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

Archive by tag: Bishops' Conference of ScotlandReturn

June 2025

09Jun

Saint Columbkille, the Irish Apostle of Scotland - Catholic Insight

09 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://catholicinsight.com/2025/06/09/an-irish-monk-in-scotland-saint-columbkille/

If you will forgive a little parochialism, today is the feast of Saint Columbkille (521-597), also called Columba, who is not celebrated in the universal calendar, but happens to be the patron my own diocese. He also hails originally from where my father's family is from in Ireland, Donegal on the w...

09Jun

People from across Scotland gathered in Dunfermline yesterday for the national St Margaret Pilgrimage

09 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

People from across Scotland gathered in Dunfermline yesterday for the national St Margaret Pilgrimage.

07Jun

Pentecost Message by Bishop Brian McGee - The Catholic Union of Great Britain

07 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://catholicunion.org.uk/2025/06/pentecost-message-by-bishop-brian-mcgee/?mc_cid=8369ab3d77&mc_eid=d3c37a14a3

A Gift from Pope Francis In my office hangs a painting depicting Pentecost by the 16th century Italian painter Girolamo Muziano. A mighty fire, akin to the blazing sun. descends… Read More »Pentecost Message by Bishop Brian McGee

06Jun

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

06 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

06Jun

Quartet VIVO & String quartet MODUS - Алилуя

06 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://youtu.be/dSF1AvXxNUI?si=iH5kdGhPqcJw3g2r From the Cathedral of the Holy Family in London
Pray for Ukraine 🇺🇦🙏

Caver на пісню "Hallelujah" Leonard Cohen/аранжування О.Токар та О.Світлик.

05Jun

Jun 5, 2025

05 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Beautifully sung Panis Angelicus from the Caritas Ceremony today
Well done to SCES all the volunteers all who played music and those pupils who celebrated and received their awards🙏

1 Video

05Jun

Statement from Archbishop John Sherrington on the upcoming Third Reading of the Assisted Suicide Bill

05 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Statement from Archbishop John Sherrington on the upcoming Third Reading of the Assisted Suicide Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted suicide, is fast approaching its decisive vote in the House of Commons which will likely take place on either the 13th or 20th of June.
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales oppose this flawed bill both in principle and in practice. Among the many concerns, we are particularly alarmed by the following:
• This legislation would require many hospices and care homes to facilitate assisted suicide. This will put in jeopardy their ability to provide care. Parliament has rejected an amendment that would have allowed institutions to opt out of participating in the provision of assisted suicide.
• The provisions for conscientious objection for health and social care workers are both unclear and inadequate. This problem will not be addressed by proposed amendments.
• Safeguards against coercion for the most vulnerable are wholly inadequate, particularly in cases involving coercive control or social pressure.
During Committee Stage, the bill’s main proponent was unable to confirm whether individuals seeking assisted suicide due to financial concerns or feelings of being a burden would be prevented from accessing it. Since then, no progress has been made, and many MPs consider the existing safeguards insufficient, with the potential to result in a “terrible tragedy.”
We note the opposition for the bill from key professional bodies including the Royal College of Psychiatrists whose members will be expected to be involved in the process of assessing those who elect for assisted suicide.
We have already seen the bill weakened during Committee Stage. In addition, MPs are expected to debate nearly 60 pages of amendments in under 15 hours. The whole process by which this bill has been brought forward and debated is insufficient for such a radical change.
We urge Catholics, and all people of goodwill, to contact their MP and ask them to vote against this bill. We also ask you to pray that our representatives choose to protect the most vulnerable citizens of this country when they vote later this month.
You can contact your MP using this this tool.

Archbishop John Sherrington
Archbishop of Liverpool
Lead Bishop for Life Issues

05Jun

We wish to recall the clear words of Pope Francis, when he explained that euthanasia, and we quote, is “a failure of love, a ref...

05 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

We wish to recall the clear words of Pope Francis, when he explained that euthanasia, and we quote, is “a failure of love, a reflection of a ‘throwaway culture’” in which “persons
are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected” (encyclical Fratelli Tutti, 18). Indeed, euthanasia is often, misleadingly, presented as a form of compassion. However, 'compassion', a word that means ‘to suffer with’, does not involve
ending a life intentionally, but rather the willingness to share in the suffering of those who are facing the final stages of their journey on this earth. (Message to Participants in the International Symposium on Palliative Care, Toronto, 21–23 May 2024).
Excerpt From the Pastoral Letter of the Maltese Bishops.

05Jun

Photos from The Australian Catholics Page's post

05 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

05Jun

Saint Boniface The Forgotten Hero Who Defeated Thor

05 Jun, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://youtu.be/Vo1OWq5v1gY?si=JuvuI_dn_NUxg2rK
Today is the feast of St Boniface, English monk who became apostle of the Germans

Discover the incredible story of Saint Boniface, the fearless missionary who challenged the gods of old and brought Christianity to the Germanic peoples. Kno...