By Advocate.com Editors

The Rev. Andrew Coghill will quit the Church of Scotland over its move to consider the ordination of openly gay clergy.

The Scotsman reports on the decision by Coghill, whose church is in the Outer Hebrides. He is the second minister to announce plans to leave over the gay clergy issue, where the Rev. Roddy MacRae announced last week that he would depart.

Since 2009, when the Rev. Scott Rennie was appointed to an Aberdeen congregation, ministers in same-sex relationships have been allowed to preach openly provided they were ordained before that year. A two-year commission is to examine whether the church, known as the Kirk, should allow openly gay ministers to be ordained.

The Scotsman reports that a Church of Scotland spokesman said in response to the most recent departure, “It is disappointing that any minister would feel the need to leave the Church when no final decisions have been taken, and the Church has agreed to hold more dialogue on this issue.”

Tags: Church of Scotland gay clergy, Glasgow LGBT, LGBT Scotland, Rev. Andrew Coghil, Rev. Scott Rennie openly gay minister