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.

Click here to visit the Jubilee 2025 website

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,

may the faith you have given us

in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth,

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,

your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland announces Luisa Campbell as the next General Secretary

The Bishops of Scotland welcome Luisa Campbell to the office of General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland from February 2026, when Fr. Gerry Maguiness completes his second term of office.

In parallel with her working career, Luisa has been actively involved in the life of the Church in Scotland at both parish and diocesan level in the areas of youth work, parish administration, liturgy, evangelisation, RCIA and finance.

Luisa retired early from work in 2020 to pursue her passion for voluntary work in the Catholic Church.

After gaining Master’s degrees in both Engineering and Business Administration, she worked for almost forty years in industry, ultimately as chief executive of a Scottish business which she led for over two decades. Her roles involved leadership, governance, strategy, commercial finance, mergers and acquisitions and organisational development.

During that time, she also acted as a trustee of several charities, served as a non-executive director and as trustee of a large pension scheme.

Luisa grew up in the diocese of Galloway and has lived in both the archdiocese of Glasgow and the diocese of Aberdeen. Her work has taken her to every diocese in Scotland.

She will be the first member of the lay faithful and first woman to take on the role of General Secretary.

Responding to her invitation from the bishops, Luisa said, ‘I look forward to serving the Bishops of Scotland in my new role as General Secretary, bringing together my experience in the Church and in the world of business.’

Bishop Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference said, ‘The bishops are delighted that Luisa has accepted this post and will continue the good work carried on by Fr. Gerry Maguiness over the past years. Luisa brings a wealth of experience both as a committed laywoman in the Church who has served our parishes and dioceses loyally over the years and who also has vast experience of life in the world and where she has made a fruitful contribution. We look forward to working with her in the service of the Church in Scotland in the years ahead’.

The Bishops of Scotland would like to take the opportunity of commending and thanking Fr. Gerry Maguiness for his wise, effective and tireless stewardship of the General Secretariat over the past six years. We wish him similar blessings as he takes up the office of parish priest of St. Bride’s in Cambuslang.

Bishop John Keenan
President, Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.

News from the Commissions and Agencies

October 2024

20Oct

Cup of Salvation: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

20 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://stpaulcenter.com/audio/sunday-bible-reflections/cup-of-salvation-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-twenty-ninth-sunday-in-ordinary-time/

The sons of Zebedee hardly know what they’re asking in today’s Gospel. They are thinking in terms of how the Gentiles rule, of royal privileges and honors.But the road to Christ’s kingdom is by way of His Cross. To share in His glory, we must be willing to drink the cup that He drinks.

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20Oct

The Holy Spirit is still at work in the Church: An interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory - Vatican News

20 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

In this interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., speaks about the meaning of synodality, the Church’s ...

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20Oct

On the night before the Synod began I prayed at the tomb of St Catherine of Siena seeking her intercession

20 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

On the night before the Synod began I prayed at the tomb of St Catherine of Siena seeking her intercession. You may remember that before I left Oban I began a novena to St Thérèse of Lisieux for the exact same reason. Rome is full of tombs and Churches dedicated to saints: Our Lady, St Peter, St Paul, St Monica, St Charles Borromeo, St Ignatius of Loyola, St Philip Neri, Popes John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II and many others. During weekends I have visited many Churches to seek the intercession of these and other saints buried or dedicated there. Why? The Communion of Saints. The saints are part of the Church but are now sharing in the glory of Christ in heaven. They have clarity regarding what life is about and they love us, therefore they want to intercede on our behalf. I am aware of the importance of this Synod and my own limitations and therefore it seems natural to me to seek the intercession of my brothers and sisters in heaven. Furthermore, this Synod does not exist in isolation but is part of a long history of many gatherings of Councils and Synods. It is important to remember that what we are doing is not something novel or in isolation but rather part of a long tradition to which I know we must be faithful. For that too I seek the intercession of the saints who were disciples that discerned and followed God’s will, including those who participated in previous Synods and Councils over the past 2,000 years.
All you Saints of God, pray for us.
+Brian

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19Oct

I mentioned at the beginning of October that Pope Francis had established 10 Working Groups to study recommendations which were ...

