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

9th September 2026

9 September 2026

Justice & Peace Scotland Statement on UK Measures Against Illegal Israeli Settlements

Justice & Peace Scotland welcomes the announcement by the UK Government of a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, alongside further sanctions targeting those involved in settlement expansion and settler violence.

We particularly welcome the Government’s recognition that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is unlawful and that settlement expansion and settler violence are contributing to the displacement of Palestinian communities. Today’s use of economic and diplomatic measures to uphold international law is a positive and long-awaited step towards holding Israel accountable for its repeated breaches of international obligations.

Through our participation in the Holy Land Coordination, we have witnessed the impact of settlement expansion and settler violence first-hand. In 2025, we met Daoud Nassar of the Tent of Nations farm in Bethlehem, whose family has spent decades defending the ownership of their land. The farm is surrounded by Israeli settlements and the family face constant violence, vandalism and repeated attempts to dispossess them. In 2026, in Taybeh, members of the parish of Christ the Redeemer told us of homes and property being attacked and of farmland and olive trees being damaged by settlers in an attempt to drive them from their land. These experiences demonstrate the very real consequences of settlement expansion for Palestinian communities.

Equal rights, security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis cannot be achieved without accountability and respect for the international legal framework. Measures such as those announced should therefore be encouraged as a means of addressing injustice and helping to break the cycle of violence and loss of life for all who live there.

We continue to call for measures to address conflict that are consistent with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel’s call to nonviolence. Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly emphasised the need for peace founded on justice and respect for the dignity of every person.

The announcement is a hugely welcome and much-needed step, but the UK Government must continue to use all appropriate diplomatic, economic and legal mechanisms to uphold international law and prevent further settlement expansion.

We pray for all people living in the Holy Land and for a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can live with equal rights, security, dignity and lasting peace.

...ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Justice & Peace Scotland (https://www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk) is a Catholic agency of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland who campaign, educate and advocate on issues relating to international peace, human rights, social justice, and care for creation.
The Holy Land Coordination is an annual meeting of a delegation of European and American bishops in the Holy Land (Palestine, Israel, Jordan), mandated by the Holy See. The delegation visits the region to act in solidarity with the region’s Christian communities and share in the pastoral life of the local Church as it experiences extreme political and social-economic pressure. Bishops are accompanied by church agencies and church-affiliated organisations. Justice & Peace Scotland has participated in HLC 2025 and 2026.
Justice & Peace Scotland are available for further comment and interview: Anne-Marie Richmond, Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer: 07789193370, [email protected]
For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office. Email: [email protected]

Images:

IMAGE 1 - Depicts Israeli settlements viewed from the Tent of Nations farm, Bethlehem, Palestine. Credit: AM Richmond, Justice & Peace Scotland

IMAGE 2: Cross and Palestinian flag above Christian church, West Bank, Palestine. Credit: Marcin Mazur, CBCEW

8th September 2026

8 September 2026

Proposed Abortion Motion Raises Profound Ethical Concerns

It is deeply troubling to hear that SNP members may be asked to vote on a motion seeking to remove legal protections relating to self-administered abortion in Scotland. Human life possesses inherent dignity and worth from conception until natural death, and any proposal that would further weaken safeguards for unborn children, including abortion up to the point of birth and sex-selective abortion, raises profound moral and ethical concerns.

I urge the SNP, and all parties and politicians, to uphold both compassion for women facing difficult pregnancies and protection for the most vulnerable members of our human family. Rather than expanding access to abortion, Scotland should focus on providing practical support to mothers, children and families, ensuring that no woman feels alone or without alternatives.

What the people of Scotland need now is for government, political parties and MSPs to focus on the priorities that affect daily life: easing the cost-of-living pressures facing households, addressing the housing crisis, strengthening local health services, improving access to high-quality palliative care, and working for peace and reconciliation both at home and abroad. We do not need an extreme abortion law. Scotland deserves better.

