Members of the College of Bishops have travelled to Wales to represent the Scottish Episcopal Church at the Celtic Bishops 2026 conference this week.

This year it is the turn of the Church in Wales to host the Conference, which is held every two to three years, with the venue rotated among the SEC, Church in Wales and Church of Ireland.

The four-day programme has a full agenda, starting with three sessions titled ‘A view of the province’ on Day One, from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, followed by a session on Ecumenism in Wales.

Day Two will focus on the rise of the Far Right, when the bishops  will consider Biblical interpretation, political theology and the challenges this phenomenon poses for Church leaders.

In the afternoon, a session on Church and State relations in the context of devolution will touch on a variety of areas, including forthcoming elections and political matters such as assisted dying and changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

The agenda for Day Three will look at the life of the Anglican Communion today. The session considers how communion is sustained amid difference, and what this means for bishops within a global Church. There will also be sessions on safeguarding and clergy standards, and in the evening, an address from the Right Rev Dr Jo Bailey Wells (Bishop for Episcopal Ministry, Anglican Communion Office).

On the final day, the bishops will consider recent developments within the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Leo XIV, their theological, pastoral and ecumenical significance, and what they may signal for the direction of the Roman Catholic Church under his papacy.

The SEC bishops in attendance are the Primus, Bishop Mark Strange, along with Bishop Andrew Swift, Bishop Anne Dyer, Bishop David Railton and Bishop Nick Bundock.