The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Pope Francis RIP

17th December 1936 – 21st April 2025

May he rest in peace

Message of Bishop Keenan President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

It was with deep sadness that we woke to the news that Pope Francis has died and we share in the sense of loss of millions of people across the world. It is a consolation to us that he went to the LORD on Easter Monday and the great Easter Day as a sort of first fruits of the salvation which the Risen Christ shares with His Church.

We thank GOD for the Pope’s service which was always human and humble in its informal style and with a message of GOD’s universal love and unconditional mercy that brought hope to so many.

A man of the poor who lived simply, Pope Francis was a voice for the voiceless and all those who find themselves on the margins in our world. A man of peace, he called the Church to listen to everyone, to move forward together as a family, to find a conciliatory approach to those of different beliefs and lifestyles, for an end to conflicts across the world and for the care of Creation as GOD’s precious gift to humanity.

He gave of himself to the end, offering up his final illness with serenity, his last acts being to visit Rome’s prison on Holy Thursday and to wish the crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s a Happy Easter.

We pray he will be enjoying the full fruits of the Resurrection, resting from his work, his good deeds going with him.

May he rest in peace.

Bishop John Keenan

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

News from the Commissions and Agencies

December 2024

06Dec

Saint Nicholas | Franciscan Media

06 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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

The absence of “hard historical facts” is not necessarily an obstacle to the popularity of saints, as the devotion to Saint Nicholas shows. Both the Eastern and Western Churches honor him, and it is claimed that after the Blessed Virgin, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists.

06Dec

Photos from HagiograFaith's post

06 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

05Dec

Photos from Justice and Peace Scotland's post

05 Dec, 2024 | Justice and Peace Scotland | Justice & Peace Scotland Facebook |

✨Congratulations to the Caritas Students from St Joseph's Parish Blantyre and St Anthony's and St Mark's Rutherglen who each hosted holy hours in their parishes this week as part of the Justice & Peace Scotland Parish Project they are working on for their Caritas Award.

✝️The group in St Joseph's have been learning, praying and acting around the theme of refugees and migrants and hosted a "Welcome The Stranger" holy hour for their parish on Tuesday evening. Thank you to Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees for helping the group learn more about refugees and the difficulties they face both in their own countries and once they get to the UK.

🙏In St Anthony's and St Mark's the young people have been exploring the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery. They were visited by Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland who told them how people end up trapped in situations of trafficking and about the work they do to recover people and help them rebuild their lives. On Wednesday the group hosted a holy hour dedicated to St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of victims and survivors of human trafficking, to pray for all trapped in modern slavery today.

💜Huge thanks and well done to all the Caritas young people involved and to the parish priests and volunteers who are working with us to pilot the Justice & Peace Scotland Caritas Parish Project in their parishes.

05Dec

C9 focuses on collegiality, role of women, nuncios, and world crises - Vatican News

05 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-12/c9-focuses-on-collegiality-role-of-women-nuncios-world-crises.html

At the December session of the Council of Cardinals (C9), held on 2nd and 3rd December at the Casa Santa Marta in the presence of Pope Francis, ...

05Dec

https://marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Catholic-Families-For-Life-Newsletter-Dec-24.pdf

05 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Catholic-Families-For-Life-Newsletter-Dec-24.pdf
Read the latest Marriage Family Life Newsletter

04Dec

One of the great Advent themes is hope

04 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

One of the great Advent themes is hope. Our hope is not based on our own abilities but on the love of God, revealed through the birth, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus, who will return to gather us into his glory. May hope reign in all our hearts this Advent!
+Brian

04Dec

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

04 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

04Dec

Saint John Damascene | Franciscan Media

04 Dec, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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

Saint John Damascene was born in Damascus, but spent most of his life in a monastery near Jerusalem. Little is known about his life, but John is remembered as the last of the Eastern Church Fathers. He gained fame as a poet and an author.

03Dec