BCOS Meeting 5th December 2024 Online- please share
The Bishops’ Conference met for its regular online meeting on the 5th Dec 2024. Archbishop Cushley began the meeting with an account of the successful visit of Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to Edinburgh the previous weekend. His Eminence gave an emotional description of those suffering in the Holy Land during the present conflict and the plight of the Church especially in Gaza and the West Bank.
Bishop Keenan opened the ordinary business of the meeting with a discussion on the procedures for the selection of candidates for the episcopacy. This is the theme of one of the Synodal Working Groups. There was a consensus that clergy and laity should be consulted as part of the structural process.
The Bishops also considered media and evangelisation and how social media could best be employed by BCOS. Bishop Dougan agreed to take this discussion forward with stakeholders. In the field of Catholic education, the Bishops expressed concern at the falling numbers of Catholic teachers and how this might be remedied. A scholarship to highlight the contribution of Catholic education in Scotland was also suggested for a candidate to undertake at the School of Education of Glasgow University. Archbishop Cushley and Bishop Gilbert spoke about recent discussions with the Scottish Episcopal Church Bishops.
Bishop McGee reported on the publication of the Synodal document in English and it was agreed that the Bishops would meet for an extraordinary meeting in Feb 2024 to outline a way forward for synodality at national, diocesan and parish levels. He also mentioned the proposed updates to In God’s Image V2 and the recent National Safeguarding Conference held at Strathclyde University.
Bishop Keenan spoke about the launch of a national resource for marriage preparation and also the provision of marriage counselling. The Bishops supported Bishop Keenan’s recent statement regarding the membership of the Abortion Review Group of the Scottish Parliament. The one-sided make-up of this consultation had been highlighted to the First Minister John Swinney at the recent meeting at Bute House. The Church will make it views known more in-depth as part of the consultation.
The Conference also exchanged views on priestly formation and ongoing formation, taking into account the proposed Pastoral Year and Vocational Synthesis for seminarians. A short history of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been written by Fr Briody of Motherwell Diocese and it was agreed to integrate this within the BCOS website as a concise and informative introduction to the Church in Scotland. Finally, there was a brief reminder of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the presence of the Scottish Catholic Church in France and Bishop Keenan was happy to be nominated as the new Bishop Chaplain of the Union of Catholic Mothers.

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland have released the following statement in response to the Scottish Government's commitment to lift the two-child benefit cap.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the teaching of the Church that Mary was conceived naturally but without original sin, therefore making her a fitting mother for Christ as she lived her life perfectly without sin. Whilst held and understood in tradition for centuries, it was until 1854 that it was formally dogmatised by Pope Pius XI.

We are invited today to reflect on Mary as an example for us in our own lives. In our Gospel we hear the Annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel. Mary in giving her yes didn't know what the future would hold for her, in giving her yes she was offering her whole life to God in faith and in trust. We are asked to do the same in our own lives, to have the faith and trust of Mary, to seek to rely not simply on ourselves but on God and on his grace, to know daily his closeness to us and his guiding hand in our lives.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.

Image credit: Marian statue from St Mary's Chapel, New Abbey.