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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

25th October 2026


25 October 2026

Archbishop Cushley welcomes honour for Pope Leo

Archbishop Leo Cushley has welcomed the announcement that Pope Leo XIV has accepted an invitation to become Papal Confrater of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Archbishop Cushley is the Bishop President for Ecumenical Relations of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.

This honour follows The King’s own appointment as Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome during his State Visit to the Vatican in October last year.

Welcoming the announcement, Archbishop Cushley said:

“I warmly welcome the news that His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of Pope Leo as Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. By this gesture, both His Majesty and the Holy Father have shown their clear wish to promote Christian unity through emphasis on all that we treasure in common, not least our respect and friendship for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

...ENDS

Notes for editors

  • Photo of Bishops’ Conference of Scotland: Photo of Bishops' Conference of Scotland
  • 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. www.bcos.org.uk
  • 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]

23rd October 2026


23 October 2026

The UK Budget, to be delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 28 October, will set out the UK Government’s plans for taxation and public spending alongside an independent assessment of the economic and fiscal outlook from the Office for Budget Responsibility. Its decisions will shape the resources available for public services, devolved governments and support for households and communities across the country.

The Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland urges the Chancellor to put human dignity and the common good at the heart of the Budget.

That means tackling poverty in all its forms, protecting people who need care, sustaining families and community services, and reversing international aid cuts. Poverty, inadequate housing and healthcare, family breakdown, unemployment and environmental neglect all undermine the dignity of individuals and the wellbeing of society.

For households struggling with living costs, this must include targeted energy support for those unable to afford adequate heating, alongside sustained investment in affordable housing and warmer homes. The Budget must address the cost-of-living crisis head on and provide the support people need to meet essential costs, keep their homes warm and live with dignity.

The welfare system must also provide adequate support for those in need and practical routes into employment for those able to work.

Alongside these commitments, the Budget must provide sustainable funding settlements that enable devolved governments to support all these key areas.

Our responsibility to those in need also extends beyond our borders. We urge the UK Government to reverse the planned cut in Official Development Assistance from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income by 2027 and work towards restoring 0.7%. This would support low-income countries and protect essential humanitarian and development programmes from further disruption.

The same commitment to human dignity must guide our response to refugees and people seeking asylum. We urge the UK Government to provide safe, legal routes to protection, including resettlement and family reunion, backed by adequate funding. The Budget should also support local authorities and community organisations to welcome people seeking safety and help them rebuild their lives.

Community organisations also play a vital role in supporting people in need. They require fair, sustainable and predictable funding, and their experience must help shape policy.

Finally, care for the environment must go hand in hand with care for those most affected by change. The Chancellor must provide predictable international climate finance for communities in greatest need and protect low-income households from disproportionate costs in the transition to cleaner energy.

..ENDS

Notes for editors

  • Photo of Bishops’ Conference of Scotland: Photo of Bishops' Conference of Scotland
  • 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. www.bcos.org.uk
  • 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]

22nd October 2026


22 October 2026

Statement from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Bishop John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, has announced that he is stepping back from his daily duties until further notice, following medical advice.
Bishop Keenan has been undergoing medical investigations and will require further tests and examinations over the coming weeks.
During this time, Vicar General Monsignor Joe Burke will oversee the day-to-day running of the Diocese of Paisley.
Bishop Keenan hopes to provide a further update once these investigations are concluded and is grateful for your prayers at this time.

...ENDS

Notes for editors

  • 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. www.bcos.org.uk
  • 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

September 2025
📢Our new Justice & Peace Scotland Newsletter is here!

This edition includes:
🇵🇸 The Red Line for Gaza Campaign: as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen, stand with us in calling for justice and peace.
🌍 Details of the Season of Creation Conference on Sat 6th September in Stirling.
📸 Highlights from our summer of advocacy events: Together for Sanctuary, Dignity Not Detention, and No To Nuclear Weapons.

Read the full newsletter on our website.

🤍Thank you for your continued support!

Read More
VACANCY: National Director of Marriage, Family & Life Office
Hours: 15 hours per week
Salary: £11,746 per annum
Contract: 2 year with possibility of renewal
Closing Date: 26th September 2025
Applications:
The National Office for Marriage, Family and Life works alongside and is supported by the National Commission for Marriage, Family and Life. They are responsible for the apostolate of the domestic church and promote the teaching and pastoral activity of the Church in marriage, family and life issues. In the context of family life, they support single people, couples and families, as well as the pro-life mission. They draw on the Magisterium of the Church on Marriage and the Family and offer practical support to initiatives in the dioceses of Scotland and on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference. Please forward application letter and CV to [email protected]
Areas for Development:
Working with the Commission, the Office:
1. Develops resources for celebrating the Domestic Church.
2. Develops and supports a national marriage preparation programme.
3. Develops and oversees a programme of enrichment for married couples.
4. Provides resources and referrals to marriage counselling for couples, facilitating a national marriage counselling service.
5. Promotes and develops family-based faith formation programmes for children, adolescents and young adults.
6. Supports families in their vocation, providing resources.
7. Develops a pro-life culture in parishes and facilitates pro-life initiatives.

