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

9th September 2026

9 September 2026

Justice & Peace Scotland Statement on UK Measures Against Illegal Israeli Settlements

Justice & Peace Scotland welcomes the announcement by the UK Government of a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, alongside further sanctions targeting those involved in settlement expansion and settler violence.

We particularly welcome the Government’s recognition that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is unlawful and that settlement expansion and settler violence are contributing to the displacement of Palestinian communities. Today’s use of economic and diplomatic measures to uphold international law is a positive and long-awaited step towards holding Israel accountable for its repeated breaches of international obligations.

Through our participation in the Holy Land Coordination, we have witnessed the impact of settlement expansion and settler violence first-hand. In 2025, we met Daoud Nassar of the Tent of Nations farm in Bethlehem, whose family has spent decades defending the ownership of their land. The farm is surrounded by Israeli settlements and the family face constant violence, vandalism and repeated attempts to dispossess them. In 2026, in Taybeh, members of the parish of Christ the Redeemer told us of homes and property being attacked and of farmland and olive trees being damaged by settlers in an attempt to drive them from their land. These experiences demonstrate the very real consequences of settlement expansion for Palestinian communities.

Equal rights, security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis cannot be achieved without accountability and respect for the international legal framework. Measures such as those announced should therefore be encouraged as a means of addressing injustice and helping to break the cycle of violence and loss of life for all who live there.

We continue to call for measures to address conflict that are consistent with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel’s call to nonviolence. Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly emphasised the need for peace founded on justice and respect for the dignity of every person.

The announcement is a hugely welcome and much-needed step, but the UK Government must continue to use all appropriate diplomatic, economic and legal mechanisms to uphold international law and prevent further settlement expansion.

We pray for all people living in the Holy Land and for a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can live with equal rights, security, dignity and lasting peace.

...ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Justice & Peace Scotland (https://www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk) is a Catholic agency of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland who campaign, educate and advocate on issues relating to international peace, human rights, social justice, and care for creation.
The Holy Land Coordination is an annual meeting of a delegation of European and American bishops in the Holy Land (Palestine, Israel, Jordan), mandated by the Holy See. The delegation visits the region to act in solidarity with the region’s Christian communities and share in the pastoral life of the local Church as it experiences extreme political and social-economic pressure. Bishops are accompanied by church agencies and church-affiliated organisations. Justice & Peace Scotland has participated in HLC 2025 and 2026.
Justice & Peace Scotland are available for further comment and interview: Anne-Marie Richmond, Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer: 07789193370, [email protected]
For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office. Email: [email protected]

Images:

IMAGE 1 - Depicts Israeli settlements viewed from the Tent of Nations farm, Bethlehem, Palestine. Credit: AM Richmond, Justice & Peace Scotland

IMAGE 2: Cross and Palestinian flag above Christian church, West Bank, Palestine. Credit: Marcin Mazur, CBCEW

8th September 2026

8 September 2026

Proposed Abortion Motion Raises Profound Ethical Concerns

It is deeply troubling to hear that SNP members may be asked to vote on a motion seeking to remove legal protections relating to self-administered abortion in Scotland. Human life possesses inherent dignity and worth from conception until natural death, and any proposal that would further weaken safeguards for unborn children, including abortion up to the point of birth and sex-selective abortion, raises profound moral and ethical concerns.

I urge the SNP, and all parties and politicians, to uphold both compassion for women facing difficult pregnancies and protection for the most vulnerable members of our human family. Rather than expanding access to abortion, Scotland should focus on providing practical support to mothers, children and families, ensuring that no woman feels alone or without alternatives.

What the people of Scotland need now is for government, political parties and MSPs to focus on the priorities that affect daily life: easing the cost-of-living pressures facing households, addressing the housing crisis, strengthening local health services, improving access to high-quality palliative care, and working for peace and reconciliation both at home and abroad. We do not need an extreme abortion law. Scotland deserves better.

Anthony Horan
Director
Catholic Parliamentary Office
Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

...ENDS

Notes for editors

Photo of Anthony Horan, Director of the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office: Photo of Anthony Horan
The Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office works on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, by engaging with politicians and policymakers on matters central to the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office, Email: [email protected]

Contact:

Media Office

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

21st August 2026

21 August 2026

Final appeal to Catholics ahead of Westminster assisted suicide vote

Bishop John Keenan has issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics across Scotland to contact their MPs ahead of the return of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to the House of Commons on Friday 11 September.

The Bill, reintroduced by Lauren Edwards MP, would permit eligible terminally ill adults in England and Wales to receive assistance to end their lives. A similar Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament last March.

Although this new legislation would apply only to England and Wales, Bishop Keenan stresses that this remains an important moment for Catholics in Scotland. The outcome at Westminster could have significant consequences north of the border and potentially reignite attempts to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.

In his letter, Bishop Keenan describes the coming vote as a “grave moment for the protection of human life” and urges Catholics to contact their MPs “without delay” and ask them to oppose the Bill.

Bishop Keenan said:

“Our opposition to assisted suicide is rooted in compassion. Every person, from conception until natural death, possesses an inviolable dignity as one made in the image and likeness of God.”

Warning particularly of the potential consequences for vulnerable people, he added:

“Illness, frailty, disability, dependence or fear must never lead society to conclude that some lives are no longer worth living.”

The Bishop calls instead for greater investment in palliative and hospice care and better support for carers, insisting that “the proper response to suffering is care, presence, skilled palliative medicine and practical support—not the deliberate ending of life.”

