Published on 23 March
By Bill Heaney
The Commission of Assembly has agreed that, in light of concerns some people have due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, optional online attendance will be approved for this year’s General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Commissioners voted unanimously in favour of the Assembly Business Committee’s deliverance as amended, meaning commissioners are now free to attend the General Assembly through an online platform.
Rev Donald McCorkindale, convener of the Assembly Business Committee, said: “The Commission of Assembly went well with many engaging online, and has now agreed that in preparation for the General Assembly in May, Presbyteries may commission ministers, elders and deacons to participate remotely or in person. We look forward to gathering together for business, fellowship and worship.”
The Assembly Business Committee brought forward seven sections of the deliverance during the session, all allowing for commissioners participating both online and in-person.
Commissioners voted 52-3 in favour of an amendment which allows for more flexibility around presbyteries’ online attendee numbers, within the constraints of a risk assessment which allows for no more than 550 commissioners within the Assembly Hall.
If they wish to participate online, commissioners now have until Friday 8 April to give notice to the Principal Clerk.
At present, there is no provision in the Commission of Assembly Act (Act VI 1997) for the Commission to meet with some or all of its members participating online.
However, during October 2020 and May 2021, the General Assembly met with commissioners online due to the Scottish Government’s regulations forbidding large in-person gatherings.
In ordinary times the event brings around 800 commissioners and visitors to Edinburgh to debate on Church matters and the issues of the day.
Watch the General Assembly 2022
The 2022 General Assembly opens on Saturday 21 May and runs until Thursday 26 May at the Assembly Hall on The Mound in Edinburgh.
The event will be live-streamed through the Church of Scotland website, with highlights shared each day through the website, Facebook and Twitter.
The Rt Hon Lord Hodge, the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, has been appointed Lord High Commissioner to this year’s General Assembly.
The Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has been appointed Lord High Commissioner to the 2022 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Rt Hon Lord Hodge said he is “delighted and honoured” to have been chosen by Her Majesty The Queen as her personal representative at the annual event.
The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church of Scotland and is taking place in the General Assembly Hall on The Mound in Edinburgh from Saturday, the 21st of May until Thursday the 26th of May.
Honour
Commissioners to the General Assembly, which was first held in 1560, the year of the Scottish Reformation, examine the work and laws of the Church and make decisions that affect its future.
The Lord High Commissioner makes opening and closing addresses and carries out a number of official functions throughout the course of the week.
Lord Hodge said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been asked by Her Majesty The Queen to represent her as her Lord High Commissioner at the General Assembly in this, her Platinum Jubilee year and on the 200th anniversary of George IV’s historic visit to Scotland.
“My wife and I look forward to attending the General Assembly and taking part in the other events of the week.”
Lord Hodge (Patrick Hodge) grew up in Perthshire and attended Rattray Parish Church with his parents and is today associated with Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh.
He is one of the two Scottish Justices on the Supreme Court and is also a Non-Permanent Justice on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.
Advocate
Lord Hodge studied history at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and worked as a civil servant in the Scottish Office after graduating before later attending the University of Edinburgh to read law.
He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1983 and appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1996.
From 1997-2003, Lord Hodge was a part-time Law Commissioner of the Scottish Law Commission and from 2000 to 2005 he was a Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey and Procurator to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Between 2009 and 2011, he served as convener of the Church’s Special Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry.
Lord Hodge is the chairman of the Greyfriars Foundation in Edinburgh and patron of two charities – Justice and TaxAid – in London.
The Rev Dr George Whyte, the Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “We are honoured that her Majesty has appointed Lord Hodge as Lord High Commissioner.
“We look forward to welcoming him to the General Assembly.”
Royal
Prince William, Lord Wallace and HM the Queen.
The Queen attended the General Assembly in person in 1969 and 2002.
Her grandson, HRH Prince William, who is known as the Earl of Strathearn in Scotland, served as Lord High Commissioner last year.
In 2020 and 2021, the General Assembly was streamed online due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions with only a small number of people present in the Assembly Hall.
Preparations for this year’s event are underway and more information will be available in the coming weeks.
Previous members of the Royal Family to be appointed Lord High Commissioner include HRH Prince Charles, HRH The Earl of Wessex and HRH The Princess Royal.
The Moderator Designate for 2022-23 is the Rev Iain Greenshields who will chair proceedings and serve as the Church’s ambassador at home and abroad for 12-months. He will succeed Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC.