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Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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Co-labhairt Easbaigean na h-Alba
Abbreviation BCOS
Type Religious body
Legal status Under charitable trust (SC016650)[1]
Headquarters Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Location Scotland
Members Incumbent and retired archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland
President Bishop John Keenan
Main organ The Episcopal Conference
Affiliations Council 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 www.bcos.org.uk

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland (BCOS; Scottish Gaelic: Co-labhairt Easbaigean na h-Alba), 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.

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

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. Back to citation "Catholic National Endowment Trust". Charity Details. Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  2. Back to citation "Bishops". Bishops' Conference of Scotland. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. Back to citation Bishops' Conference of Scotland from EuroCathInfo.eu, retrieved 15 June 2016
  4. Back to citation Our Member Bishops Archived 17 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine from COMECE, retrieved 15 June 2016
  5. Back to citation Catholic National Endowment Trust, SC016650 Archived 6 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine from OSCR, retrieved 15 June 2016
  6. Back to citation "Bishops' Conference of Scotland". GCatholic. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  7. Back to citation "Archbishop Cushley, Metropolitan Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh..." Lyon Court. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
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