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

Empty
Click + to add content

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: Being CatholicReturn

January 2026

15Jan

Holy Mass of Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 15 January 2026

15 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 15 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

14Jan

Today, Pope Leo XIV was presented with the round mosaic bearing his official papal portrait — the 267th papal image to take its ...

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

Today, Pope Leo XIV was presented with the round mosaic bearing his official papal portrait — the 267th papal image to take its place in the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

The papal mosaics of the basilica form a unique visual history of the Church, with portraits of every pope from St Peter to the present day lining the upper walls of the nave. Together, they serve as a powerful reminder of apostolic succession and the continuity of the Petrine ministry across the centuries.

The mosaic, which will be installed at the end of the right nave of the basilica, is made up of more than 15,000 tiles, including some dating back to the 1800s. At the conclusion of the presentation, the Holy Father invited all those present to pause with him in prayer before the image.

14Jan

Holy Mass of Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 14 January 2026

14 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time | 14 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

14Jan

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Bishop Vincent Logan (†14 January 2021), Emeritus Bishop of Dunkeld

14 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Bishop Vincent Logan (†14 January 2021), Emeritus Bishop of Dunkeld.

Bishop Vincent served the Diocese of Dunkeld for almost 32 years, from his appointment in 1981 until his retirement in 2012. Appointed by Pope John Paul II, he gave decades of generous and energetic service to the people of the diocese and to the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, where his work was widely valued and appreciated.

His later years were marked by ill health, borne with quiet dignity and faith. He died during the Covid pandemic, just one day after his close friend and brother bishop, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, alongside whom he had served for many years.

On this anniversary, we remember Bishop Vincent with gratitude for his long priestly and episcopal ministry, his commitment to Catholic education and catechesis, and his faithful service to the Church in Scotland. We commend him to the mercy of God and pray for the repose of his soul, and for all who mourn him.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.

13Jan

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia (†13 January 2021)

13 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia (†13 January 2021).

In his homily at the Requiem Mass, Bishop Hugh Gilbert offered an image that has stayed with many:

“A tree felled unexpectedly in the middle of the night… an uprooting that has changed the landscapes of so many lives.”

Five years on, that image continues to resonate. In the days and years since his death, many have come to see the depth of his roots, the shelter he gave, and the quiet strength on which so many relied. Bishop Hugh spoke of “the sound timber” of his life, a man of integrity, warmth and faith.

Today we give thanks for Archbishop Philip’s life and ministry, for his love of Christ and the Church, and for his faithful service to the people and the Church in Scotland. We commend him to God’s mercy.

“The great tree goes into the earth as a seed… Man’s winter, God’s spring.”

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.

13Jan

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Kentigern | 13 January 2026

13 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of Saint Kentigern | 13 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

12Jan

Requiem Mass of Peter McPake | 12 January 2026

12 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Requiem Mass of Peter McPake | 12 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

11Jan

Holy Mass of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord | 11 January 2026

11 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord | 11 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

10Jan

Requiem Mass of Netta McNealis | 10 January 2026

10 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Requiem Mass of Netta McNealis | 10 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

09Jan

Requiem Mass of Annie Fleming | 09 January 2026

09 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Requiem Mass of Annie Fleming | 09 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356