As of 2027 the diocese will end the inclusion of CCS Adoption, an adoption agency that promotes gender ideology and adoption by same sex couples, in the diocese’s official schedule of collections.
In an email exchange on Monday 22 December with The Catholic Herald, Bishop Bosco MacDonald said that the appearance of CCS Adoption in the 2026 diocesan liturgical diary as an optional collection was an oversight and would not be repeated. He said the matter would be reviewed by diocesan trustees and that the collection would be discontinued and removed from 2027 onwards.
Speaking directly to The Catholic Herald, the bishop addressed the current nature of the diocesan relationship with the charity, stating: “The Diocese of Clifton has no formal relationship with CCS Adoption today beyond historical links. CCS is not a diocesan agency, does not act on behalf of the Diocese, and is not endorsed through any diocesan partnership.”
The bishop acknowledged the charity’s past while stressing that its status has changed. “There are families who benefited from CCS when it was a diocesan Catholic agency, and I recognise that gratitude, but the position today is different,” he wrote.
Turning to the issue raised by The Catholic Herald, Bishop MacDonald confirmed that the appearance of CCS in the diocesan liturgical diary was an error that would now be corrected. “You are correct that CCS appeared in our 2026 liturgical diary as an optional collection,” he said.
He added that the diocese would act to ensure the situation was not repeated. “Given the absence of any current diocesan relationship beyond historical links, it is right that we now bring this to an end,” the bishop wrote.
Further to this, Bishop MacDonald stated: “Its continued appearance in the diocesan schedule was an oversight, and this will be reviewed by the diocesan trustees as we prepare the schedule of collections for next year.”
In the same email, the bishop also restated the Church’s teaching on marriage and family life. “Catholic teaching about marriage and family life begins with the dignity of every human person, and therefore with the conviction that every child is precious, and that families should be supported with prayer, encouragement, and practical care,” he said.
“The Church holds, with confidence and compassion, that marriage is a faithful, lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, open to the gift of new life,” the bishop added.
Bishop Bosco concluded by underlining the diocese’s pastoral priorities. “In our Diocese we remain committed to strengthening marriage, supporting parents, accompanying families in difficulty, and doing all we can to safeguard the wellbeing of children.”
The bishop’s statement followed reporting by The Catholic Herald on the long running relationship between the diocese and CCS Adoption, formerly known as the Catholic Children’s Society of Clifton.
The charity emerged from the diocese’s former adoption agency but ceased to be Catholic after the Church’s withdrawal from adoption services in England and Wales.
That withdrawal followed the introduction of the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which required adoption agencies receiving public funding to place children with same sex couples. The Catholic Church opposed the legislation and sought an exemption on grounds of conscience and doctrine.
When the government refused, Catholic adoption agencies were forced either to close or to sever formal ties with the Church.
In Clifton, the diocesan agency changed its name in 2008 to Clifton Children’s Society while retaining the CCS acronym. Although no longer Catholic, it continued for years to appear in diocesan publications and to benefit from fundraising through parishes, schools and diocesan appeals.
In its most recent annual report, CCS stated that “donations from the Clifton Catholic Diocese contribute significantly to the organisation’s community fundraising income. The organisation has a long relationship with the Diocese, which continues to support it through annual appeals, crib collections and parishioner donations”.
The charity’s current policies, published on its website, state that it promotes and supports adoption by same sex couples and others identifying as LGBTQ+, citing the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and claiming that a significant proportion of its adopters come from the LGBTQ+ community.