The Church of Scotland has denied that the organisation is "institutionally sexist" following complaints made by its female members.

Finlay Macdonald, Moderator of the General Assembly, spoke out after 140 women signed a letter complaining that no female has ever been elected to the Kirk's top job.

In the letter published in The Herald and The Scotsman newspapers they expressed "profound regret" that no woman has become Moderator in the 30 years since they were made eligible for consideration.

They wrote: "We are aware that those who nominate and elect the Moderator may have been hampered by their own remarkable gender imbalance.

The Moderatorship is a powerful symbol and a woman should be Moderator soon Finlay Macdonald Moderator of the General Assembly

"We hope that in years to come a church which rightly takes pride in its democratic traditions and its devotion to the priesthood of all believers might take creative steps to practise what it preaches and move towards a time when all actually means all."

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Macdonald said he had "enormous sympathy" with those who put their names to the letter.

He said that women did fill a number of important roles within the Church of Scotland.

'Very much involved'

And he said he believed it was only a matter of time before a woman was elected Moderator.

"The Moderatorship is a powerful symbol and a woman should be Moderator soon," he said.

"But women are very much involved in the life of the church and have responsible roles within the church.

"I don't think the church is institutionally sexist in any way."

The Church of Scotland last May was urged to create a modern management structure and sell its manses to solve its financial problems.

It also announced it would close eight of its residential and care services for elderly people and an alcohol rehabilitation centre because of cash constraints.