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.

BISHOPS RESPOND TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT'S PALLIATIVE CARE CONSULTATION

Scotland’s Catholic Bishops: Scottish Government’s laudable draft strategy on palliative care stands in stark contrast to dangerous assisted suicide proposal

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has responded positively to Scottish Government proposals for a new strategy on palliative care.

In its submission to a recent consultation the bishops declared their support for the draft strategy, stating that the proposals “uphold the dignity of human life for those at the end of life, their families, and carers” and said that the “laudable” proposals “stand in stark contrast to the dangerous Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament.

The bishops said: “rather than being used to kill people, many of whom are vulnerable, public resources should be invested in helping people to live and to be more comfortable at the end of life.”

The bishops emphasised the crucial role of palliative care, declaring it to be “a precious and crucial instrument in the care of patients during terminal illness” and encouraged the government to ensure that a framework is in place to allow hospices to be appropriately funded to continue to deliver end-of-life care to all those who need it.

The bishops also stressed the importance of spiritual care and assistance for patients and their families at the end of life and called for such support to be a key element of a holistic approach to end-of-life care. Please see the full submission at the Catholic Parliamentary Office website

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

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News from the Commissions and Agencies

September 2024

16Sep

St Ninian: HIs Life and Ministry

16 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.antigonishdiocese.com/st-ninian-his-life-and-ministry/
Happy St Ninians Day to our friends in Nova Scotia 😀🙏

St. Ninian is the Patron of the Diocese of Antigonish. His Feast Day is Sept. 16. What else do we know of this early saint? The name of St. Ninian has been a part of our faith community since 1812, when the first Catholic chapel in Antigonish was renamed in his honour. Today St.

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14Sep

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/sWBUXNDknvieJu41/?mibextid=WC7FNe

14 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/sWBUXNDknvieJu41/?mibextid=WC7FNe

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14Sep

Unforgettable journey of missionary Pope to the ends of the Earth - Vatican News

14 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-09/pope-francis-asia-oceania-visit-editorial-conclusion.html

At the conclusion of Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Asia and Oceania, our Editorial Director offers his thoughts on the images and experiences that are ...

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14Sep

Your Holiness, you have always spoken in defence of the dignity of life

14 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Your Holiness, you have always spoken in defence of the dignity of life. In Timor-Leste, which has a high birth rate, you said you felt life pulsing and exploding with so many children. In Singapore, you defended migrant workers. With the US elections coming up, what advice would you give a Catholic voter faced with a candidate who supports ending a pregnancy and another who wants to deport 11 million migrants?
Both are against life: the one that throws out migrants and the one that kills children. Both are against life. I can’t decide; I’m not American and won’t go to vote there. But let it be clear: denying migrants the ability to work and receive hospitality is a sin, a grave sin. The Old Testament speaks repeatedly of the orphan, the widow, and the stranger—migrants. These are the three that Israel must care for. Failing to care for migrants is a sin, a sin against life and humanity.
I celebrated Mass at the border, near the diocese of El Paso. There were many shoes from migrants, who ended poorly there. Today, there is a flow of migration within Central America, and many times they are treated like slaves because people take advantage of the situation. Migration is a right, and it was already present in Sacred Scripture and in the Old Testament. The stranger, the orphan, and the widow—do not forget this.
Then, abortion. Science says that at one month after conception, all the organs of a human being are present. Everything. Having an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, it’s murder. The Church is not closed-minded because it forbids abortion; the Church forbids abortion because it kills. It is murder; it is murder!
And we need to be clear about this: sending migrants away, not allowing them to grow, not letting them have life is something wrong, it is cruelty. Sending a child away from the womb of the mother is murder because there is life. And we must speak clearly about these things. “No, but however...” No “but however.” Both things are clear. The orphan, the stranger, and the widow—do not forget this.

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14Sep

Cardinal Goh: Pope Francis was ‘ambassador of Christ’s love’ for Singapore - Vatican News

14 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-09/cardinal-william-goh-singapore-pope-francis-visit.html

Cardinal William Goh expresses his appreciation for the closeness and care that Pope Francis showed the people of Singapore, and invites the universal ...

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14Sep

Home

14 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

http://www.santacroceroma.it/en/
Today we celebrate the feast of the Hily Cross

La Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme si trova a Roma, nel Rione Esquilino, a ridosso delle Mura Aureliane e dell'Anfiteatro Castrense, tra la Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano e Porta Maggiore. La chiesa è al vertice del tridente formato da viale Carlo Felice, via di Santa Croce in Gerusale...

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12Sep

Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Franciscan Media

12 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/most-holy-name-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus: both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice.

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11Sep

Singapore welcomes Pope Francis on final stage of 45th Apostolic Journey - Vatican News

11 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-09/singapore-welcomes-pope-francis-apostolic-journey.html

Pope Francis begins the fourth and final leg of his Apostolic Journey to Asia and Oceania, as the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore welcomes the ...

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11Sep

Ukraine and Our Common Hope

11 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://ugcc.ua/
Recent Speech of the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk

The Speech of the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk to the Catholic bishops and government officials of Germany at the St Michael’s Reception on 10 September 2024 in Berlin.

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10Sep

Pope to Timorese children: Thank you for teaching us to care and be cared for - Vatican News

10 Sep, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-09/pope-francis-meeting-disabled-children-timor-leste.html

Pope Francis visits a school for children with disabilities, thanking the workers for their care and the children for allowing themselves to be cared ...

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