The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

5th May 2026

05 May 2026

Pastoral letter from the Catholic Bishops of Scotland on the Scottish Parliament Election

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election approaches, we find ourselves at another important moment in our nation’s life. Elections are not only political events but opportunities to reflect prayerfully on our responsibilities as citizens and disciples of Jesus Christ. Our participation in public life expresses our love of neighbour and our desire to build a society that honours God through truth, justice, and charity.

The Church and the political community have distinct roles, yet both serve the good of every person. The Church forms consciences through the light of the Gospel, while politics shapes society’s structures. When these work together respectfully, society flourishes, especially in its care for the weakest. It is therefore vital that Catholics approach this election with faith‑formed minds and hearts moved by charity.

Many in Scotland today face deep vulnerability: unborn children; the elderly; families in poverty; the disabled; those with poor mental health; people suffering addiction; victims of modern slavery; migrants seeking safety; people considering suicide; and victims of crime. They deserve not only compassion but public policies that protect their dignity. We need representatives who act with integrity, value every human life, and prioritise the poorest. Public service is noble when rooted in humility and the common good.

Our elected officials must also defend fundamental freedoms—thought, conscience, and religion—so Scotland remains a place where people can express beliefs openly and respectfully. Public discourse thrives when diverse voices can speak without fear and disagreements are handled with civility. Silencing religious expression deprives society of moral and spiritual richness.

We affirm the rights of parents, who have the God‑given responsibility to educate their children, including choosing schools that reflect their convictions. Authorities must safeguard this right and protect Catholic schools, which serve families of all backgrounds and help form young people in faith, virtue, and service. Attempts to marginalise, or remove, these schools would weaken Scotland’s educational diversity.

As you prepare to vote, reflect on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching - human dignity, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity - which illuminate the key moral issues of our time:

the protection of life from conception to natural death;
care for the poor and vulnerable;
fair and sustainable economic conditions;
accessible healthcare;
the elimination of modern slavery;
the strengthening of marriage and family life;
care for creation;
the promotion of peace and support for poorer nations; and
the defence of religious freedom and conscience.

These are not merely political issues, but moral ones rooted in the Gospel and the Church’s commitment to every person’s dignity. Study and pray with these principles as you discern your vote. Resources from the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office ( rcpolitics.org) can help form your conscience, enabling you to seek truth, weigh moral implications, and consider the impact on the vulnerable. Above all, we urge you to use your right to vote.

We pray for respectful and honest conversation throughout this election. Political life must not be poisoned by anger, division, or populist rhetoric. May all debates reflect concern for human dignity and the common good.

We entrust Scotland—its people, leaders, and future—to the care of Our Lady, Queen of Peace. May her intercession guide us toward justice, compassion, and unity. May the Holy Spirit inspire candidates with integrity and humility, and voters with responsibility, prayerfulness, and love of neighbour.

Yours devotedly in Christ,

+ John Keenan, President, Bishop of Paisley

+ Brian McGee, Vice President, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles

+ Andrew McKenzie, Episcopal Secretary, Bishop of Dunkeld

+ Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh

+ William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow

+ Joseph Toal, Bishop of Motherwell

+ Hugh Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen

+ Francis Dougan, Bishop of Galloway

20th March 2026

20 March 2026

Statement from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Following a request from the Holy See, the Bishops of Scotland have been invited to reflect on how the structures of the Church in our country can best serve her mission in the years ahead, specifically whether the present situation of eight dioceses is suitable.

We are all aware of the challenges before us — fewer clergy, changing patterns of practice, and increasing pressures on our diocesan resources, among other things. Yet our mission remains unchanged: to proclaim the Gospel and to lead our people to Christ.

Two possible pathways are being proposed for careful discernment: developing deeper cooperation and the sharing of resources across dioceses within our present structures, or the merging of some dioceses.

In order to best inform ourselves and the Holy See, each bishop will engage with his diocese over the coming months for the first part of this process. Everyone will be given the opportunity to pray, reflect, and contribute.

Following-on from the presentation of a discussion paper, responses from each diocese will contribute to the initial findings which will be given to the Holy See in the Autumn.

This is not simply an administrative exercise. It is a pastoral and missionary response to our changing landscape. This process will ensure our Church in Scotland will continue to grow ever more missionary, more Christ-centred, and more collaborative in the service of God’s people.

Entrusting this work to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to the intercession of Our Lady, we move forward together with confidence and renewed hope.