19 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

I mentioned at the beginning of October that Pope Francis had established 10 Working Groups to study recommendations which were raised during the First Assembly but needed further theological or canonical research. Today we have an opportunity to meet with the Working Groups, which will report back to Pope Francis by the end of June 2025.
The 10 Groups are studying: (i) Ecumenism (ii) Cry of the Poor (iii) Relations between Eastern Catholic and Latin Churches (iv) Relationship between charismatic and hierarchical ministries, including the role of women (v) Bishops, including a synodal method of selection (vi) Relationship between bishop, religious and ecclesial movements (vii) Formation in synodality(viii) How does love and truth relate? - working synodally in difficult dogmatic, pastoral and moral issues (ix) Digital Mission (x) Nuncios. Two further Groups are studying Canon Law and polygamy (pastoral care where traditionally practiced).
If you wish, you can also share your own thoughts with one or more of the Working Groups by emailing [email protected] Interestingly, myself and the Superior General of Female Religious, Sr Mary Barron, both received a document from an Argyll and the Isles parishioner which had arisen from one of our parish’s recent Led by the Spirit Meeting, which has now been passed to the relevant Group.
+Brian
Much of the Assembly’s public activity can be viewed live or recorded on Vatican Media, including prayer sessions and the Theological Forum.

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19Oct

Yesterday we finished the 4th module which also marks the end of our (chocolate munching) Group

19 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Yesterday we finished the 4th module which also marks the end of our (chocolate munching) Group. The theologians and writers have, of course, already been hard at work and now they must finish the draft Final Report over the weekend. They have to bring together a potential 1,650 submissions from groups and individuals in 5 different languages from numerous cultures across the world. Not an easy task! However, it is important work as the Report, once approved, will be presented to Pope Francis. The Report should accurately reflect the Assembly’s discussions but also contain concrete proposals for how the Church can become more synodal and missionary. Please keep the writers in your prayers over the weekend.
Our 5th and final module begins on Monday with Mass in St Peter’s at 7.30am which will be live-streamed on Vatican Media.
+Brian

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18Oct

Romero and Ukraine - Resilience in the face of injustice

18 Oct, 2024 | Justice and Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

⏱️15 minute countdown until we are live for The Romero Lecture at the Edinburgh Jesuit Centre.

🕊️Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, will shortly speak on 'Romero and Ukraine: Reslience in the Face of Injustice'.

📺Tune in to our livestream on YouTube at 7pm to follow along:

Archbishop St. Oscar Romero, the outspoken advocate for justice and non-violence in his native El Salvador, has long inspired Christians around the whole wor...

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18Oct

Saint Luke | Franciscan Media

18 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-luke/

Saint Luke is known to us primarily as the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and Acts of the Apostles. Actually two volumes of one work, Saint Luke instructs and inspires us with his beautiful treatment of the words and deeds of Jesus and of the early Church. We are blessed by his writings.

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17Oct

The Synod in One minute

17 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beZYJLlWtbc

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17Oct

Saint Ignatius of Antioch | Franciscan Media

17 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-ignatius-of-antioch/

On his journey to Rome to face his death in the Circus Maximus, Saint Ignatius of Antioch visited and wrote to many of the churches along the way. These letters have become a valuable source of instruction as well as a source of information about the early days of the Church.

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16Oct

To keep our Small Group’s energy levels up (and sugar levels too, unfortunately) we share chocolate during every session but tod...

16 Oct, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

To keep our Small Group’s energy levels up (and sugar levels too, unfortunately) we share chocolate during every session but today we were healthy with bananas! For some strange reason, they want me to bring whisky!
We are half way through the 4th Module, reflecting on ‘Places’ of synodal missionary activity: how can parishes, new movements, basic Christian communities, cultures, digital technology, migration, dioceses, Bishops’ Conferences, the Roman Curia, the Pope, plurality yet Unity of Faith etc help us become more missionary? What are the obstacles, what needs to change, what must develop, in a radically changing world, for us to become more relevant and effective missionaries?
+Brian

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