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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Archive by category: Being CatholicReturn

February 2026

15Feb

Holy Mass of the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time | 15 February 2026

15 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time | 15 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

14Feb

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius | 14 February 2026

14 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius | 14 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

13Feb

Holy Mass of Friday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time | 13 February 2026

13 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Friday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time | 13 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

12Feb

Holy Mass of Thursday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time | 12 February 2026

12 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of Thursday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time | 12 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

11Feb

Holy Mass of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes | 11 February 2026

11 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes | 11 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

10Feb

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Scholastica | 10 February 2026

10 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Memorial of Saint Scholastica | 10 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

08Feb

Bishop Toal Sunday Reflection for 8 February 2026

08 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

In this reflection for the Fifth Sunday of the Year, Bishop Joseph Toal prays the Angelus and speaks from St Bartholomew’s Church in Townhead, Coatbridge, where he has just celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Marking the World Day of Marriage, Bishop Toal reflects on the importance of marriage and family life in the Church and in society, asking the intercession of St Joseph for married couples and for those preparing to commit their lives in the Sacrament of Matrimony.

He also addresses the forthcoming assisted dying legislation in Scotland, encouraging Catholics to remain informed, engaged, and faithful to the Church’s teaching on the dignity and sanctity of human life.

As Lent approaches, Bishop Toal invites us to examine our relationship with God, to resist the pull toward self-determination, and to place our lives more fully in the Lord’s hands.

08Feb

Today is the World Day for Marriage

08 Feb, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | Being Catholic |

Today is the World Day for Marriage.

This is a day we especially pray for married couples throughout the country. We exhort them to continue fostering the love of God in their union and their families. We pray for marriages in crisis that the sacrificial love of Christ may serve as a balm and an example. We pray that married couples may know their supernatural role in the world and in the Church as witnesses of the Trinity.

08Feb

Holy Mass of the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time | 08 February 2026

08 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time | 08 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

07Feb

Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 07 February 2026

07 Feb, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 07 February 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356