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.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

17th May 2026

17 May 2026

Pastoral Letter - Communications Sunday 2026

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I want to share with you an encounter I had recently before Sunday Mass. A young man appeared outside the Cathedral as the regulars were entering. He had never been inside, and he asked if it was ok for him to go in even though he was a stranger. Obviously, the answer was yes, and the Adminstrator of the Cathedral asked one of the parishioners to sit with him so he wasn’t on his own. After Mass, he came out, happy to have been there and said he would be back. And he did come back.

The next time, after Mass, I asked him to tell me what brought him here. In short, he said he had grown up with no particular faith and, in his adulthood, decided to investigate Christianity online so he could disprove it. But things went in an entirely different direction, and he began to see the truth of the Christian faith, and he determined to come to a Catholic church. When I asked him why he came to this specific church, he said he had checked it out online first and felt it was the right place for him.

I don’t know where his story will end, but I do know this looks like a story of evangelisation, one where the Lord has spoken in his heart and somehow steered him in our direction. And a large part of that was through the digital world. It was there that he made his first connection with the Church and, from there, that he decided to make the next step. However, that’s just the start. It’s not the end point: that comes through the personal encounter with Christ face-to-face in the Church. But it can be one important contact that starts the journey of faith.

Don’t get me wrong, we will never get away from the fact that the principal evangelisers in the Church are those who have already heard the Word of God and answered his call to discipleship: that’s you I’m talking about. We all have a role to play in witnessing to our faith; in loving God and our neighbour openly and with courage; in reflecting the joy of the Gospel.

But as a Church we have always supported this universal duty to be evangelisers by using all the means at our disposal to reach out to our brothers and sisters in all places. And as part of our mission, the National Office for Communications and Evangelisation is at your service and Christ’s service.

Over the past year, among other things,

we have expanded our digital footprint on social media;
we have supported the Church’s prophetic voice most notably in the lead-up to the Holyrood vote on assisted suicide;
we have worked with other partners in the Church to advance their missions;
and we have sought to communicate more clearly the work of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

It is still early days, and we are just getting started. And inevitably, I am going to ask some things of you:

Pray! As missionaries, we work with and for the Lord, so we start by asking him to be with us and the Spirit to enliven us;
Be a public Catholic! Don’t be shy and be happy to let others know what your faith means to you. Do not underestimate the value of your personal witness;
And yes, I am going to ask for financial support. If we are to use the means of communications at our disposal then the bare fact is that it costs money, so I ask you to give what you can to the collection.

The Good News is that the story of that young man who appeared at the door of the Cathedral is one repeated in churches across the country. There is a hunger amongst many people that can only be satisfied by the love of God made present in Jesus Christ. Let us all play our part in communicating that love of God and welcoming our brothers and sisters into the family of God.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Frank Dougan
Bishop of Galloway

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

News from the Commissions and Agencies

January 2026

19Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 2:18-22)

19 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Mark 2:18-22)

At that time: John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to Jesus, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins — and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.’

18Jan

Photos from Justice & Peace Scotland's post

18 Jan, 2026 | Justice & Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

📝JOURNALS FROM JERUSALEM - A Day With the Mihtawish Bedouin

🚌On Saturday, the Bishops and delegates of the Holy Land Coordination travelled east of Jerusalem to visit the Mihtawish Bedouin community and the Comboni Sisters who have accompanied them for more than twelve years.

🐐The Mihtawish are a Palestinian Bedouin community living in the West Bank. Like many Bedouin families, they are semi-nomadic by tradition, organised around extended family, hospitality, and a deep connection to land and livestock. Most families live in simple, temporary structures and face severe shortages of electricity, water, sanitation, and access to public services.

🧑‍🏫For over a decade, the Comboni Sisters have remained close to the Bedouin communities of this area, accompanying families across 13 villages. Their work is rooted in long-term relationships and regular presence. They support five kindergarten schools, provide healthcare and social assistance, and run women’s empowerment programmes that foster dignity, resilience, and opportunity.

⛪Through their presence, the Comboni Sisters embody a Church that remains close to the marginalised and is attentive to the human dignity of all, values that Pope Leo calls us to commit to in Dilexi Te.

🧵We heard from women who have worked with the Sisters to learn skills such as sewing and embroidery, to study English, and to pursue educational opportunities ensuring they are protagonists in their own lives and agents of change in their own communities.

