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The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Habemus Papam

Papal crest, crossed keys and triple mitre crown

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Credit: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo

LEO XIV

8th May 2025

Read more about Pope Leo XIV

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland welcomes the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, as Pope Leo XIV. It asks all Catholics in Scotland to pray for the new Pope as he begins his ministry.

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: Justice & Peace Scotland FacebookReturn
March 2025
☮️INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISARMAMENT AWARENESS

March 5th marks the International Day for Disarmament Awareness which seeks to promote better awareness and understanding of disarmament issues among the public.

🎬Watch Archbishop Nolan's powerful reflection at Faslane, recorded at our last Christian Peace Vigil held there in August 2024, as he calls on the nine nuclear powers to stop mistakenly viewing weapons of mass destruction as comfort blankets and co-operate to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

✝️Today is also Ash Wednesday, so to mark both the holy day when we are called to repentance through turning away from sin and being faithful to the gospel and the International Day of Disarmament Awareness, Justice & Peace Scotland will join Glasgow Catholic Worker and Pax Christi Scotland this afternoon for an Ash Wednesday liturgy at Faslane, the home of the UK's weapons of mass destruction. Our guest of honour will be life-long Catholic peace activist, Martha Ines Romero, who is the Secretary General of Pax Christi International and is currently visiting Scotland on a Catholic peacebuilding and non-violence speaking tour.

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❓How much do you know about human trafficking?
❓Did you know it is the fastest growing international crime and the second largest source of illegal income in the world?
❓Did you know that incidents of human trafficking or modern slavery have been recorded in all 32 local authorities in Scotland?

Caritas Award students from St Anthony's and St Mark's Rutherglen have been collaborating on a project with Justice & Peace Scotland in recent months to learn, pray, and act in response to this significant human rights issue which Pope Francis has called "a crime against humanity."

Human trafficking is the the acquisition or illegal movement of a person by means of deception or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. The group have lead an awareness raising campaign in their parish over the past two weekends to engage more people on the topic. This has involved designing posters, preparing presentations, creating social media content, and engaging with fellow parishioners during all Sunday masses. The group's aims are simple:

1️⃣ Motivate their parish community to engage with the issue of human trafficking by linking it to our faith, gospel values, and the principles of Catholic social teaching.
2️⃣Inform people about the work of organisations like Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland who identify, recover, and support people in situations of exploitation and modern slavery.
3️⃣Spread the word beyond their own parish through their online social media campaign.

👍You can help them achieve as wide an audience as possible by liking and sharing this post and using the app from the Unseen & the Modern Slavery Helpline to report concerns about human trafficking.

🌟A huge congratulations to the Caritas Award students who have dedicated themselves to working with Justice & Peace Scotland since September. We are incredibly proud of your hard work, and it is truly inspiring to witness young individuals embodying the call of our Catholic faith to address the justice and peace challenges facing our world.











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🇺🇦🙏Pray with us for Ukraine and for the world.

The beginning of this week marked the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yesterday the international community watched in disbelief as the president of one country sought to intimidate and subjugate the president of another in front of the world's media.

At a time when true peace in the world seems beyond reach and much of the news is dominated by global powers seeking to outmanoeuvre one another in their quest to dominate, the voices of those committed to love, justice and peace must raise all the louder.

🙏 Heavenly Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine, that they may know peace, freedom and justice and an end to war in their land.

🙏God of compassion and love, we bring before you all Ukrainian and Russian families who have lost their loved ones during this war. Be close to them and bring them comfort in their anger and grief.

🙏 God of justice and peace, we implore you to move the hearts of world leaders that they may not be motivated by pride and ego but instead strive to lead with integrity, putting the common good of all before the pursuit of power and domination.

🙏Jesus, Light of the World, we pray that all global conflicts may be overcome not by warfare which brings death, sorrow, and destruction but by diplomacy, dialogue and resolution. Above all we ask you to illuminate the hearts of those who seek conflict with compassion and wisdom, that they may replace anger and violence with reconciliation and peace.

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February 2025
✝️Lent is less than a week away: how will you enrich your faith before Easter?
📖How could you express love for Jesus through Catholic Social Teaching?

We are delighted to announce that our three-part seminar series on CST will be held in two parishes in Motherwell Diocese this Lent.

Join us on Mondays at St Aloysius & The Sacred Heart in Chapelhall or on Thursdays at St Joseph's Parish Blantyre as we explore "the church's best kept secret".

🕢Workshops will take place at 7.30pm in the church hall after the 7pm masses in each parish. All dates are in the flyer below!

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🎟️Have you booked your ticket for the Scottish Catholic Conference hosted by ACN Scotland?

Join Aid to the Church in Need for a day of inspiring speakers and the opportunity to meet Catholic agencies and charities from across Scotland. Speakers will include Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria.

🗓️Saturday 29 March
🕤9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
📍Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
🔗Register here: https://tinyurl.com/yc6s55jj


Welcome to the Scottish Catholic Conference! Join us for a day of inspiring talks, meet representatives from Catholic organisations around...
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📩Stay up-to-date with all things Justice & Peace Scotland, including receiving our quarterly newsletter, by joining our mailing list today!

📬Don't worry - we only email with important updates on our work, info about exciting events, or any campaign actions we need your help with. No daily emails clogging up your Inbox!

🔗Follow the link in the comments to join us!

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🇻🇦All at Justice & Peace Scotland offer prayers for our Holy Father, Pope Francis. May God grant him health, healing and peace.

We entrust our prayers for the Pope to Mary, to whom he has a great devotion, as in his own words: "Mary gives us hope!"

Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick, pray for him.

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👕Where does your t-shirt come from and who makes it?

🌏We had a wonderful afternoon in St Joseph's Primary, Inverness, mapping the Journey of a Cotton T-Shirt from the USA to Bangladesh to Spain to Scotland to Kenya!

🇻🇦In Laudato Si Pope Francis urges us to think about our consumption habits and the impact they have on people and planet. Justice & Peace Scotland offer our Journey of a Cotton T-Shirt workshop to explore these issues and investigate what the connection is between the Pope's message and the contents of our wardrobe!

📩Get in touch to find out more and book a free visit today.



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January 2025
📢CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO INSIST ISRAEL OVERTUN UNRWA BAN

🚫UNRWA, the UN agency that supports the relief and development of the Palestinian refugee population, has been banned from operating following an act passed by the Israeli government.

❌The ban will jeopardise the lives, education and healthcare of millions of Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and risks undermining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

🏥No entity can replace UNRWA owing to the scale of its operations across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. UNRWA operates 140 primary health facilities and 706 schools.

📃Foreign Ministers from the UK, France & Germany have issued a statement underscoring their support for UNRWA’s mandate to operate in the region and urged Israel to abide by its international obligations and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance and the provision of basic services to the civilian population.

📢 Justice & Peace Scotland add our voice to the many urging the international community to demand that the Israeli authorities urgently overturn the ban and allow UNRWA unhindered delivery of its crucial services. You can help by sharing these calls and by contacting your MP urging them to advocate for the protection of UNRWA and its services.

📷Image credit: UNRWA USA

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📖Today we celebrate the feast day of the renowned Catholic theologian, philosopher, and writer St Thomas Aquinas.

💬In the highly charged political landscapes of 2025 where rhetoric and language is often hateful, and the willingness to dialogue with others of an opposing view is absent from both sides of the political spectrum, this quote from the Doctor of the Church reminds us of the value in engaging in respectful discussion and debate with those whom we disagree. Often there are many narratives that must be heard if we hope to get to the real truth of any disagreement or debate.

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