Stephen Robson (born 1 April 1951) is the retired bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

. From 2012 to 2014 he was

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh The Archdiocese of Saint Andrews & Edinburgh () is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. It is the metropolitan see of the province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, consisting of the additional suffragan sees of A ...

Early life

Stephen Robson was born in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

, in the Diocese of Lancaster, on 1 April 1951. Baptised in the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

tradition on 15 May 1951, he became a Roman Catholic while a teenager. After secondary school he attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

where he obtained a degree in biological sciences with a specialisation in medical technology at Napier College of Science in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He was heavily influenced by the local

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

community while studying in Edinburgh.

Formation and further studies

Robson completed his studies for ordination at

St Andrew's College, Drygrange St Andrew's College, Drygrange, located near Melrose, Scotland, Melrose, Scotland, was a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic seminary founded in 1953 and closed in 1986. History Foundation Founded by Gordon Gray (cardinal), Gordon Gray shortly aft ...

. During his ministry at the Pontifical Scots College in Rome he gained a Licentiate and Doctorate in Spiritual Theology and a Licentiate in Canon Law at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. In 2004, his doctoral thesis, entitled "With the Spirit and Power of Elijah: The Prophetic-reforming Spirituality of

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

as Evidenced Particularly in His Letters", was awarded the Gregorian University's Bellarmine Medal (Theology), awarded to recognise the best thesis submitted each year in theology.

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

P. Alkuin Schachenmayr wrote that "dozens of passages in Robson’s dissertation" seemed identical to passages published by other authors, yet without giving them proper attribution. An investigation by the Gregorian cleared Robson of these charges in 2020. In 2021, philosopher M.V. Dougherty identified multiple further examples of plagiarism in Robson's monograph and raised concerns about the thoroughness and independence of the Gregorian's investigation.

Priesthood

Robson was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

on 12 February 1978, and priest on 17 March 1979 for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. He subsequently held a number of pastoral assignments. Following his period at St Mary's College, Blairs, he spent over a year around 1986 living at

Ampleforth Abbey Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It descends from the pre-Reformation community at Westminster Abbey through the las ...

while discerning a vocation to

monastic life Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

. He later served as Cardinal Keith O'Brien's private secretary; their friendship extended over 35 years (“He has been involved with me in pastoral work and school work, seminary apostolate and during his further studies," wrote the cardinal) and culminated in Robson's 2012 appointment as O'Brien's auxiliary bishop. Soon after, in 2013, O'Brien resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct with priests and seminarians. From 1998 to 2006 Robson was the spiritual director of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome. On returning to Scotland he became

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh and pastor of the united parishes of Our Lady's in

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

and

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

. He also served as a judge of the Scottish National Catholic Tribunal.

Episcopal ministry

Auxiliary bishop

Robson's appointment was announced on 8 May 2012 by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

and he received episcopal consecration on 9 June 2012, the Feast of

St Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

, from Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien with

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Antonio Mennini Antonio Mennini (born 2 September 1947) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. Having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, he served as the Nuncio to Great Britain from 18 December 2010 until 6 February 2017 when Pope Francis transferred ...

and Mario Conti serving as co-consecrators. He was assigned the titular see of Tunnuna in Tunisia. Immediately following his episcopal consecration he served as the representative of the

Bishops' Conference of Scotland The Bishops' Conference of Scotland (BCOS), under the trust of the Catholic National Endowment Trust, and based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, is an episcopal conference for archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The confer ...

at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin from 10–17 June 2012. As auxiliary bishop, Robson became a member of the bishops' conference. Following his episcopal ordination, he continued chancellor of the archdiocese and served as parish priest at Ss John Cantius and Nicholas,

Broxburn Broxburn (, ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Originally a village known as Easter Strathbock in the medieval period, by 1600, the village ha ...

, beginning in September 2012. When Cardinal O'Brien resigned in February 2013 after being accused of sexual misconduct by other priests, Robson was named

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

and entrusted with running the daily affairs of the archdiocese. Robson and O'Brien had been close for over 30 years; they met while colleagues on the staff of St Mary’s College, Blairs. In March 2013 Robson was appointed to be one of the twelve members of the controversial McLellan Commission, which was to review how the Scottish Church deals with accusations of sexual abuse; Kevin McKenna of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called its August 2015 report a "whitewash".

Bishop of Dunkeld

On 11 December 2013, Robson was appointed

Bishop of Dunkeld The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the firs ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

. He was installed in

St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee The Cathedral Church of St Andrew is a Catholic cathedral in the West End of the city of Dundee, Scotland. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Dunkeld and mother church of the Diocese of Dunkeld within the Province of St Andrews and Edi ...

, on 9 January 2014. He announced his resignation on 28 December 2022, citing ill health.

Apostleship of the Sea

In February 2015, Robson was appointed bishop promoter and a trustee of Catholic seafarers' charity

Apostleship of the Sea Stella Maris is an international agency of the Catholic Church that provides pastoral care to seafarers, other maritime workers, and their families. Stella Maris offers practical and pastoral care to all seafarers, regardless of nationality, beli ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robson, Stephen 1951 births Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Living people Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Pontifical Gregorian University alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Scotland Roman Catholic titular bishops of Tunnuna Bishops of Dunkeld (Roman Catholic, Post-Reformation) English Roman Catholic bishops