Minister quits Kirk over swearing in of gay man

Published on Friday 14 August 2009 22:05

A CHURCH of Scotland minister, serving an overseas parish, has become the second to quit the Kirk's ministry in the bitter row over the induction of an openly gay minister.

The Rev John Macleod, 39, who is the minister with the Kirk's World Mission at St Andrew's Church in Nassau in the Bahamas, submitted a letter of resignation to the Church's headquarters earlier this week.

A spokeswoman for the Church of Scotland said yesterday: "We can confirm that this week the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland received a letter of resignation from the Rev John Macleod.

"We cannot go into any more details."

His resignation follows the announcement in July by a Highland minister, the Rev Thomas Mackinnon, that he was quitting his post at Delny, by Invergordon.

Mr Macleod, who will remain in Nassau while he works out his six months' notice, said he had resigned because of his opposition to the induction of the Rev Scott Rennie to Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen, the Kirk's ban on the public discussion of the gay controversy and the Church's move "away from biblical orthodoxy".