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

Empty
Click + to add content

News from the Commissions and Agencies

August 2024

09Aug

10 quotes from Edith Stein on what it means to be a woman

09 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/258591/10-quotes-from-edith-stein-on-what-it-means-to-be-a-woman

On Aug. 9 the Catholic Church celebrates the life of philosopher, writer, and religious sister St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, commonly known as Edith Stein.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

09Aug

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross | Franciscan Media

09 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-teresa-benedicta-of-the-cross/

The story of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross begins with her life as Edith Stein, a noted philosopher raised in the Jewish faith. Her studies led Edith to the Catholic Church and to becoming a Carmelite nun. She died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1942.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

08Aug

We are a proud member of Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees and we send our solidarity to people seeking asylum, refugees, frie...

08 Aug, 2024 | Justice and Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

We are a proud member of Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees and we send our solidarity to people seeking asylum, refugees, friends of the Muslim faith and all who have been traumatised by the recent racist violence across the UK.🧡

SFAR has co-authored the statement below on behalf of all its member groups and we fully endorse its content. 👇

Although it was promising to see so many anti-racist gatherings last night and communities coming together in friendship and support, the sentiments, rhetoric and political influences that have led to the entrenchment of intolerance and hatred has not gone away.

Division must be replaced with dialogue, violence with peace, and intolerance with respect and understanding. 🕊

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

08Aug

Saint Dominic | Franciscan Media

08 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-dominic/

Saint Dominic became aware that the preacher had to practice what he preached and connect with the people of God. He and a few Cistercians formed what was the beginning of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

08Aug

Almost aborted, Grammy winner Alicia Keys' mom chose life: 'I am so grateful to her for choosing me'

08 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Alicia Keys, renowned singer and pianist and 16 time Grammy winner wouldn't be here had her mother stuck to her original plan of having an abortion.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

08Aug

Season of Creation Zoom Event: To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum

08 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Season of Creation Zoom Event: To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum
The Care of Creation Office of the Bishops’ Conference has organised this session to enable us to discern how the insights of Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' and his 2023 apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum can lead us to hope and act with creation.
Our companion for the session is Fr Josh Kureethadam who was the Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development from 2017-2023, where he continues to serve as a consultant. Fr Josh will share not only a sense of awe and wonder before the grandeur and majesty of the universe, but also a deep sense of concern for the increasingly precarious state of our common planetary home.
The session is on Thursday 19th September - 7:00 - 8:30pm and you can register at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0scO2hrzwtE9E8gDiyJLbQZJ1rbdLXja36
4. Registration - Confirmation Email.
Hello {First Name} {Second Name},

Thank you for registering for To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si and Laudate Deum. You can find information about this meeting below.

To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si and Laudate Deum
Date & Time Sep 19, 2024 07:00 PM London
Meeting ID 991 7491 7795

Format for the session:
6.45 - Waiting Room is opened.
7.00 - Welcome and Opening Prayer.
7.10 - Presentation by Fr Josh Kureethadam.
7.40 - Moderated Q&A
8.25 - Thanks and Closing Prayer

Our session is promoted by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland's Care of Creation Office and co-hosted with - Eco Congregation Scotland, Justice and Peace Scotland, Laudato Si Animators - Scotland, Open House Magazine, Pax Christi Scotland, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, and the Scottish Laity Network.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

06Aug

Photos from Justice and Peace Scotland's post

06 Aug, 2024 | Justice and Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

📆On this day in 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, by US air forces. This was the first time a nuclear weapon had ever been used: it destroyed 13 square kilometres of the city and killed up to 180,000 people.

The power contained in some modern nuclear weapons could kill around 583,000 people. This is five times the devastation and five times the death toll seen in Hiroshima 79 years ago.

On Saturday 3rd August, we gathered outside Faslane Naval Base, the home of the UK's nuclear submarines for a Christian Peace Vigil in opposition to the threat and possession of these weapons. The gathering was led by Archbishop Nolan, President of Justice and Peace Scotland and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, the Right Rev Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church 's Bishop Andrew Swift, Bishop of Brechin.

All three Faith Leaders highlighted the incompatibility of nuclear weapons with respect for God's Creation and with the love of Christ for all His people. We must never give up on the call to be peacemakers. ✝️🕊️

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

05Aug

DUNKELD PREPARES TO WELCOME ITS NEW BISHOP – CANON ANDREW MCKENZIE

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

DUNKELD PREPARES TO WELCOME ITS NEW BISHOP – CANON ANDREW MCKENZIE
Please pray for Bishop elect Andrew McKenzie who will be ordained on Saturday 10th August in St Andrew’s Cathedral Dundee 🙏

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

05Aug

I was delighted by yesterday's inspired letter from Pope Francis on "the Role of Literature in Formation"

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

I was delighted by yesterday's inspired letter from Pope Francis on "the Role of Literature in Formation". He quotes C.S. Lewis, Proust and Borges, among others, in analysing the value of literature. The late Fr Michael Gallagher S.J. would have concurred, I'm sure. I hope that those who lead houses of religious formation are also inspired.

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2024/08/04/0600/01218.html

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

05Aug

Holy See ‘deplores’ offence to Christians in Opening Ceremony - Vatican News

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-08/holy-see-deplores-offence-to-christians-in-opening-ceremony.html

The Holy See expresses sadness over some of the scenes in the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympic Games, saying that “at a prestigious event where ...

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)