Rev Dr Angus Morrison has withdrawn from the position of Moderator for this year’s Church of Scotland General Assembly.
Health issues forced him to make the decision. The 60-
It is the first time in living memory that a Moderator-
Mr Morrison, minister of Orwell and Portmoak Church in Perth, said: “This has been a very painful decision but deep down I feel it is the right one.
“I am undergoing medical treatment and anticipate an operation ahead. The demanding role of Moderator requires someone to be operating on all cylinders. I do not have the necessary reserves just now.”
He added: “It is with huge regret and reluctance that I make this decision. My heartfelt prayers will be with all those on whom unexpected burdens now fall. May God's guidance, strength and peace be given to each one.”
Some 25 years ago, the minister played a headline part in Scottish presbyterian history when he quit the Free Presbyterian (FP) Church in protest of it suspending the then Lord Advocate for Scotland, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, an elder in the denomination, for attending a Catholic Requiem funeral mass for a friend.
Mr Morrison’s resignation accelerated a split in the church. Protesting FPs who saw it as a restriction on the individual’s liberty of conscience left to establish the Associated Presybterian Church (APC).
When selection is officially confirmed, the 60-
Mr Morrison was APC moderator in 1998 to 99. The following year he joined the Church of Scotland and became a minister in Lewis.
He was born in Glencoe in 1953. As his father worked for the Northern Lighthouse Service, the young Angus went to school in Oban, Stromness and Edinburgh before progressing to higher education at the University of Glasgow. He undertook further studies at Pisa University and London University before a PhD at Edinburgh University (New College).
Dr Morrison who has a degree in Classics and speaks Italian and Gaelic, is married to Marion who is a primary school teacher in Fife. The couple have four children between the ages of 16 and 27.
Church moderator stands down before Assembly 18/3/14