Anthony Horan
Director
Catholic Parliamentary Office
Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

...ENDS

Notes for editors

Photo of Anthony Horan, Director of the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office: Photo of Anthony Horan
The Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office works on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, by engaging with politicians and policymakers on matters central to the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office, Email: [email protected]

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

21st August 2026

21 August 2026

Final appeal to Catholics ahead of Westminster assisted suicide vote

Bishop John Keenan has issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics across Scotland to contact their MPs ahead of the return of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to the House of Commons on Friday 11 September.

The Bill, reintroduced by Lauren Edwards MP, would permit eligible terminally ill adults in England and Wales to receive assistance to end their lives. A similar Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament last March.

Although this new legislation would apply only to England and Wales, Bishop Keenan stresses that this remains an important moment for Catholics in Scotland. The outcome at Westminster could have significant consequences north of the border and potentially reignite attempts to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.

In his letter, Bishop Keenan describes the coming vote as a “grave moment for the protection of human life” and urges Catholics to contact their MPs “without delay” and ask them to oppose the Bill.

Bishop Keenan said:

“Our opposition to assisted suicide is rooted in compassion. Every person, from conception until natural death, possesses an inviolable dignity as one made in the image and likeness of God.”

Warning particularly of the potential consequences for vulnerable people, he added:

“Illness, frailty, disability, dependence or fear must never lead society to conclude that some lives are no longer worth living.”

The Bishop calls instead for greater investment in palliative and hospice care and better support for carers, insisting that “the proper response to suffering is care, presence, skilled palliative medicine and practical support—not the deliberate ending of life.”

Scotland’s Catholic bishops encourage all who stand on the side of life to contact their MP today and without delay, asking them to protect vulnerable people, support better palliative and hospice care, and vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

...ENDS

Notes to Editor

Photo of the Bishop John Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/photos/bishop%20john%20keenan.gif

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Keenan: https://www.bcos.org.uk/portals/0/@publications/letters/Pastoral Letter - Assisted Suicide Westminster - August 2026.pdf

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCoS) is the assembly of the Catholic bishops of Scotland, working together on national pastoral, social and legislative matters on behalf of the Church. Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

For further information, contact Fr Michael Kane, Director of the Communications and Evangelisation Office. Email: [email protected]

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

News from the Commissions and Agencies

January 2026

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

13Jan

Saint Kentigern, also known as Saint Mungo, was a sixth century bishop and missionary who played a central role in the early Chr...

13 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Saint Kentigern, also known as Saint Mungo, was a sixth century bishop and missionary who played a central role in the early Christian history of western Scotland. Born around the year 518, he was educated in the Christian faith and eventually became bishop of Strathclyde, with his ministry centred on the Clyde valley.

His episcopate was marked by political instability and opposition, leading at one point to exile in Wales. There he continued his missionary work before later returning to Strathclyde, where he resumed his pastoral care and strengthened the Church among the Brittonic peoples of the region.

Saint Kentigern is traditionally credited with establishing a Christian settlement on the site of present day Glasgow, which grew into an important centre of worship and learning. His preaching, discipline and commitment to the faith helped lay lasting foundations for Christianity in Scotland.

He died around 612 and was venerated as a saint shortly after his death. His memory remains closely linked to the city of Glasgow, whose Christian heritage is inseparable from his life and mission.

13Jan

Gospel of the day (Luke 5:1-11)

13 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Luke 5:1-11)

At that time: The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

12Jan

🕊️PRAY AND ACT FOR PEACE

12 Jan, 2026 | Justice & Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

🕊️PRAY AND ACT FOR PEACE

Have you had time to reflect on Archbishop Nolan’s letter for Justice & Peace Sunday?

As we begin 2026 with daily news of violence, division, unrest, and conflict across our world it is easy to feel hopeless or that there is nothing we can do as individuals to make a difference. Yet in his Justice & Peace Sunday reflection, Archbishop Nolan reminded us that we are all part of humanity and all part of the world: peace is not something distant or abstract to be achieved by someone other than ourselves. Peace begins in every human human heart.

As we begin a new week we invite you to commit yourself in a special way to pray for peace: not only among nations and peoples torn apart by conflict but within our own hearts, our families, our neighbourhoods, and our communities.

