Speaking to the Scottish Bishops during their Ad Limina visit to Rome on 5th February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI urged the Bishops to present the Church’s vision as a message of hope.

The Holy Father said, “The Church offers the world a positive and inspiring vision of human life . . . rooted in God’s infinite, transforming and ennobling love for all of us, opening our eyes to recognise and love his image in our neighbour.”

He continued: “All too often the Church’s doctrine is perceived as a series of prohibitions and retrograde positions, whereas the reality . . . is that it is creative and life-giving, and it is directed towards the fullest possible realisation of the great potential for good and for happiness that God has implanted within every one of us.”