Sturgeon tells Kirk leader '˜your jewellery's better than mine'

The First Minister telling the Kirk Moderator that his jewellery collection is superior to hers features in a new documentary about the cleric.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Church of Scotland Moderator the Rt Rev Dr Angus Morrison in the film to be broadcast tomorrow. Picture: Contributed

From Minister to Moderator, which will be broadcast at 9pm tomorrow on BBC Alba, includes contributions from all Scotland’s political party leaders.

Conservative leader Ruth Davidson describes the Rt Rev Dr Angus Morrison as a “joy and a rogue” after spending time with him in Bosnia during a visit for the charity Remembering Srebrenica Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon met the Moderator at the Scottish Parliament when he spent a day at Holyrood. The documentary captures her saying to him, as he wears his gold ring and cross pendant: “Your jewellery is better than mine.”

His ring and pendant – which are passed by each Moderator to his or her successor at the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly in May – were made in early 2014 after the original jewels were lost in April 2013.

Former Moderator, the Very Rev Dr Lorna Hood, was later mistaken for the jewel thief as she took a duplicate of the ring for a fitting.

The programme covers a year in the life of the first Gaelic-speaking Moderator in almost 50 years as he moves from parish minister at Orwell and Portmoak parish church in Kinross to the high-profile year-long post.

The Moderator’s role has included discussing the Kirk’s policies with politicians, opening the Oban Royal National Mod 2015 where he makes an announcement spearheading Gaelic in the church, and attending numerous engagements at home and abroad.

He made history this year by being the first Moderator to address the Church of England Synod about the churches working together more closely.

Ms Sturgeon said: “It’s always a really valuable opportunity to discuss matters of concern to the Church, often the same issues that are of concern to the government and the current Moderator... the current Moderator has been fantastic in his role.”

Ms Davidson says in the documentary: “This particular Moderator is both a joy and a rogue, having spent some time with him abroad.

“Each Moderator makes of the job something of themselves, they bring themselves to the table.

“It is a different relationship with each one but it is no less special for that.”

The documentary includes the Moderator saying “I survived, I survived” after the official ceremony when he was installed as Moderator at the General Assembly last May.