The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

20th March 2026

20 March 2026

Statement from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Following a request from the Holy See, the Bishops of Scotland have been invited to reflect on how the structures of the Church in our country can best serve her mission in the years ahead, specifically whether the present situation of eight dioceses is suitable.

We are all aware of the challenges before us — fewer clergy, changing patterns of practice, and increasing pressures on our diocesan resources, among other things. Yet our mission remains unchanged: to proclaim the Gospel and to lead our people to Christ.

Two possible pathways are being proposed for careful discernment: developing deeper cooperation and the sharing of resources across dioceses within our present structures, or the merging of some dioceses.

In order to best inform ourselves and the Holy See, each bishop will engage with his diocese over the coming months for the first part of this process. Everyone will be given the opportunity to pray, reflect, and contribute.

Following-on from the presentation of a discussion paper, responses from each diocese will contribute to the initial findings which will be given to the Holy See in the Autumn.

This is not simply an administrative exercise. It is a pastoral and missionary response to our changing landscape. This process will ensure our Church in Scotland will continue to grow ever more missionary, more Christ-centred, and more collaborative in the service of God’s people.

Entrusting this work to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to the intercession of Our Lady, we move forward together with confidence and renewed hope.

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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News from the Commissions and Agencies

October 2024

14Oct

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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

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12Oct

We participated in an Ecumenical Service yesterday evening in the grounds of St Peter’s at the shrine to the First Martyrs of Ro...

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

We participated in an Ecumenical Service yesterday evening in the grounds of St Peter’s at the shrine to the First Martyrs of Rome, on the 62nd anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. The desire for Christian Unity was reinvigorated at the Council while the Synod of Bishops is one of its many fruits.
There are 16 Fraternal Delegates participating in the Synod from Orthodox and Protestant Churches. Although Fraternal Delegates cannot vote they fully contribute to our discussions, both in the Small Groups and Plenary Sessions, and their insights and friendships enrich us. The entire synodal journey has emphasised the importance of baptism which has ecumenical implications since all Christians share a common baptism.
+Brian

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11Oct

The Catholic Church consists of 24 Churches of which by far the largest is the Latin Church

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

The Catholic Church consists of 24 Churches of which by far the largest is the Latin Church. The other 23 are knowns as Oriental or Eastern Catholic Churches which are in full communion with the Pope, although they celebrate Mass and worship in different Rites and have distinct traditions from us in the Latin Church. The Eastern Catholic Churches are traditionally found in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Eastern Africa and India although many members now live in the West due to war, persecution and poverty. In fact, it is quite possible that recently some have moved into your own parish and will be attending Mass alongside you in our Latin Rite. However, when possible they will attend Mass in their own particular Rite if one of their priests is available and their numbers are sufficient. We should make every effort to welcome them into our parishes but also support them in preserving their bonds with their own particular Eastern Catholic Church.
The Oriental Churches are participating in the Synod and our unity in diversity witnesses to the catholicity of our Church. During the week we celebrated Mass in St Peter’s according to the Maronite Rite. The Maronite Church is mainly found in Lebanon and we prayed for the people of Lebanon who, of course, are suffering from war.
Last Monday Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace. On Monday the Synod members held a collection for the parishioners of the only Catholic parish in Gaza. Many families are sheltering at the Church complex in terrible conditions and Pope Francis phones them every day. The Collection raised just over 32,000 euros which has already been sent to the Holy Land.

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11Oct

There is no slippery slope- once you permit killing anyone/anything is possible!

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

There is no slippery slope- once you permit killing anyone/anything is possible!

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11Oct

Saint John XXIII | Franciscan Media

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

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

A shy, retiring man, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli became our beloved Pope Saint John XXIII. Perhaps the greatest irony was that his fellow Cardinals elected him as a stop-gap pope to give them time to get the politics ironed out for a more permanent candidate. Little did they know what the Holy Spirit h...

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10Oct

I explained yesterday that proposals from each of the 39 Small Groups are fed into 5 language groups, populated by the rapporteu...

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

I explained yesterday that proposals from each of the 39 Small Groups are fed into 5 language groups, populated by the rapporteur from each Small Group, which in turn decides which topics seem the most important. One (poor) rapporteur is voted by each language groups to represent them in a further meeting, with the General Secretariat, to make the final decision about the topics, now formulated as questions, which best represent the thoughts of the 370 Synod members. Not an easy task! 7 or 8 questions are then emailed to each member to mull over.
Next day every member votes for what he or she thinks is the most important question to discuss. We are then told the order of preferences. During the Plenary Assembly the top 4 questions will be discussed, beginning with the question which received the most votes. This question will also have the most time allocated with the second question following but with a bit less time and so on. The final period is for free interventions on topics which did not make ‘the cut’. Members can speak for 3 minutes with silence after every 4 speakers.
After the third Plenary the Small Group again meets to discuss what they have learnt from listening to the entire assembly. We then pen our written report, maximum of 2 pages, which must contain concrete proposals, vote that it is an accurate record and then the rapporteur submits it to the General Secretariat. We then lie down in a quiet, dark room before beginning the whole process again for the next module! Meanwhile the theologians and writers begin reading our submissions to pull themes together in preparation for drafting the Final Report.
+Brian
Tomorrow, Friday, there will be an Ecumenical Service at 6pm which can be watched live on Vatican Media.

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10Oct

It was my birthday yesterday which I had hoped to keep quiet but the Synod Secretariat think that it is ‘nice’ to publicly annou...

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

It was my birthday yesterday which I had hoped to keep quiet but the Synod Secretariat think that it is ‘nice’ to publicly announce these things. My Small Group then hurriedly printed an impromptu Birthday Card (with all our faces on it) and got/stole a wee cake🥳. Perhaps this was to make up for having voted me as the rapporteur the day previously (they obviously didn’t get the memo about my near disaster as Secretary in my previous Group).
Last year the Small Groups were given different aspects of the same topic to discuss and so the feedback to the Plenary was varied. However, this year we are all reflecting on the same chapter from the Working Document. To avoid unnecessary repetition during the Plenary Session there are only 5 feedbacks, representing all the 39 Small Groups. How is this achieved?
Yesterday I explained that the Small Groups, after 4 rounds of sharing, agree on particular topics they would like the Plenary Assembly to discuss in greater detail. Each Small Group elects a rapporteur who will represent it and present their preferred topics when the 39 rapporteurs meet over 5 language groups: 2 English and 1 each of Italian, French and Spanish/Portuguese. For 2 hours the rapporteurs prayerfully share their individual groups conclusions, then agree together which are the most important topics before formulating questions which will be proposed for the Plenary Session. Tomorrow I’ll explain the next steps in a very thorough discernment process.
+Brian

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10Oct

Comboni

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

https://www.comboni.org/en/contenuti/113647

Saint Daniel still reminds us today of our duty to announce and share Jesu Christ our hope whose heart forever beats for suffering humanity; he urges us to witness to Him in our daily life in a spirit of ministeriality in fraternity; he urges us to live in communion and in the spirit of synodality t...

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09Oct

Catholic Parliamentary Office

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

https://rcpolitics.org/bishop-meets-first-minister/ Last Tuesday Bishop Gilbert met with the First Minister.

‘We all have a duty to move always towards the truth, to respect it and bear responsible witness to it’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2467)

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09Oct

New cardinals say Europe is becoming the Church’s new ‘peripheries’

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

https://www.aciafrica.org/news/12427/new-cardinals-say-europe-is-becoming-the-catholic-churchs-new-peripheries

“When the Holy Father is talking about peripheries, I think the peripheries are moving. ... Maybe the peripheries are moving towards Europe,” Archbishop Kikuchi said.

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