The Sovereign is represented at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Lord High Commissioner, who attends the proceedings as an observer. The Lord High Commissioner's role reflects the relationship between the State and the Church, and a long-standing tradition of appointing a Lord High Commissioner originated in the latter part of the 16th Century.
	However, historic legislation prevented the appointment of Roman Catholics to the role. The Claim of Right 1689 sets out restrictions against Roman Catholics being appointed to public offices in Scotland, including the Lord High Commissioner. Whilst the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 removed most aspects of religious discrimination towards Roman Catholics, it explicitly did not remove the restrictions against Catholics holding the office of the Lord High Commissioner.
	This meant that there was an existing legislative restriction against someone of the Roman Catholic faith being appointed to this office. The restriction only applied to those professing the Roman Catholic faith and did not apply to those who were of different or of no faith or religion.
Policy and legal background