When we take time to pray, we allow God to shape our hearts and from that prayer can grow small, faithful acts of patience, reconciliation, compassion, and courage that quietly build God’s kingdom of justice and peace.

Inspired by your prayer this week, what is one small thing you could do to help build peace where you are?

12Jan

Pope Leo Warns of Global Drift Toward Conflict, Urges Renewal of Dialogue and Human Dignity

12 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Pope Leo Warns of Global Drift Toward Conflict, Urges Renewal of Dialogue and Human Dignity

Vatican City, January 9, 2026 — In an extensive address to the Diplomatic Corps in Rome, Pope Leo XIV invoked the enduring wisdom of Saint Augustine’s City of God to frame today’s geopolitical and ethical challenges. Drawing parallels between the collapse of Rome in 410 AD and current global instability, the Pope warned that pride and self-interest—what Augustine termed amor sui—continue to fuel division and violence.

The Pontiff lamented the erosion of multilateral diplomacy, noting that “war is back in vogue” and that peace is increasingly pursued through weapons rather than dialogue. He called this trend a grave threat to the rule of law and international order. “Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself,” he said, urging nations to recommit to the principles that inspired the United Nations after World War II.

Pope Leo XIV highlighted humanitarian law as a non-negotiable safeguard, condemning attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure. He warned that violations of human dignity—whether through war crimes, persecution, or ideological coercion—signal a dangerous “short circuit” in the global human rights framework.

The address also touched on cultural and moral concerns, including the weakening of language and freedom of expression. The Pope criticised the rise of “Orwellian-style” discourse that excludes dissenting voices and reaffirmed the importance of conscientious objection and religious liberty, which he called “the first of all human rights.” He expressed alarm at growing restrictions on these freedoms and the persecution of Christians, which affects over 380 million believers worldwide.

He emphasised that exercising conscientious objection —such as refusing military service or declining to perform abortions or euthanasia—is not an act of rebellion but a commitment to personal integrity. This right, he said, balances collective interests with individual dignity and safeguards diversity against authoritarian tendencies.

Turning to social issues, the Pope defended the sanctity of life and the family, strongly rejecting practices such as abortion and surrogacy, and advocating for policies that support mothers, families, and vulnerable individuals. He also called for global efforts to combat drug addiction and abolish the death penalty.

Despite the sobering tone, Pope Leo XIV offered hope, citing recent peace initiatives in Bosnia and the South Caucasus as “seeds of peace that need to be cultivated.” He concluded with a call for humility and courage in peace-making: “A humble and peace-loving heart is what I wish for each of us and for all who dwell in our countries at the beginning of this New Year.”

Image: Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo

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

12Jan

Gospel of the day (Mark 1:14-20)

12 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Mark 1:14-20)

After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

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

11Jan

The Baptism of the Lord invites us to contemplate Jesus as an adult, standing at the threshold of His public ministry

11 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

The Baptism of the Lord invites us to contemplate Jesus as an adult, standing at the threshold of His public ministry. This mystery is deeply connected to Christmas and the Epiphany, and helps us understand more fully who Christ is.

At Christmas, we celebrate the Word made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary. From the very first moment of His conception, Jesus was already the Christ. His humanity was consecrated and anointed by His own divine power. He did not become the Christ later in life. He was always the Son of God made man.

At the Epiphany, Christ was revealed to the nations, symbolised by the Magi who came from the East to adore Him. Now, at His Baptism in the Jordan, Jesus is manifested definitively as the Messiah to Israel and as the Son of the Father to the whole world.

The Father’s voice from heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit reveal the mystery of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are made known in Christ. The Spirit resting upon Jesus seals His mission as the Anointed One sent for the salvation of the world.

Though He was always the Christ, Jesus truly shared our humanity, growing in wisdom, stature and grace. At His Baptism, His identity and mission are made visible, marking the beginning of His saving work among us.

11Jan

Gospel of the day (Matthew 3:13-17)

11 Jan, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel of the day (Matthew 3:13-17)

At that time: Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptised, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’