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

June 2024

04Jun

Scottish Catholic Education Service we were delighted to share in the celebration of this year's Caritas Award recipients #faith

04 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Scottish Catholic Education Service we were delighted to share in the celebration of this year's Caritas Award recipients #faith

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04Jun

Bishops' Conference of Scotland

04 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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04Jun

When the pope consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart

04 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://aleteia.org/2024/06/03/
Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart

In 1899 Pope Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart, and that consecration has been renewed on multiple occasions.

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03Jun

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

03 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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03Jun

Catholic Parliamentary

03 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Catholic Parliamentary
Office
Newsletter
June 2024

Dear Friend

The Prime Minister has called a General Election to be held on 4th July. The Parliamentary Office will shortly publish an online resource to help you navigate the election. In the meantime, I would like to draw your attention to some important information to do with voting at the election, as there are some key changes you need to be aware of.

You will need to take photographic ID with you to the polling station. Valid forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, blue badge, or Scottish National Entitlement Card. For those who do not have an acceptable form of ID you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate. Applications may be submitted online or by post. For more information on voting at this election or to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, please visit: Voter ID | Electoral Commission

You can vote in person at a polling station on the day, or you can arrange for someone to vote on your behalf, a proxy. Or, as many people now do, you can apply to vote by post. This might be helpful for many people living in Scotland as the election falls during the school holidays. For more information on registering to vote for the first time, voting by proxy, or to apply for a postal vote, click this link: Ways to vote | Electoral Commission

Please note that the following important deadlines apply to this election:

18 June Deadline for registering to vote if a person isn’t already registered
19 June (5pm) Deadline for receiving new postal vote and postal proxy applications, and for changes to existing postal or proxy votes
26 June (5pm) Deadline for in person proxy votes
26 June (5pm) Deadline for application for Voter Authority Certificates (free ID document)

I will be in touch again soon with more information about the General Election.

With every good wish,

Anthony

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03Jun

Photos from Sancta Familia's post

03 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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03Jun

The June 2024 issue of 'Safeguarding Matters' stresses the importance of continuous training and provides news of forthcoming tr...

03 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

The June 2024 issue of 'Safeguarding Matters' stresses the importance of continuous training and provides news of forthcoming training events. It also covers two important Research reports that focus on (1) the journey of Church Safeguarders globally and (2) the lessons that can be learned from the impact of the abuse crisis on the Catholic Church in England and Wales. CLICK HERE TO READ: https://bit.ly/3yUmcFN
Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh Archdiocese of Glasgow Diocese of Argyll & the Isles Motherwell Diocese RC Diocese of Aberdeen Galloway Diocese Diocese of Paisley Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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02Jun

"On the feast of Corpus Christi", by St Thomas Aquinas

02 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

"On the feast of Corpus Christi", by St Thomas Aquinas
O precious and wonderful banquet!

Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods. Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.
O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.
It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

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01Jun

“Catholic Families for Life” newsletter – Issue 3 launched today on www.marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk

01 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

“Catholic Families for Life” newsletter – Issue 3 launched today on www.marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk

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01Jun

🙏Unceasing Hope

01 Jun, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

🙏Unceasing Hope

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