Annual conference of the Scottish Catholic Historical Association on the relationship between Roman Catholics and Scottish Episcopalians over three centuries.
The Scottish Catholic Historical Association is holding its annual conference at the Gillis Centre on Saturday 7 November, and this year's theme is Scottish Catholic and Episcopalian church relations. It's a deep dive into the long, complicated relationship between Roman Catholics and Scottish Episcopalians, tracing it from the religious divisions of the early eighteenth century right through to modern ecumenical developments.
The papers cover three centuries of history. The first looks at the 'popery' problem of early eighteenth-century Scotland; the second moves into nineteenth-century encounters in scholarship and liturgy; and the third examines the twentieth-century ecumenical landscape. Together they map how two traditions that spent centuries apart have slowly found common ground.
The day also marks the first anniversary of the St Ninian Declaration, the declaration of friendship between the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church, which was signed in Edinburgh on 16 September 2025, the Feast of St Ninian. It's a nice bit of timing, with the conference coming just over a year after that agreement was made.
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The line-up brings together voices from across the university and church sectors: Professor Charlotte Methuen (University of Glasgow), Dr Clare Loughlin (Newcastle University), The Very Reverend Stephen Holmes (Provost, St Ninian's Episcopal Cathedral, Perth), Dr John Reuben Davies (University of Glasgow), Dr Piotr Potocki (Secretary, SCHA), and Professor Scott Spurlock (University of Glasgow).
It runs from 10:00 to 16:00 at the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Marchmont, EH9 1BB. Tickets are £15, and that includes lunch. You'll need a government-recognised photo ID to get in, and if you have any dietary requirements, you should email them to scha1950@gmail.com.
