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

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

At Christmas, Christians across Scotland gathered around the crib to contemplate the life of a vulnerable child; God entering our world as a baby in need of care, protection and love. Christmas places fragile human life at the centre of everything.

It is therefore unsettling that this season saw the first person in Scotland charged under the new so-called “buffer zone” law in Scotland; a law the Church believes curtails Scotland’s commitment to freedom of expression and conscience, and restricts critical voices from democratic debate in the public square.

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 establishes “buffer zones” of up to 200 metres around abortion facilities — currently around 30 locations across Scotland. Within those zones, any conduct deemed to “influence” a decision about abortion may be criminalised. That vague description should trouble anyone who values legal clarity or free expression.

The Catholic Church does not condone harassment or intimidation, but that was not the intention of this law. The Church has been clear: harassment, intimidation and obstruction are wrong and unacceptable. But Scotland already has robust laws to deal with harassment, public disorder and threatening behaviour and it is telling that, when consulted on the proposed new law, Police Scotland did not ask for more powers, and went as far to state in written evidence to Parliament that, “existing powers and offences are sufficient to address any unlawful behaviour in the vicinity of healthcare premises.” When parliaments introduce criminal offences where existing law is already sufficient, questions should be raised and alarm bells ring.

We oppose this law because it is disproportionate and undemocratic. It represents state overreach and curtails basic freedoms. The Church would similarly oppose legislation mandating buffer zones outside nuclear weapons facilities or refugee detention centres. This should concern every Scottish citizen, regardless of their views on abortion.

As the Parliamentary Officer for the Catholic Church in Scotland pointed out, women experiencing crisis pregnancies may be “denied the opportunity to freely speak to people and organisations who may be able to help them.” A law supposedly designed to protect choice risks doing the opposite — eliminating one side of a conversation and one set of choices altogether.

Even more troubling is what the legislation anticipates. Official documentation accompanying the Act acknowledges that the law envisages criminalising “praying audibly” and “silent vigils."

This is unprecedented in modern Scotland, and it is no wonder it has raised eyebrows around the world, with concerns raised around Scotland’s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression and religion.

The implications go further. The Act extends to private homes within designated zones. A pro-life poster displayed in a window, a conversation overheard, a prayer said by a window; all could, in principle, fall within the scope of criminal sanction. When asked directly whether praying by a window in your own home could constitute an offence, Gillian Mackay, the Scottish Green Party MSP, who spearheaded the legislation, replied: “That depends on who’s passing the window.” That sends a chill down the spine of anyone who cares about civil liberties. Criminal law that depends on the perception of a passer-by is certainly not the hallmark of a free Scottish society.

The law also potentially criminalises a person standing alone in a buffer zone without any visible expression of protest, but who is deemed by others to be offering a silent pro-life inspired prayer. Even Police Scotland expressed unease. Superintendent Gerry Corrigan told Parliament that policing thought is an area they “would stay clear of,” adding: “I do not think we could go down the road of asking people what they are thinking or what their thoughts are. That feels really uncomfortable.” Yet, this is the territory into which Scottish law now ventures. Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference, noted that “none of the arguments made were able to get around the basic premise that Police Scotland had never asked for more powers.” and that the law is “draconian” and “unnecessary,” particularly considering its impact on people of faith.

Some parliamentarians attempted to mitigate the effects of the law— proposing a reasonableness defence, or exemptions for chaplains who might be criminalised for pastoral conversations. All amendments were rejected or withdrawn.

We support all those who, motivated by conscience and compassion, stand up for the right to life. It cannot be a crime to give our voice and our prayers to the unborn.

Christmas is the message that every human life has infinite dignity from its beginning. That truth is not confined to private thoughts. A society confident in its values does not fear opposing voices. It does not criminalise silent prayer. It does not ask its police or judges to peer into the minds of its citizens.

Scotland’s buffer zones law represents a profound shift in the relationship between the State and the individual — one that restricts free speech, free expression and freedom of religion in ways that should concern us all.

As we look to the child in the manger this Christmas and Epiphany, we are reminded that babies do not have a voice of their own. It is a shame that the State has now also curtailed the voices of ordinary citizens who advocate for them within its borders.

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland
6th January 2026

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by tag: Bishops' Conference of ScotlandReturn

December 2025

25Dec

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Birth of Jesus Christ

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

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a feast overflowing with joy: the Eternal Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. All that the patriarchs and prophets longed for is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Like the shepherds, we come to the manger and adore the Son of God, who came down from heaven for our salvation.

The heart of Christmas is captured beautifully in the Preface of the Nativity: "For by the mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory hath shone anew upon the eyes of our mind, so that while we acknowledge Him as God seen by men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of things unseen."

May this holy season draw us closer to Christ and to the hope He brings.

25Dec

Gospel of the day (John 1:1-5, 9-14)

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

Gospel of the day (John 1:1-5, 9-14)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

24Dec

On Christmas Day, the Holy Father appeals to the world for one full day of peace

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

On Christmas Day, the Holy Father appeals to the world for one full day of peace.

A simple request.

#ChristmasDay #OneDayOfPeace

24Dec

Gospel of the Day (Luke 1:67-79)

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

Gospel of the Day (Luke 1:67-79)

At that time: Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

23Dec

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER FOR JUSTICE & PEACE

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

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER FOR JUSTICE & PEACE

As we wait to welcome Jesus,
the Prince of Peace,
born among the poor and laid in a manger,
we place before God the injustices in our world.

In a time of war and division,
fear and intolerance,
may the light of Christ’s coming
shine through the darkness.

May the child of Bethlehem
soften hardened hearts,
turn us away from violence and indifference,
and inspire us to sow seeds of harmony, justice, and peace.

May the infant Jesus inspire us to recognise the humanity in the refugee, the excluded, and the forgotten;
to choose dialogue over division,
compassion over fear,
and hope over despair.

As pilgrims of hope this Christmas,
may we be hopeful bearers of peace:
in our homes, our communities,
and in our shared global family.

May the light of the manager illuminate the world with love, dignity, justice, and peace.

Amen.

23Dec

23 December – O Emmanuel

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

23 December – O Emmanuel

Today we reach the fulfilment of the O Antiphons with O Emmanuel, God with us. Having called upon the Messiah through the images of history, prophecy, and creation, the Church now addresses Him directly and personally. Emmanuel reveals the heart of God: a God who chooses closeness, who shares our weakness and suffering, who comes as one of us. He desires not only to dwell among us but to remain with us always, living within us and drawing us into His own divine life.

22Dec

22 December – O Rex Gentium

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

22 December – O Rex Gentium

Today’s antiphon, O King of the Nations, proclaims Christ as ruler of all creation. His kingdom extends over every people and every corner of the world. Yet this King comes not in power or force, but in humility. By becoming man, He enters a world wounded by sin in order to reclaim what was lost and restore humanity to God. In Him, Jews and Gentiles alike are gathered into one people, united under the gentle and saving reign of Christ the King.

21Dec

Bishop Toal's Sunday Refletion for Fourth Sunday of Advent

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

Bishop Toal's Sunday Refletion for Fourth Sunday of Advent

21Dec

21 December – O Oriens

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

21 December – O Oriens

Today we acclaim Christ as O Oriens, the Radiant Dawn and Light of the world. He is the true sunrise who breaks through the darkness of sin and despair. By His teaching, His example, and His saving sacrifice, Christ brings light to hearts searching for meaning. From the manger to the cross, from the tabernacle to the depths of our own lives, He shines as the answer to humanity’s deepest questions and the hope that never fades.

21Dec

21 December – O Oriens

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