The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

17th March 2026

17 March 2026

Scotland Rejects Assisted Dying and Affirms Human Dignity

MSPs can be confident that they have taken the correct and responsible course of action. Their vote serves to protect some of Scotland’s most vulnerable individuals from the risk of being pressured into a premature death.

Every human life possesses inherent value. Genuine compassion is not expressed through ending a life, but through accompanying those who suffer and ensuring they receive the medical, emotional, and spiritual support that recognises their dignity. No life is without worth.

As a society, our responsibility is not to address suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround each person with care, respect, and dignity until their natural end. Today’s decision moves Scotland further in that direction, and MSPs should be commended for this.

However, we must continue to make progress. Our next priority must be to strengthen palliative care by ensuring that it is properly funded and accessible to all who require it.

I would like to express my gratitude to all MSPs for their serious engagement with this issue and for the thoughtful and considered attention they have given to the bill. I am especially grateful to those who upheld the principle of human dignity and advocated on behalf of the vulnerable. Your principled commitment has not gone unnoticed.

Bishop John Keenan

President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

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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News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: Being CatholicReturn

January 2026

21Jan

Today is the Memorial of St Agnes, a fourth-century martyr

21 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | Being Catholic |

Today is the Memorial of St Agnes, a fourth-century martyr. To mark this, in the Urban VIII Chapel at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs on the Memorial of St Agnes of Rome.

In keeping with long-standing custom, the lambs were later blessed at the Basilica of St Agnes Outside the Walls, built over her tomb. The wool from these lambs will be used to make the pallia for newly appointed Metropolitan Archbishops.

The pallium is a liturgical sign of honour and pastoral responsibility worn by the Pope and Metropolitan Archbishops within their own dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces. Made from white wool and marked with six black silk crosses, it symbolises the shepherd’s care for the flock entrusted to him.

References to the blessing of lambs on the feast of St Agnes can be traced back to the sixth century. The practice is linked to an early tradition which recounts that St Agnes appeared to her parents after her martyrdom while they were praying at her tomb, holding a pure lamb as a sign of innocence and faithfulness.

Historically, the offering of lambs was also connected to the relationship between Roman basilicas, with lambs presented to the Pope for blessing. For centuries, the wool was then prepared by Benedictine nuns at the Basilica of St Cecilia in Trastevere, who would shear the lambs during Holy Week and weave the pallia.

While some practical details of the tradition have changed over time, its meaning remains unchanged. It continues to express the bond between the witness of St Agnes, the pastoral ministry of bishops, and the unity of the Church centred on Rome.

21Jan

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Agnes | 21 January 2026

21 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Agnes | 21 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

20Jan

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort

20 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” - Pope Benedict XVI

20Jan

Holy Mass of Tuesday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 20 January 2026

20 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Tuesday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 20 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

19Jan

Holy Mass of Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 19 January 2026

19 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time | 19 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

19Jan

SNP MSP drops assisted dying support over coercion concerns

19 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | Being Catholic |

MSP withdraws support for Holyrood Assisted Suicide Bill.

The SNP’s Audrey Nicoll cites significant concerns around coercion, the risk of a slippery slope and rejection of reasonable safeguards by Holyrood’s Heath Committee as the reasons why she has changed her mind.

SNP parliamentarian Audrey Nicoll, convenor of Holyrood’s criminal justice committee, had backed Liam McArthur’s members bill at its first stage…

18Jan

Holy Mass of the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time | 18 January 2026

18 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time | 18 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

17Jan

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Antony | 17 January 2026

17 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Antony | 17 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

16Jan

Holy Mass of Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 16 January 2026

16 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 16 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

15Jan

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15 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

As you sail into Messina, Sicily, one figure quietly commands the horizon.

The Christ the King statue, standing at the entrance to the Sacrario di Cristo Re, looks out over the Strait of Messina, welcoming sailors, pilgrims and visitors alike.

More than a landmark, it's a sign of faith, remembrance and hope, a powerful first glimpse of Sicily, where history and belief meet the sea.
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