View source for Bishops' Conference of Scotland

{{Short description|Assembly of Catholic bishops}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox Organization
| name                     = Bishops' Conference of Scotland <br>(Catholic National Endowment Trust)
| native_name              = Co-labhairt Easbaigean na h-Alba {{in lang|gd}}
| image                    = Bishops' Conference of Scotland.jpg
| image_border             = 
| size                     = 
| caption                  = 
| map                      = 
| msize                    = 
| mcaption                 = 
| abbreviation             = BCOS
| motto                    = 
| formation                = 
| extinction               = 
| type                     = Religious body
| status                   = Under charitable trust <br>(SC016650) [https://www.oscr.org.uk/search-charity-register/charity-extract/?charitynumber=sc016650 ]
| purpose                  = "To enable the Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland to work together, undertaking nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies."<ref>[http://www.bcos.org.uk/ BCOS.org.uk] retrieved 15 June 2016</ref>
| headquarters             = [[Airdrie, North Lanarkshire]]
| location                 = [[Scotland]]
| region_served            = 
| membership               = Incumbent and retired archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland
| language                 = 
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = [[John Keenan (bishop)|Bishop John Keenan]]
| main_organ               = The Episcopal Conference
| parent_organization      = 
| 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
| num_staff                = 
| num_volunteers           = 
| budget                   = 
| website                  = http://www.bcos.org.uk/
| remarks                  = 
}}

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 [[archbishop]]s and [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] of the [[Catholic Church]] in [[Scotland]]. The conference is primarily made up of the [[diocesan bishop|presiding bishops]] of Scotland's eight [[diocese]]s as well as bishops who have [[Bishop (Catholic Church)#Retired bishops|retired]].

As of 2024, the president of the conference is Bishop [[John Keenan (bishop)|John Keenan]] of the [[Diocese of Paisley]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishops Conference of Scotland > Bishops |url=https://newwww.bcos.org.uk/Bishops |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=newwww.bcos.org.uk}}</ref>

==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.<ref>[http://www.eurocathinfo.eu/pls/ccee/v3_s2ew_consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=341&limite_id_sezione=0&limite_id_sito=0 Bishops' Conference of Scotland]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from EuroCathInfo.eu, retrieved 15 June 2016</ref>

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]].<ref>[http://www.comece.eu/site/en/whoweare/ourmemberbishops Our Member Bishops] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017003028/http://www.comece.eu/site/en/whoweare/ourmemberbishops |date=17 October 2016 }} from [[COMECE]], retrieved 15 June 2016</ref>

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) [[Blairs College|St. Mary's College, Blairs]], [[Aberdeen]], [[Aberdeenshire]]; (b) [[St Peter's Seminary, Cardross|St. Peter's College]], [[Cardross]], [[Dumbarton]]; (c) [[St Andrew's College, Drygrange|St. Andrew's College, Drygrange]], [[Melrose, Scotland|Melrose]], [[Roxburghshire]]."<ref>[https://www.oscr.org.uk/search-charity-register/charity-extract/?charitynumber=sc016650 Catholic National Endowment Trust, SC016650] from [[OSCR]], retrieved 15 June 2016</ref>

==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==
[[File:Scottish Catholic Dioceses.png|thumbnail|right|Map of dioceses in Scotland]]
[[File:Bishops Conference meeting with the First Minister (54168248454).jpg|thumb|right|Bishops Conference meeting First Minister [[John Swinney]] in 2024]]
*Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh
**[[Leo Cushley|Archbishop Leo Cushley]]
*Archdiocese of Glasgow
**[[William Nolan (bishop)|Archbishop William Nolan]]
*Diocese of Motherwell
**[[Joseph Toal |Bishop Joseph Toal]]
*Diocese of Paisley
**[[John Keenan (bishop)|Bishop John Keenan]]
*Diocese of Galloway 
**[[Francis Dougan|Bishop Francis Dougan]]
*Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
**[[Brian McGee (bishop)|Bishop Brian McGee]]
*Diocese of Aberdeen
**[[Hugh Gilbert|Bishop Hugh Gilbert]]
**[[Peter Moran (bishop)|Bishop Emeritus Peter Moran]]
*Diocese of Dunkeld
**[[Andrew McKenzie (bishop)|Bishop Andrew McKenzie]]
**[[Stephen Robson|Bishop Emeritus Stephen Robson]]

== Leadership ==

=== Presidents ===

Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishops’ Conference of Scotland |url=https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/conference/112.htm |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=GCatholic}}</ref>

* [[Donald Alphonsus Campbell|Donald Campbell]] (1959–63)
* [[Gordon Gray (cardinal)|Gordon Gray]] (1963–85)
* [[Thomas Winning]] (1985–2001)
* [[Keith O'Brien]] (2002–12)
* [[Philip Tartaglia]] (2012–18)
* [[Hugh Gilbert]] (2018–24)
* [[John Keenan (bishop)|John Keenan]] (2024–present)

==See also==
*[[Catholic Church in Scotland]]
*[[Religion in Scotland]]
*[[Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales]]
* [[Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund]]
* [[Catholic Church Insurance Association]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bcos.org.uk/ Official website] 
*[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/conference/112.htm Bishops' Conference of Scotland webpage]. GCatholic.org website

{{Catholic Church in Scotland}}
{{Episcopal Conferences in Europe}}
{{Scotland topics}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Episcopal conferences|Scotland]]
[[Category:Catholic Church in Scotland|Bishops' Conference]]
[[Category:Organisations based in North Lanarkshire]]
[[Category:Airdrie, North Lanarkshire]]
[[Category:Christian organisations based in Scotland]]
[[Category:1878 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1878 in Christianity]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1878]]