Catholics have now been granted the right to serve as the King’s representative at the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, following a historic decision by MPs to overturn a 325-year-old law.
The unanimous vote clears the way for Lady Elish Angiolini KC to become the first Roman Catholic Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland since the passage of the 1689 Claim of Right Act, which had previously barred Catholics from holding certain public office positions.
Lady Elish, appointed to the role by King Charles in December 2024, will represent the relationship between the British monarchy and the Church of Scotland at the 2025 General Assembly in May.
Unlike the Church of England, where the King is the supreme governor, the Church of Scotland operates independently from the state, with the reigning monarch being considered an ordinary member.
Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, explained: “The Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill is a simple, clear piece of legislation that aims to remove a legal barrier preventing Catholics from holding the office of Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly. Lady Elish was Scotland’s first female Lord Advocate and has served in both Labour and SNP governments at Holyrood.”
McFadden noted that this legal restriction applied only to Catholics, excluding people of other faiths or those without religious affiliation.
“This bill is a small but significant step in removing a religious barrier,” he added. “Without it, neither Lady Elish nor any other Catholic could take up this appointment by the sovereign. This bill changes that.”
