The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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Over recent months, several Members of the Scottish Parliament who once supported the proposal have now either withdrawn, or are seriously considering withdrawing, their backing, recognising that the risks embedded within it are too grave to ignore.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

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

December 2025

28Dec

Photos from Bishops' Conference of Scotland's post

28 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | Being Catholic |

In a rare and significant moment of agreement, MSPs from Labour, the SNP and the Conservatives have raised serious concerns about the Assisted Dying Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament.

All parties agree on one thing: everyone deserves compassionate and dignified care at the end of life. However, they warn that the bill risks doing the opposite: entrenching injustice and inequality, particularly for the most vulnerable.

More than 100 reasonable amendments designed to improve safety have already been rejected by the Holyrood committee. These included proposals to:
• strengthen palliative care
• provide clear guidance if assisted suicide drugs fail or complications occur
• protect conscience rights for medical staff
• require training on the rights of people with disabilities
• ensure transparent reporting on complications and outcomes

Writing in The Times, former Scottish Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns and Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, warn:

“Our experience of pastoral and medical care leaves us deeply troubled… particularly by the unwillingness of the bill’s proponents to consider any amendments improving palliative care services. As we face the real threat of palliative care beds being closed this year, the pressure to opt for assisted suicide could become immense.”

At a time when end-of-life care services are under real strain, the refusal to strengthen palliative care is deeply concerning.

This bill is not safe, and it risks harming far more people than it seeks to help. We urge MSPs to reject this legislation and instead begin a meaningful, compassionate debate about how Scotland truly cares for people at the end of life.

📖 Read the article below
🗣️ Share respectfully
📍 Contact your MSP and make your voice heard: https://carenotkilling.scot/

28Dec

Holy Mass of the Feast of the Holy Family | 28 December 2025

28 Dec, 2025 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of the Holy Family | 28 December 2025
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

28Dec

🙏PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY FOR REFUGEES

28 Dec, 2025 | Justice & Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

🙏PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY FOR REFUGEES

On the Feast of the Holy Family we ask Jesus, Mary and Joseph who once had to flee violence and persecution themselves, to accompany all families and people who are seeking sanctuary today:

Lord Jesus, Son of God,
you know what it is to flee your home in fear,
to seek safety in a foreign land.
Be close to all who are forced to leave
their homes, their livelihoods, and all that is familiar.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you know the anxiety of seeking shelter,
of protecting your child amid danger and threat.
Comfort all mothers and caregivers who are displaced, and surround their children with your gentle love and care.

Saint Joseph, faithful guardian of the Holy Family,
you led Jesus and Mary to safety in Egypt.
Guide and protect all families
and people fleeing war, persecution, poverty, and violence.
Intercede for them that they may know safe passage, sanctuary, and the hope and courage to build new lives.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
help us to recognise you
in every refugee, migrant, and displaced person.
Remove our fear, indifference, and suspicion,
and fill us with the love of Christ,
that we may welcome the stranger
with open hearts and generous hands,
sharing our resources and our solidarity.

Inspire our leaders and nations
to work for justice and peace,
so that every family may live without fear of violence, war, and persecution
and every person may find dignity, safety, and belonging.

Amen

📷 Image - 'Refugees: The Holy Family' by Kelly Latimore

28Dec

Feast of the Holy Family

28 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Feast of the Holy Family

Devotion to the Holy Family began in Bethlehem itself. The shepherds and the Magi honoured not only the Child Jesus, but also Mary and Joseph who lovingly cared for Him.

The Holy Family teaches us how to love and protect the Body of Christ, both the Church and the Eucharist. Just as Mary and Joseph cared for Jesus’ physical body with tenderness, we are called to honour His Real Presence with deep reverence.

Looking to their example, we ask forgiveness for times we have failed in love for the Eucharist, and we pray for a renewed devotion to Jesus, who remains with us always.

Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us. ❤️

28Dec

Gospel of the day (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23)

28 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23)

When the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

27Dec

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint John | 27 December 2025

27 Dec, 2025 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint John | 27 December 2025
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

27Dec

Today we celebrate the feast of St John the Apostle and Evangelist

27 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Today we celebrate the feast of St John the Apostle and Evangelist.

Born in Bethsaida, John was a fisherman with his brother James when Jesus called him to follow Him. He became the beloved disciple, staying close to the Lord throughout His ministry.

St John is the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. His writings on the eternal Word—who became flesh as the light and life of the world—are among the most beautiful in Scripture. He is truly the evangelist of Christ’s divinity and of Christian love.

John witnessed the Transfiguration, rested on Jesus’ heart at the Last Supper, and stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus entrusted His Mother to him. Later exiled to Patmos, he lived to an old age, remaining ever close to Jesus and Mary.

St John, pray for us. ✨

27Dec

Gospel of the day (John 20:2-8)

27 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (John 20:2-8)

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on the head of Jesus, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.

26Dec

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Stephen | 26 December 2025

26 Dec, 2025 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Stephen | 26 December 2025
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

26Dec

Today we remember St Stephen, the first martyr of the Church

26 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Today we remember St Stephen, the first martyr of the Church.

Just two years after Christ’s death, Stephen was stoned in Jerusalem. The Book of Acts highlights striking parallels between his trial and the Lord’s: like Jesus, he was taken outside the city and died praying for his executioners.

Stephen was one of the first seven deacons, chosen to assist the Apostles. Scripture describes him as “filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,” a man full of grace, strength, and zeal. His fearless witness fulfilled Jesus’ promise that the Spirit would speak through His disciples, Stephen’s opponents could not withstand his wisdom.

Placed the day after Christmas, his feast reminds us that Christ’s coming leads to courageous love. St Stephen imitates his Master completely, even to the point of offering his life and praying for those who harmed him.

St Stephen, pray for us. ✨