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

02Jan

Gospel of the day (John 1:19-28)

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

Gospel of the day (John 1:19-28)

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord”, as the prophet Isaiah said.’ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, ‘Then why are you baptising, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptise with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptising.

01Jan

Pope Leo's Prayer Intention for January 2026

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

Pope Leo's Prayer Intention for January 2026

For prayer with the Word of God
Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.

01Jan

Holy Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God | 01 January 2026

01 Jan, 2026 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God | 01 January 2026
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

01Jan

As the Christmas season continues, the Church invites us to reflect on Mary’s divine motherhood

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

As the Christmas season continues, the Church invites us to reflect on Mary’s divine motherhood. Far from taking the focus away from Christmas, Mary helps us understand more deeply the mystery of God becoming man.

At the Annunciation, Mary freely says yes to God’s plan, allowing the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity to take flesh. Elizabeth recognises this extraordinary moment when she calls Mary “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).

St Paul echoes this truth when he writes that God sent his Son, “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4), and reminds us that through Christ we become children of God. In this way, Mary’s motherhood extends to all who belong to her Son.

From the earliest centuries, the Church has honoured Mary with the title Mother of God (Theotokos), solemnly affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and cherished in the Church’s faith to this day.

01Jan

Gospel of the Day (Luke 2:16-21)

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

Gospel of the Day (Luke 2:16-21)

At that time: The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

December 2025

31Dec

Holy Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God | 31 December 2025

31 Dec, 2025 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God | 31 December 2025
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

31Dec

2025

31 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | Being Catholic |

2025
A year of grace
Pilgrims of Hope

Entrusting 2026 to Mary the Mother of God

31Dec

As one year gives way to the next, there’s a quiet invitation to slow down

31 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

As one year gives way to the next, there’s a quiet invitation to slow down. Before thinking about what lies ahead, it can be worth spending time with what has already been lived, noticing what has shaped us, strengthened us, and revealed something deeper about who we are becoming.

The Examen offers a simple and prayerful way to do this. It helps us look at our days with honesty and gratitude, paying attention to moments of consolation and challenge, and recognising how God has been present even when we didn’t immediately notice.

Rather than rushing forward, we can step into the new year grounded in awareness and hope, carrying what has been learned, trusting in God’s guidance, and remaining attentive to His presence in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.

31Dec

Holy Mass of the Seventh Day of the Christmas Octave | 31 December 2025

31 Dec, 2025 | Being Catholic | Being Catholic |

Holy Mass of the Seventh Day of the Christmas Octave | 31 December 2025
This music is licensed under one license number: A-623356

31Dec

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

31 Dec, 2025 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.” ’

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.