Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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Bishops' Conference of Scotland
(Catholic National Endowment Trust)
Co-labhairt Easbaigean na h-Alba (in Scottish Gaelic)
AbbreviationBCOS
TypeReligious body
Legal statusUnder charitable trust
(SC016650)
Purpose"To enable the Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland to work together, undertaking nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies." [1]
Headquarters Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Location
MembershipIncumbent and retired archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland
President
 Bishop John Keenan
Main organ
The Episcopal Conference
AffiliationsCouncil of European Bishops' Conferences, Commission of Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, Catholic Bishops' Bioethics Committee, Action of Churches Together in Scotland, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Website http://www.bcos.org.uk/

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland (BCOS), under the trust of the Catholic National Endowment Trust, and based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, is an episcopal conference for archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The conference is primarily made up of the presiding bishops of Scotland's eight dioceses as well as bishops who have retired.

Contents

As of 2024, the president of the conference is Bishop John Keenan of the Diocese of Paisley. [2]

Agencies

The BCOS is organised into several agencies. These are: The Commission for Doctrine and Unity, The Communications and Press and Media Relations Office, The Commission for Catholic Education and Scottish Catholic Education Service, The Justice and Peace Commission, operating using the name Justice and Peace Scotland, The Heritage Commission as well as some other offices. [3]

The Conference is also a member of several international organisations including the Council of European Bishops' Conferences and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community. [4]

Before 1980, the organisation first registered with Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and stated that its objective was to "promote, establish, develop, expand, contribute to, support and maintain facilities, projects, schemes and institutions of all kinds having a religious, educational or charitable purpose for the benefit of the community throughout Scotland; and in addition for the benefit of students for the priesthood at home and abroad including the maintenance of the following colleges, all now closed; (a) St. Mary's College, Blairs, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire; (b) St. Peter's College, Cardross, Dumbarton; (c) St. Andrew's College, Drygrange, Melrose, Roxburghshire." [5]

Ecumenical relations

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland is a full member of Action of Churches Together in Scotland. The BCOS sends a representative to the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Church of Scotland and is always invited to send a delegate to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Member bishops

Map of dioceses in Scotland Scottish Catholic Dioceses.png
Map of dioceses in Scotland
Bishops Conference meeting First Minister John Swinney in 2024 Bishops Conference meeting with the First Minister (54168248454).jpg
Bishops Conference meeting First Minister John Swinney in 2024

Leadership

Presidents

Source: [6]

Arms

Coat of arms of Bishops' Conference of Scotland
Notes
Granted by the Lyon Court, 3 September 2025. [7]
Escutcheon
Azure on a saltire Argent two bishops's croziers in saltire Gules a harrier Or all within a tressure Gules.
Supporters
Behind the shield is set a Celtic bishop's cross Or.

See also

References

  1. ↑ BCOS.org.uk retrieved 15 June 2016
  2. ↑ "Bishops Conference of Scotland > Bishops". newwww.bcos.org.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. ↑ Bishops' Conference of Scotland [ permanent dead link ] from EuroCathInfo.eu, retrieved 15 June 2016
  4. ↑ Our Member Bishops Archived 17 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine from COMECE, retrieved 15 June 2016
  5. ↑ Catholic National Endowment Trust, SC016650 from OSCR, retrieved 15 June 2016
  6. ↑ "Bishops' Conference of Scotland". GCatholic. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Archbishop Cushley, Metropolitan Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh..." Lyon Court. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
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