry, ultimately as chief executive of a Scottish business which she led for over two decades. Her roles involved leadership, governance, strategy, commercial finance, mergers and acquisitions and organisational development.

During that time, she also acted as a trustee of several charities, served as a non-executive director and as trustee of a large pension scheme.

Luisa grew up in the diocese of Galloway and has lived in both the archdiocese of Glasgow and the diocese of Aberdeen. Her work has taken her to every diocese in Scotland.

She will be the first member of the lay faithful and first woman to take on the role of General Secretary.

Responding to her invitation from the bishops, Luisa said, ‘I look forward to serving the Bishops of Scotland in my new role as General Secretary, bringing together my experience in the Church and in the world of business.’

Bishop Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference said, ‘The bishops are delighted that Luisa has accepted this post and will continue the good work carried on by Fr. Gerry Maguiness over the past years. Luisa brings a wealth of experience both as a committed laywoman in the Church who has served our parishes and dioceses loyally over the years and who also has vast experience of life in the world and where she has made a fruitful contribution. We look forward to working with her in the service of the Church in Scotland in the years ahead’.

The Bishops of Scotland would like to take the opportunity of commending and thanking Fr. Gerry Maguiness for his wise, effective and tireless stewardship of the General Secretariat over the past six years. We wish him similar blessings as he takes up the office of parish priest of St. Bride’s in Cambuslang.

Bishop John Keenan
President, Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.

News from the Commissions and Agencies

October 2025

20Oct

VATICAN - Catholic Church Statistics 2025

20 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.fides.org/en/news/76919-VATICAN_Catholic_Church_Statistics_2025

Vatican City (Fides Agency) - As every year, in view of World Mission Sunday, which this year celebr

20Oct

The Liturgical Commission of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland has organised a Day Conference on "The Psalms and a Life of Pra...

20 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

The Liturgical Commission of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland has organised a Day Conference on "The Psalms and a Life of Prayer" on 28 October (Stirling Univeristy) and 29 October (Christ the King Church, Glasgow) for laity and clergy (10.30 am – 4 pm). A workshop for parish musicians takes place in Glasgow on Wednesday evening at 7 pm. The presenter, Abbot Gregory Polan OSB, is a Benedictine of Conception Abbey, Missouri, and a Scripture scholar, liturgist and musician. Abbot Gregory led the translation project of the Abbey Psalms which have been used in the new Lectionary for Mass in Scotland, England and Wales. If you would like to attend, please register by emailing liturgycommission@bcos.org.uk by Friday 24 October.

19Oct

Pope at Canonization Mass: Saints keep light of faith in Christ burning - Vatican News

19 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for the canonization of seven new Saints, and reminds Christians of the need to pray to God fervently and trustingly, ...

19Oct

From Universalis today

19 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

From Universalis today
Prayer
Luke 18:1-8
‘God will give justice to his elect, who cry to him.’

At that time: Jesus told his disciples a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterwards he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” ’
And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’

Commentary

We often think of prayer as mere asking, and this parable encourages us to pester God as the wronged widow pestered the Unjust Judge. Luke’s parables are always lively, and the characters like to talk and explain themselves! The judge’s fear of the widow can be translated that she will come and ‘outface me’, but it could also be translated ‘hit me in the face’. But such persistence is only one aspect of Luke’s teaching on prayer. He also shows us what our attitude in prayer should be, by the parable immediately following in the gospel, the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector: the tax-collector wins approval because he just stands there, admitting his sins. Most instructive, however, is Luke’s teaching on Jesus at prayer: he reminds us that Jesus is always quietly at prayer to his Father. He needs to slip away to spend the night in prayer. Especially he prays at the most important moments of his life, at his Baptism, when he chooses his team, before he teaches them to pray, at the approach of his Passion, finally forgiving and comforting others at his death. Paul tells us we should pray continually. The prayer of asking must be built on a relationship of love and dependence, just as the request of child to parents is built on that loving relationship. It does not matter if the child is naughty, as long as the relationship is one of love; so we do not need to be perfect to make our requests to our Father.
HW

18Oct

A medical mission to Bolivia

18 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Today is Mission Sunday
Scotland is supporting Bolivia this year

“WHETHER you’re in Bolivia or Scotland, seeing a child in pain is one of the worst things you can witness. We, as adults, generally know how to cope with life’s challenges, no matter how bad or hurtful, but when we see a sick child or one going through pain, that should provoke mercy in us.”

18Oct

St Luke 18th October

18 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

St Luke 18th October
He was a Greek doctor who converted to Christianity. He was a companion of the Apostle Paul, and wrote his Gospel in accordance with Paul’s teaching. He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which narrates the early history of the Church up to Paul’s first stay in Rome. As a Greek, he takes care to explain to Gentile readers Jewish customs and the meaning of Hebrew words.

________

Collect

Lord God, who chose Saint Luke
to reveal by his preaching and writings
the mystery of your love for the poor,
grant that those who already glory in your name
may persevere as one heart and one soul
and that all nations may merit to see your salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

— Detail from "St Luke Drawing the Virgin" (1435) by Roger van der Weyden (1400-1464).
From universalis today

17Oct

Pope to Receive King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Vatican - Vatican News

17 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-10/pope-to-receive-king-charles-and-queen-camilla-at-the-vatican.html

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will make a State visit to the Vatican on 23 October 2025.

17Oct

King Charles and Pope Leo to pray together in historic first

17 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Archbishop Cushley will represent the Catholic Church in Scotland at next week's Royal pilgrimage for the Jubilee/Holy Year

The King will become the first British monarch to pray in a church service with a pope since the Reformation.

17Oct

St Ignatius of Antioch

17 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

St Ignatius of Antioch
He was the third bishop of Antioch, the first being St Peter until he moved to Rome, and the second being Evodius. He was arrested (some writers believe that he must have been denounced by a fellow-Christian), condemned to death, and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. In one of his letters he describes the soldiers who were escorting him as being like “ten leopards, who when they are kindly treated only behave worse.”
In the course of his journey he wrote seven letters to various churches, in which he dealt wisely and deeply with Christ, the organisation of the Church, and the Christian life. They are important documents for the early history of the Church, and they also reveal a deeply holy man who accepts his fate and begs the Christians in Rome not to try to deprive him of the crown of martyrdom.
He was martyred in 107 and his feast was already being celebrated on this day in fourth-century Antioch.

________

Collect

Almighty ever-living God,
who adorn the sacred body of your Church
with the confessions of holy Martyrs,
grant, we pray,
that, just as the glorious passion of Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
which we celebrate today,
brought him eternal splendour,
so it may be for us unending protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

17Oct

Did you know that this Sunday, 19 October 2025, Pope Leo XIV will once again canonize 7 new saints, making it 9 Saints since his...

17 Oct, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Did you know that this Sunday, 19 October 2025, Pope Leo XIV will once again canonize 7 new saints, making it 9 Saints since his emergence as a Pontiff.

The full list of Blesseds to be canonized are:

Blessed Ignatius Maloyan
Blessed Peter To Rot
Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni
Blessed Maria del Monte Carmelo Rendiles Blessed Martínez
Blessed Maria Troncatti
Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros
Blessed Bartolo Longo

Let us offer our prayers for the success of their Canonization.

Catholic Dailies
Be Prayerful. Be Inspired