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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

https://www.holyyear2025.org.uk

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

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn
June 2025



Scottish Parliament voted last week to support the principle of assisted dying but opponents say Bill will not pass
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Supporters of the bill say it would allow terminally ill patients from England and Wales to end their lives "on their own terms", providing they have a life expectancy of six months or less.
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Calls Grow for Scottish Government to Protect Unborn Babies with Down’s Syndrome

Don’t Screen Us Out, a group of over 17,000 people with Down’s syndrome, their families, and supporters, has appealed to the Scottish Government to reform abortion legislation and better protect babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in the womb.

The group is calling for an end to the practice that currently allows the abortion of babies with Down’s syndrome up to birth, and which is permitted under existing legislation.

There has been a 15% increase in the number of abortions of babies with Down’s syndrome, as revealed in a recent press release, from 33 in 2021 to 60 in 2024 – an 82% increase.

Statistics published by Public Health Scotland also show a 26% increase in abortions where the baby was diagnosed with a disability – rising from 222 cases in 2021 to 280 in 2024.

Last year, Sir Liam Fox MP proposed a new clause to the Criminal Justice Bill aimed at preventing terminations in England and Wales beyond 24 weeks when the only risk is a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome. The amendment gained the support of 76 MPs. However, with the announcement of a General Election, the House of Commons did not have the opportunity to consider it.

A renewed call for legislative reform followed a high-profile legal challenge by Heidi Crowter, a 29-year-old woman with Down’s syndrome, and Máire Lea-Wilson, the mother of a son with Down’s syndrome who was pressured to have a termination following a 34-week scan. The pair argued that the current law permitting abortion up to birth for babies with disabilities is discriminatory. However, the courts ruled that there was no evidence of discrimination, and the case was ultimately dismissed.

Several organisations have expressed concern about the current legislation. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommended that the UK Government review its laws to avoid singling out babies with disabilities – a recommendation that the Government has so far ignored.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (formerly the Disability Rights Commission) has stated that this aspect of the Abortion Act 1967 reinforces negative stereotypes of disability and undermines the principle that disabled and non-disabled people should be treated equally under the law.

A Parliamentary Inquiry into Abortion for Disability in 2013 concluded that the current law affects public attitudes towards disability and discrimination and recommended repealing Section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act, which permits termination of pregnancy on the grounds of disability.

In 2017, Lord Shinkwin, a peer living with brittle bone disease, introduced a Bill to make provision for disability equality in respect of abortions. The Bill was blocked from becoming a law after seven peers spoke against it at the Report Stage.

“What I don’t understand,” said Lord Shinkwin, “is how I can be considered good enough after birth for the Prime Minister and the Queen to send me to the House of Lords, but before birth, I’m deemed only good enough for the incinerator.”

The introduction of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) by NHS Scotland is also having a notable impact. According to The Sunday Times, hospitals that implemented NIPT reported a 30% decrease in the number of babies born with Down’s syndrome.

The actual number of abortions involving babies with Down’s syndrome or other disabilities is likely to be higher than official figures suggest, due to underreporting. This was confirmed in a 2014 review by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The Don’t Screen Us Out campaign has also urged the Government to review the impact of NIPT on the rising number of abortions following diagnosis of Down’s syndrome.

“They then need to urgently introduce medical reforms to our screening programme to ensure that this deeply disturbing increase in the number of abortions for disabilities is reversed,” said Lynn Murray, spokesperson for Don’t Screen Us Out.
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A new friendship agreement articulates and supports a deepening relationship between Episcopalians and Catholics in Scotland.

Archbishop Cushley welcomed the St Ninian Declaration, which was agreed at the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church. He is pictured with the Most Rev Mark Strange, the Primus, or presiding bishop.
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https://catholicinsight.com/2025/06/09/an-irish-monk-in-scotland-saint-columbkille/


If you will forgive a little parochialism, today is the feast of Saint Columbkille (521-597), also called Columba, who is not celebrated in the universal calendar, but happens to be the patron my own diocese. He also hails originally from where my father's family is from in Ireland, Donegal on the w...
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People from across Scotland gathered in Dunfermline yesterday for the national St Margaret Pilgrimage.

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https://catholicunion.org.uk/2025/06/pentecost-message-by-bishop-brian-mcgee/?mc_cid=8369ab3d77&mc_eid=d3c37a14a3


A Gift from Pope Francis In my office hangs a painting depicting Pentecost by the 16th century Italian painter Girolamo Muziano. A mighty fire, akin to the blazing sun. descends… Read More »Pentecost Message by Bishop Brian McGee
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