Scotland’s Catholic bishops encourage all who stand on the side of life to contact their MP today and without delay, asking them to protect vulnerable people, support better palliative and hospice care, and vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

...ENDS

Notes to Editor

Photo of the Bishop John Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/photos/bishop%20john%20keenan.gif

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/letters/Pastoral Letter - Assisted Suicide Westminster - August 2026.pdf

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCoS) is the assembly of the Catholic bishops of Scotland, working together on national pastoral, social and legislative matters on behalf of the Church. Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office. Email: [email protected]

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

26Jan

Saints Timothy and Titus were close companions of Saint Paul and among his most trusted co workers in spreading the Gospel

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

Saints Timothy and Titus were close companions of Saint Paul and among his most trusted co workers in spreading the Gospel. Their lives, as recorded in the New Testament, show the early Church being built amid hardship, opposition and constant travel.

Saint Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, Eunice, and was brought to faith through the witness of his family and Saint Paul himself. Converted around the year 47, he became one of Paul’s closest collaborators, assisting him in founding churches and carrying out difficult missions. Though young and naturally timid, Timothy was entrusted with great responsibility, eventually representing Paul in Ephesus. Paul’s letters to him reveal both deep affection and practical pastoral guidance.

Saint Titus was a Gentile convert and a valued missionary partner of Paul. Known for his wisdom and calm leadership, he was often sent to resolve tensions within troubled communities. Paul relied on him during a particularly difficult period in Corinth, where Titus helped restore peace and unity. Later, he was placed in charge of the Church on Crete, tasked with organising the community and appointing leaders.

Together, Timothy and Titus stand as examples of faithful service, pastoral courage and trust in God amid the challenges of the early Church.

Saints Timothy and Titus, pray for us.

26Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:22-30)

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

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:22-30)

At that time: The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘By the prince of demons he casts out the demons.’ And he called them to him and said to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

‘Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’ — for they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’

25Jan

Holy Mass of the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time | 25 January 2026

25 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time | 25 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

25Jan

Gospel of the day (Matthew 4:12-23)

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

Gospel of the day (Matthew 4:12-23)

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

24Jan

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales | 24 January 2026

24 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales | 24 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

24Jan

Saint Francis de Sales was born into a noble family in Savoy and was originally destined for a career in law and public life

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

Saint Francis de Sales was born into a noble family in Savoy and was originally destined for a career in law and public life. After studying law at Padua and earning his doctorate, he surprised his family by choosing the priesthood instead. Though his father strongly opposed this decision, Francis won him over through patience, humility and gentle persistence.

Ordained a priest, Francis was sent to minister in Geneva, a region deeply affected by Calvinism. Through preaching and the simple pamphlets he wrote to explain the Catholic faith, he helped bring many people back to the Church. His approach was marked not by argument, but by kindness and clarity.

At thirty five, he became Bishop of Geneva. He remained close to his people, preaching often, hearing confessions and teaching the faith, especially to children. His gentleness became his hallmark, summed up in his famous insight that kindness wins hearts more effectively than harshness.

Saint Francis de Sales is best known for his spiritual writings, especially Introduction to the Devout Life, in which he insists that holiness is not reserved for monks and nuns, but is possible in every state of life. For this reason, he is honoured as the patron saint of the Catholic press.

Alongside Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, he also founded the Order of the Visitation, whose charism continues to shape the Church today.

Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us.

24Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:20-21)

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

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:20-21)

At that time: Jesus went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind.’

23Jan

A Fatal Flaw: Why Scotland's Assisted Suicide Bill is Falling Apart

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

A Fatal Flaw: Why Scotland's Assisted Suicide Bill is Falling Apart

Scotland is on the brink of passing one of the most consequential laws in its history — yet the ground beneath the proposed assisted suicide bill is visibly crumbling.

In recent weeks, MSPs who previously backed the legislation have expressed significant reservations, warning that the bill cannot protect vulnerable people from pressure to end their lives prematurely. Audrey Nicoll, a former police officer with 31 years’ experience, now says she will vote against the law because it exposes vulnerable Scots to “coercion and pressure…in ways which may be subtle and difficult to enunciate.”

Her reversal is not an isolated case. Other MSPs admit they can no longer support the bill in its current form, raising doubts about whether it can survive the final vote.

Their concerns are well‑founded. Key safeguards have already been rejected or removed. Amendments requiring doctors to receive specialist training in detecting coercion or ensuring that palliative or social care is offered before proceeding were dismissed during committee scrutiny. Even protections for healthcare workers who object on moral grounds cannot remain in the bill, because they fall under UK‑wide law and will need to be fixed after the Bill passes. This means that MSPs will be asked to vote blindfolded on a matter of life and death and then hand the reins to Westminster to finish the job. Labour MSP Michael Marra said this significant setback effectively “holes the bill below the waterline.”

Worse still, experience abroad shows that eligibility criteria tend to expand once assisted suicide is legalised. In Canada, what began as a narrow system for the terminally ill has widened dramatically, with those suffering only mental health conditions set to qualify next year. Audrey Nicoll warns that such “gradual broadening” is a real and foreseeable risk. Scotland would not be immune.

Supporters of the bill claim Scotland must show compassion. They are right — just not in the way they imagine. Compassion means ensuring people have access to excellent palliative care, emotional support, and a dignified death. It does not mean constructing a hurried, legally unstable system of state-assisted suicide that even its former advocates no longer trust to protect the vulnerable.

When a law dealing with irreversible decisions is rushed, weakened, and riddled with unanswered questions, the responsible course is clear: stop. Scotland should reject this dangerous bill and insist on a system that protects life, safeguards the vulnerable, and upholds the highest ethical and legal standards.

Anthony Horan, Director, Catholic Parliamentary Office for Scotland

23Jan

Holy Mass of Friday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 23 January 2026

23 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Friday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 23 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

23Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:13-19)

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

Gospel of the day (Mark 3:13-19)

At that time: Jesus went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named Apostles, so that they might be with him, and he might send them out to preach, and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the Twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder; Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.