Archbishop Leo Cushley Encourages a Spirit of Listening in Public Life

Archbishop Leo Cushley has offered his good wishes to MSPs and invited them to place listening at the heart of public service.

Delivering Time for Reflection in the Scottish Parliament, the Archbishop provided a gentle but clear reminder that work for the common good begins not only with speaking, but with giving careful attention to the voices and experiences of others.

Drawing on his earlier experience as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York, Archbishop Cushley recalled meetings where many participants had the opportunity to speak, but where not everyone was truly heard. Those moments, stretching late into the night, revealed how easily public discussion can lose its purpose when listening gives way to the desire simply to be heard.

The Archbishop’s reflection did not diminish the importance of speaking with conviction. Rather, it underlined that meaningful dialogue requires both courage in speech and humility in listening. Without that balance, public life risks becoming performative, and those who most need to be heard may be left at the margins. As the Archbishop put it, “the right to speak, when others went on and on, meant that some speakers didn’t really get the right to be heard”.

The Archbishop invited those entrusted with public responsibility to not only speak persuasively, but also to cultivate the art of listening. In Parliament, as in every area of service, listening helps ensure that decisions are shaped by wisdom, rooted in dignity, and directed towards the good of all.

The familiar phrase “Best idea wins!” was welcomed by Archbishop Cushley, but with an important insight: the best idea can only emerge where people are willing to listen as carefully as they speak.

In times that can be marked by noise and division, Archbishop Cushley’s words point instead to a more generous path: “Let the Best Idea win,” he concluded, “and let’s be listening out for it.”