The moderator of the Church of Scotland has offered his "warmest congratulations" to Humza Yousaf after he was elected by MSPs to replace Nicola Sturgeon as first minister on Tuesday.
Yousaf, a practicing Muslim, won by a narrow margin against Christian candidate Kate Forbes in Monday's election. At 37 years old, he is set to become Scotland's youngest first minister and the first person from a non-white background to hold the position.
On Tuesday, he and his family spent their first night in Bute House.
In a statement, Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields said he will be supporting the first minister in prayer.
"The Church recognises the difficult decisions that people in political authority have to make on behalf of all the people of Scotland, regardless of their political preferences," he said.
"We pray that God is with the new First Minister and all those who hold positions of authority and responsibility. We pray that Mr Yousaf is imbued with wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity and he finds the strength and peace to do what is right.”
"The people of Scotland are living in challenging times," the moderator continued. "We look forward to engaging with the First Minister and his government as we all seek to address the most pressing social issues for the common good."
Yousaf's name will now be submitted to the King.
On Wednesday, a formal session to swear him in is expected at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.