• paisley1
  • Slider1
  • edinburgh2
  • fortrose1
  • ayr1
  • glasgow1
  • edinburgh1
  • ayr2
  • oban1
  • Slider1

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

24th February 2026


24 February 2026

Statement on the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill

The Bishops thank the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) and the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office (SCPO) for the considerable work undertaken to present the Church’s strongly held views on this issue.

We recognise a number of important protections which have been secured. Religious Education remains a central part of the curriculum and will continue to be an entitlement for all pupils. In Catholic schools, Religious Education will remain within the authority of the Bishops’ Conference. The Scottish Government has acknowledged the intrinsic nature of Religious Education and Religious Observance in Catholic schools and, despite these being de-coupled in law, has committed to respecting and continuing both. The Government has also committed to involving SCES in drafting the statutory guidance. Furthermore, the retention of the term “Religious Instruction” in law ensures that the Religious Character of Catholic schools is not reduced solely to classroom learning.


However, we are deeply concerned by the decision to grant Scottish Ministers the power to introduce regulations that would permit young people to withdraw from religious observance without parental involvement. Article 14 of the UNCRC is often quoted selectively, overlooking its clear emphasis on the essential role of parents in a child’s religious upbringing. This narrative risks creating a false divide between children’s rights and parental responsibilities. Any future legislation must uphold the UNCRC’s intention to support families, not diminish their role.

We remain deeply concerned at the official policy of the Scottish Greens to impose a fully secular model of state education – an approach that would strip away Scotland’s denominational schools entirely.
We will work firmly and constructively with the Scottish Government to ensure that Catholic schools continue to be protected in law and safeguarded for the communities they serve.


ENDS

Contact:
Media Office

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

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.

Being Catholic TV

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn
June 2024



📢 Calling all retired teachers!

We are looking for school volunteers to help us speak to children and young people about the causes and effects of poverty, encouraging them to put their faith into action.

Interested? Find out more and apply on our website:
https://pulse.ly/13k7htnoef

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More



During a break between exams, some of our seminarians visited the church of San Marcello al Corso to view Salvador Dalí's renowned painting, 'Christ of Saint John of the Cross.' In anticipation of the Jubilee Year, it is currently on display alongside the 'relic drawing of the Crucified Christ' by St. John of the Cross, which served as inspiration for Dalí's masterpiece.

The exhibition runs until June 23rd, after which Dalí's painting will return to its home at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, while St. John's drawing will journey back to the Monasterio de la Encarnación in Ávila.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/257928/bishops-in-scotland-react-to-new-data-showing-majority-of-scots-have-no-religion


Catholic bishops in Scotland have said that new data indicating that the majority of Scots have no religion comes as no surprise.

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://stpaulcenter.com/audio/sunday-bible-reflections/the-promised-one-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-tenth-sunday-in-ordinary-time/


In today’s Gospel Jesus has just been healing and casting out demons in Galilee. Along with the crowds, who flock to Him so that He can’t even take a break to eat, come people who do not understand what He is doing. Even His friends think He has lost His mind and needs to be taken away for a whi

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-06/pope-at-invocation-war-cannot-resolve-problems-and-bring-peace.html


Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the "Invocation for Peace" in the Vatican Gardens with the then-leaders of Israel and Palestine, Pope Francis ...

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-06/pope-global-south-debt-crisis-forgiveness-cancel-foreign.html


Speaking to participants in a Vatican conference on debt in the Global South, Pope Francis says that the upcoming Jubilee Year is an opportunity to ...

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-06/pope-francis-letter-anniversary-normandy-landings-peace.html


In a letter addressed to Bishop Jacques Habert of Bayeux and Lisieux, Pope Francis commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Allied forces landing in ...

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
https://www.missioscotland.com/post/faith-is-now-matthew-s-focus


The BBC documentary, Priest School, shone a light on the lives of seminarians in the Pontifical Scots College in Rome. The programme, which was universally well received, followed the young men who will form an important part of the future of the Scottish Church. It allowed them to express themselve...

(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
Caritas award recipients from St John Ogilvie Blantyre who were working with the Bishops’ Conference Justice and Peace agency



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Read More
Page 165 of 188 [165]