Archbishop Cushley’s reflection at our final Advent Rosary for Life, which took place on Monday 22 December. Watch below or on YouTube.

Transcript

My dear friends,

Thank you for joining together in prayer this evening.

I would like to offer a brief reflection—one that flows from the Rosary, from our love for Christ, and from our call to defend the dignity of every human life.

In Scotland today, we find ourselves facing proposals on assisted suicide that present a grave danger to life.

What is being considered is not simply a change in law, but a change in the moral landscape of our nation. The plans before Parliament would make it legally permissible to help end someone’s life, and the safeguards that had once been spoken of as essential are being steadily eroded.

Many reasonable people—people not known for strong political opinions—have been frankly shocked at how quickly these protections have been dismissed. As one commentator put it, Scotland risks being left with “a law without dignity.”

And who will be most affected? Not the strong. Not the confident. But the most vulnerable among us: the elderly, the lonely, the disabled, and those who already feel like a burden.

When the law offers assisted suicide as an option, it risks silently suggesting that some lives are no longer worth living. That is not compassion. That is not solidarity. And it is certainly not love.

For us as Christians, the call is clear and unwavering: we are called to care, not to kill. We accompany the suffering; we do not eliminate the sufferer. Every life—especially when fragile, especially when wounded—reveals the face of Christ.

And as we defend the dignity of life at its end, we must also be attentive to the dignity of life at its beginning. Another major discussion is unfolding in Scotland following the recent Review of Abortion Law published last month. 

These recommendations are not yet law.

The government has said it will consult widely and consider the matter carefully. But we must remain vigilant, informed, and prayerful—because one reasonable reading of these proposals is that Scotland could permit abortion up to birth.

And we cannot be silent when the lives of the smallest and most vulnerable are at stake.

And yet, my dear friends, as we approach Christmas, we do not speak from fear. We speak from hope. The Nativity shows us that God enters the world in littleness, in vulnerability, in the hiddenness of a child.

Every human life is illuminated by the light that shone in Bethlehem. Every person—whether at the dawn of life or the twilight of life—is precious in God’s eyes.

So let us pray to Jesus, the Light of the World, to kindle our hearts with courage, compassion, and clarity. May He guide our nation, protect the vulnerable, and renew in all people a deep reverence for the gift of human life.

And may our witness—gentle, firm, and rooted in love—help build a culture where every life is cherished, welcomed, and defended.

God bless you and have a happy Christmas.