JOB SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will work in the following areas:
Communication
 Arrange meetings of National Commission and submit agenda and reports.
 Frequently update the National Commission website (www.marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk).
 Develop a quarterly online newsletter for release in Dec; Mar; June; Sept. Advertise the release of newsletter on website through parish bulletins, diocesan websites and social media; encourage people to subscribe to quarterly newsletters.
 Promote events, such as the World Day for Marriage (2nd Sunday of February); World Children’s Day (last weekend in May); annual Day for Life (3rd Sunday in June); World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly (last Sunday of July).
 Report to the Commission and Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.
Liaison
 Work with Catholic Parliamentary Office (CPO).
 Liaise with associations with shared mission for marriage, family and life: Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES); Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life; Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE).
Support
 Support National Commission permanent working groups.
 Support and raise awareness of diocesan initiatives.
 Support provision of Marriage Counselling services in every diocese.
 Support Catholic families, providing resources.
Organisation of National Events
 Annual Mass at National Marian Shrine in Carfin on the World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly.
 Annual National Conference on Family.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will have:
 Lived experience of the Church and its pastoral care of family and life issues.
 Ability to be highly motivated, good team player, but capable of working independently.
 Professional and friendly manner.
 Positive and pro-active outlook.
 Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills.
 Ability to work with and motivate others.
 Organisational and time management skills with the ability to take responsibility, innovate and problem solve.
 Computer literacy with an excellent working knowledge of Microsoft packages.
 Familiarity with and ability to use social media and other communication methods, including online newsletters.
 Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and discretion at all times.
 Willingness to travel and to work flexibly, including some evenings and weekends.

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August 2025



Whithorn Pilgrimage 2025

Unfortunately, the weather conditions forecast for the Whithorn Pilgrimage on Sunday 31 August are not safe for Mass to be celebrated on the beach.

Instead, two Masses will be celebrated by Bishop Frank Dougan in the Church of St Martin and St Ninian in Whithorn town at 3 pm and at 4 pm. Those travelling by registered coaches will be allocated a Mass time and information will be shared on the journey.

Those travelling by their own transport can choose to attend either Mass.

We regret the inconvenience, but the safety of those participating is our priority. With these measures in place, the pilgrimage can still go ahead.
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https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/08/28/why-im-catholic/


Why I’m CatholicDespite hardships, I have always felt at home in the Church, and would answer any difficulty along with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). August 28, 2025 Dr. R. Jared Staudt The Dispatch 12 Print (Photo: koldunova_anna/us.fotoli...
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https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-jeanne-jugan/


Canonized in 2009, Saint Jeanne Jugan had a history of helping the elderly and the poor. She founded the Little Sisters of the Poor to help her with her work, and by the time of her death the community numbered 2400 women.
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Pope Leo XIV receives Diane Foley alongside writer Colum McCann, with whom she co-authored a book recounting the events surrounding her son’s death ...
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Today’s Office
From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop
Do not adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother

Do you want to honour Christ’s body? Then do not scorn him in his nakedness, nor honour him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside where he is cold and naked. For he who said: This is my body, and made it so by his words, also said: You saw me hungry and did not feed me, and inasmuch as you did not do it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did not do it for me. What we do here in the church requires a pure heart, not special garments; what we do outside requires great dedication.
Let us learn, therefore, to be men of wisdom and to honour Christ as he desires. For a person being honoured finds greatest pleasure in the honour he desires, not in the honour we think best. Peter thought he was honouring Christ when he refused to let him wash his feet; but what Peter wanted was not truly an honour, quite the opposite! Give him the honour prescribed in his law by giving your riches to the poor. For God does not want golden vessels but golden hearts.
Now, in saying this I am not forbidding you to make such gifts; I am only demanding that along with such gifts and before them you give alms. He accepts the former, but he is much more pleased with the latter. In the former, only the giver profits; in the latter, the recipient does too. A gift to the church may be taken as a form of ostentation, but an alms is pure kindness. Of what use is it to weigh down Christ’s table with golden cups, when he himself is dying of hunger? First, fill him when he is hungry; then use the means you have left to adorn his table. Will you have a golden cup made but not give a cup of water? What is the use of providing the table with cloths woven of gold thread, and not providing Christ himself with the clothes he needs? What profit is there in that? Tell me: If you were to see him lacking the necessary food but were to leave him in that state and merely surround his table with gold would he be grateful to you or rather would he not be angry? What if you were to see him clad in worn-out rags and stiff from the cold, and were to forget about clothing him and instead were to set up golden columns for him, saying that you were doing it in his honour? Would he not think he was being mocked and greatly insulted?
Apply this also to Christ when he comes along the roads as a pilgrim, looking for shelter. You do not take him in as your guest, but you decorate floor and walls and the capitals of the pillars. You provide silver chains for the lamps, but you cannot bear even to look at him as he lies chained in prison. Once again, I am not forbidding you to supply these adornments; I am urging you to provide these other things as well, and indeed to provide them first. No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.
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Filmed on location in Italy, this EWTN original documentary chronicles the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Through photos, interviews, and testimonies from fam...
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To read Bishop Brian’s Pastoral Letter regarding his proposal that our Diocese accompany our brothers and sisters suffering in the Holy Land click here: https://www.rcdai.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Holy-Land-Accompaniment.pdf
Photo from Caritas
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A chilling milestone: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), Canada’s legalised form of euthanasia, now accounts for one in every twenty deaths in the country, a
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