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.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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August 2024

08Aug

Almost aborted, Grammy winner Alicia Keys' mom chose life: 'I am so grateful to her for choosing me'

08 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Alicia Keys, renowned singer and pianist and 16 time Grammy winner wouldn't be here had her mother stuck to her original plan of having an abortion.

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08Aug

Season of Creation Zoom Event: To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum

08 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Season of Creation Zoom Event: To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum
The Care of Creation Office of the Bishops’ Conference has organised this session to enable us to discern how the insights of Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' and his 2023 apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum can lead us to hope and act with creation.
Our companion for the session is Fr Josh Kureethadam who was the Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development from 2017-2023, where he continues to serve as a consultant. Fr Josh will share not only a sense of awe and wonder before the grandeur and majesty of the universe, but also a deep sense of concern for the increasingly precarious state of our common planetary home.
The session is on Thursday 19th September - 7:00 - 8:30pm and you can register at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0scO2hrzwtE9E8gDiyJLbQZJ1rbdLXja36
4. Registration - Confirmation Email.
Hello {First Name} {Second Name},

Thank you for registering for To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si and Laudate Deum. You can find information about this meeting below.

To hope and act with Creation - rooted in Laudato Si and Laudate Deum
Date & Time Sep 19, 2024 07:00 PM London
Meeting ID 991 7491 7795

Format for the session:
6.45 - Waiting Room is opened.
7.00 - Welcome and Opening Prayer.
7.10 - Presentation by Fr Josh Kureethadam.
7.40 - Moderated Q&A
8.25 - Thanks and Closing Prayer

Our session is promoted by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland's Care of Creation Office and co-hosted with - Eco Congregation Scotland, Justice and Peace Scotland, Laudato Si Animators - Scotland, Open House Magazine, Pax Christi Scotland, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, and the Scottish Laity Network.

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05Aug

DUNKELD PREPARES TO WELCOME ITS NEW BISHOP – CANON ANDREW MCKENZIE

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

DUNKELD PREPARES TO WELCOME ITS NEW BISHOP – CANON ANDREW MCKENZIE
Please pray for Bishop elect Andrew McKenzie who will be ordained on Saturday 10th August in St Andrew’s Cathedral Dundee 🙏

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05Aug

I was delighted by yesterday's inspired letter from Pope Francis on "the Role of Literature in Formation"

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

I was delighted by yesterday's inspired letter from Pope Francis on "the Role of Literature in Formation". He quotes C.S. Lewis, Proust and Borges, among others, in analysing the value of literature. The late Fr Michael Gallagher S.J. would have concurred, I'm sure. I hope that those who lead houses of religious formation are also inspired.

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2024/08/04/0600/01218.html

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05Aug

Holy See ‘deplores’ offence to Christians in Opening Ceremony - Vatican News

05 Aug, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-08/holy-see-deplores-offence-to-christians-in-opening-ceremony.html

The Holy See expresses sadness over some of the scenes in the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympic Games, saying that “at a prestigious event where ...

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04Aug

Endurance Test: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

https://stpaulcenter.com/audio/sunday-bible-reflections/endurance-test-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-eighteenth-sunday-in-ordinary-time/

The journey of discipleship is a lifelong exodus from the slavery of sin and death to the holiness of truth on Mount Zion, the promised land of eternal life.The road can get rough. And when it does, we can be tempted to complain like the Israelites in this week’s First Reading.We have to s

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04Aug

Are you a priest, religious sister or brother with responsibility for safeguarding in a Catholic community in Scotland?

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

Are you a priest, religious sister or brother with responsibility for safeguarding in a Catholic community in Scotland? If so, please BOOK YOUR PLACE at the National Safeguarding Conference which takes place on Saturday 16th November 2024 in Glasgow. You can attend IN PERSON or ONLINE. Details & Booking Form here: https://bit.ly/4bTXNyZ or SCAN the QR code on the image.
RC Diocese of Aberdeen Diocese of Paisley Diocese of Argyll & the Isles Galloway Diocese Motherwell Diocese Archdiocese of Glasgow Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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03Aug

https://www.usccb.org/about/justice-peace-and-human-development/upload/Eucharist.pdf

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

https://www.usccb.org/about/justice-peace-and-human-development/upload/Eucharist.pdf
A reflection for this Sunday

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01Aug

Pope to altar servers: ‘Share Jesus with others’ - Vatican News

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-07/pope-to-altar-servers-share-your-being-with-jesus-with-others.html

Pope Francis encourages participants in the International Pilgrimage of Altar Servers to share Jesus’ Eucharistic love with those in need.

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01Aug

Season of Creation

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

https://seasonofcreation.org/

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together.

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