🏘️The hills where the Mihtawish live are surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements which continue to encroach in on the Bedouins causing them to fear they will be squeezed out. A new settler outpost has appeared recently within walking distance of their farm. While we were there, we saw settlers approach and observe the community from nearby hills (pictured) and we witnessed new settlement buildings under construction.

🪨The women told us they are afraid to sleep due to increased settler violence in recent months. Settlers have come in the nights and taken sheep and goats and during the day they often intimidate and harass the Mihtawish, throw stones, and there have been incidents where children were attacked. Community leaders explained how settlers have entered their land, photographed Bedouin livestock and presented these images to police as false claims of theft against the Bedouins.

❤️In the first image is Rhagad with her younger sister. Her name means “ease of living” or “comfortable life.” She is 10 years old. Rhagad deserves to grow into the future that her name promises. But the older women of her community shared their fear of what lies ahead: if the settlers continue to come, where will the Mihtawish go?

🕊️When asked what the women wanted us to tell people on their behalf, they said: "We want to live in peace. Tell your people at home that our people want to be free; we want to live freely and securely on our own land."

📸Image Credit - Marcin Mazur: Catholic Bishops' Conference (England and Wales)

18Jan

Photos from Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh's post

18 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

18Jan

Holy Mass of the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time | 18 January 2026

18 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time | 18 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

18Jan

Gospel of the day (John 1:29-34)

18 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (John 1:29-34)

At that time: John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptising with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness: ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’

17Jan

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites Christians across Scotland to pause, pray, and reflect on Christ’s call to unity ...

17 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites Christians across Scotland to pause, pray, and reflect on Christ’s call to unity among His followers. Christian unity Week is observed from 18 to 25 January. This week invites Christians to reflect prayerfully on Christ’s call to unity and to place this intention before Him.

Reflecting on the theme One Body, One Spirit, Archbishop Leo reminds us:

"In Scotland we are blessed to share friendships with Christians of other traditions, friendships rooted not in convenience but in a genuine desire to follow Christ more faithfully. The Catholic Church in Scotland has officially acknowledged friendship with the Scottish Episcopal Church; The St Ninian Declaration reminds us of our shared witness, charity and service. The St Margaret Declaration, meanwhile, encourages honest and warm dialogue grounded in truth with our friends in the Church of Scotland. These commitments do not gloss over sincerely held differences of the past or the present. Rather, we endeavour to see in each other a fellow disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, and to grow together in charity as brothers and sisters in Christ. We acknowledge real differences between our Churches, and we do so without fear, because friendship among Christians is not a threat to faith but a fruit of it. So we pray for unity by placing ourselves before Christ, asking that He deepen our love for His Church, strengthen our respect for one another, and lead us, in His time and by His grace, closer to the unity He desires.”

17Jan

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Antony | 17 January 2026

17 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Antony | 17 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

17Jan

Saint Anthony, abbot, often called the father of Christian monasticism, lived a life of radical Gospel simplicity

17 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Saint Anthony, abbot, often called the father of Christian monasticism, lived a life of radical Gospel simplicity. As a young man, he was deeply moved by Christ’s words to sell what one has and give to the poor, and he freely gave away his inheritance to live a life of prayer, fasting and solitude.

Unlike Saint Francis of Assisi, with whom he is often compared, Anthony spent most of his life as a hermit in the desert. There, through asceticism and constant prayer, he became a powerful witness to spiritual freedom. Yet his solitude was never selfish. Many sought him out for counsel, healing and guidance, and his holiness drew others to the same way of life.

Later in life, Anthony helped organise a loose community of hermits, laying foundations for monastic life in the Church. He also stood firmly for the faith, supporting persecuted Christians and later opposing the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ.

Saint Anthony died in solitude at a great age, having spent his life in prayer and spiritual battle. His witness continues to inspire those seeking a life rooted in simplicity, faith and total trust in God.

17Jan

Photos from Bishops' Conference of Scotland's post

17 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Earlier this week, the annual liaison meeting of the Bishops’ Conferences of Scotland, Ireland, and England & Wales took place in Maynooth.

The gathering brought together representatives from the three neighbouring Conferences to discuss and reflect on issues of shared concern and interest. Topics included synodality, safeguarding, vocations and formation, liturgy, education, conflict, peace and justice, populism and migration, as well as ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

As well as sharing good practice and exploring common challenges, the meeting helped to deepen bonds between the Conferences and strengthen collaboration across these islands.

Catholic Bishops' Conference (England and Wales) Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference

17Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 2:13-17)

17 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Mark 2:13-17)

At that time: Jesus went out again beside the lake, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’