The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has announced a number of options under consideration which could see dioceses merged to cover large sections of Scotland in the face of declining funds and vocations. The bishops said that any changes to diocesan boundaries would need to be approached with sensitivity, encouraging every parish to “make their voice heard”.

The decision to review diocesan boundaries had been announced in March following a request from the Holy See. It asked the Scottish bishops 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.”

The conference announced that two possible scenarios were being discerned, namely to either develop deeper cooperation between the dioceses, including the sharing of resources within the present structure, or to merge dioceses.

Six proposals for diocesan mergers have been put forward: Argyll & the Isles and Paisley; Argyll & the Isles and Glasgow; Paisley and Galloway; Galloway and Motherwell; St Andrews & Edinburgh and Dunkeld; and Motherwell with Paisley and Galloway. A seventh proposal to maintain the current diocesan structures but with greater sharing and collaboration was also included.

‎In a statement, the bishops of Scotland said: “This is not simply a question of boundaries, administrative adjustments or the sharing of resources more effectively. Primarily it is about how we can better proclaim the Gospel, support our clergy, religious and lay people, and strengthen our parishes and communities for evangelisation.

“As part of this discernment, and informed by the diocesan feedback summaries, we considered a range of possible configurations.”

It emphasised that the options put forward were “possibilities for further discernment” rather than “decisions or an agreed map for the future”.

“As your bishops, we recognise that dioceses are communities of faith with their own histories, relationships and traditions. Any change must therefore be approached with prayer, sensitivity and care for the people and communities involved,” they said.

“Synodal discernment also asks each of us to look beyond our own self-interests and to consider what will best serve the Catholic Church in Scotland as a whole. Everyone in every parish is encouraged to make their voice heard when opportunities for consultation are announced locally by their diocesan bishop.”

The Bishops’ Conference also announced that information packs would be made available in each Scottish diocese to support the next phase. It said the information packs would “provide an opportunity to learn more about each of Scotland’s eight dioceses, including important statistics and demographic information, so that the consultation can be informed by a fuller picture of Catholic life across the country.”

The consultation process would then assist the bishops in formulating a “concrete proposal” to the Holy See. The bishops stated that they “encourage everyone to actively engage” in the process, and to keep the “central question” of diocesan restructuring in prayer.

Approximately 70 per cent of the Scottish population lives within the Central Belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Despite this, the country makes up almost one-third of the UK’s land area. As a result, priests in dioceses north of the Central Belt often have to cover large distances to minister to the Catholic population.

This issue is particularly pronounced in the Diocese of Argyll & the Isles, which requires travel by boat to reach parishes. The Diocese of Aberdeen spans 29,000 square kilometres, serving around 18,000 Catholics.