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

September 2026

19Sep

Gospel Luke 8:4-15

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

Gospel Luke 8:4-15
‘That which fell in the good soil, they hold fast the word and bear fruit with patience.’

At that time: When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, Jesus said in a parable, ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil, and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.’ As he said these things, he called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that “seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand”. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.’

18Sep

Photos from Bishops' Conference of Scotland's post

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

Teachers from across Scotland gathered at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh for a Setting Out on the Road training day. The course marks an important step towards gaining the Catholic Teaching Certificate, enabling them to teach in Catholic schools.

Also pictured are Professor Roisín Coll, Professor of Catholic Education at the University of Glasgow, and James McDevitt, Associate Tutor (both left). We wish all those taking part every success as they continue their formation!

18Sep

Thanks to your support for Missio Scotland, and our PMS partners, a better standard of healthcare is being provided in countries...

18 Sep, 2026 | Missio Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Thanks to your support for Missio Scotland, and our PMS partners, a better standard of healthcare is being provided in countries such as India!

#MissiosFridayFacts

@followers

18Sep

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian | 18 September 2026

18 Sep, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian | 18 September 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

18Sep

Gospel Luke 8:1-3

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

Gospel Luke 8:1-3
‘Some women were with them, who provided for them out of their means.’

At that time: Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

17Sep

Holy Mass of Thursday of the Twenty Fourth Week of Ordinary Time | 17 September 2026

17 Sep, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Thursday of the Twenty Fourth Week of Ordinary Time | 17 September 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

17Sep

Gospel Luke 7:36-50

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

Gospel Luke 7:36-50
‘Her sins, which are many, are forgiven — for she loved much.’

At that time: One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’
‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning towards the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven — for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

16Sep

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Ninian | 16 September 2026

16 Sep, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Ninian | 16 September 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

16Sep

Today the Church in Scotland celebrates Saint Ninian, traditionally honoured as Scotland’s first saint and one of the earliest m...

16 Sep, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Today the Church in Scotland celebrates Saint Ninian, traditionally honoured as Scotland’s first saint and one of the earliest missionaries to bring the Christian faith to the people of this land.

Very little is known with certainty about Ninian’s life. No surviving written account comes from his own lifetime, and much of what we know comes from sources written centuries later. Historians therefore distinguish carefully between historical evidence and later tradition.

What is clear is that Whithorn in Galloway became one of the earliest and most important Christian centres in Scotland. Archaeological discoveries point to a thriving Christian community there from around the fifth century, with evidence of trade links reaching as far as the Mediterranean.

One of the most significant finds is the Latinus Stone, regarded as the earliest surviving Christian monument in Scotland and an important witness to the presence of Christianity at Whithorn.

Writing in the eighth century, the historian Bede described Ninian as “a most reverend bishop and holy man of the nation of the Britons”. He associated Ninian with a church at Whithorn dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and known as Candida Casa, the “White House”, because it was said to have been built of stone in a way unfamiliar in the region.

By the seventh century, Whithorn had already become an important place of pilgrimage. Generations of Christians travelled there to pray at the shrine of Saint Ninian, seeking his intercession and giving thanks for favours received. Over the centuries, kings and ordinary pilgrims alike made the journey, helping to establish Whithorn as one of Scotland’s great pilgrimage destinations.

The figure of Saint Ninian may remain partly hidden from history, but the Christian legacy associated with him is unmistakable.

Today, we give thanks for the earliest roots of the faith in Scotland and for all those who, like Ninian, carried the Gospel to new places and new generations.

🙏 Saint Ninian, pray for us.

16Sep

Sixteen years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Edinburgh Airport, beginning his historic State Visit to the United Kingdo...

16 Sep, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Sixteen years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Edinburgh Airport, beginning his historic State Visit to the United Kingdom in Scotland.

Following his welcome at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Holy Father travelled through Edinburgh before celebrating Holy Mass with tens of thousands of people at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.

We remember with gratitude this very special day for the Church in Scotland, and the enduring witness of Pope Benedict XVI: a devoted servant of the Church, a teacher of the faith and a man of prayer.