Jason Leitch is facing more questions about his professionalism after it emerged he told people prayer could bring “healing” to the sick in the early days of the Covid pandemic.

The beleaguered National Clinical Director also asked God for help with the health emergency and claimed senior members of the Scottish Government shared his beliefs.

“We pray for those who are sick tonight, those who are in intensive care, those who are at home feeling unwell, and we pray a measure of healing on them,” he told an online event about how to respond to the virus.

“There are cabinet members in Scotland and in all four countries who believe what you believe, there are senior civil servants who believe what you believe,” he said.

Mr Leitch, a member of Airdrie Baptist Church, made the comments during a National Prayer Evening held by the Baptist Union of Scotland in March 2020.

WhatsApp messages released by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry last week revealed Mr Leitch prviately bad mouthed opposition MSPs to then health secretary Humza Yousaf.

He called Tory Edward Mountain “rude”, Labour’s Daniel Johnson a “smart arse” and claimed Anas Sarwar told he was “struggling” with new MSP Paul Sweeney.

READ MORE: Leitch under pressure over 'rant' about opposition MSPs

The Scottish Labour leader said: “For the National Clinical Director to be briefing newly elected MSPs [in June 2021] and then… to start ranting about them in the way I think shows extremely unprofessional behaviour.”

The Scottish Tories have also suggest Mr Leitch should be sacked.

In his evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry last week, Mr Leitch said that in his job as a public communicator he had always tried to “use the science”.

However the 2020 event, which went out live to a network of 161 churches and has since been viewed by thousands online, suggests a blurring of science and religion. 

The event was specifically about how to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

In it, Mr Leitch was introduced as both the National Clinical Director for the Scottish Government and a member of Airdrie Baptist Church.

He told his audience there were three things they should be doing in relation to the pandemic: following rules such as stay at home, serving others if possible, and praying.

He said: “There are believers, even some Baptists… in every level of the response. 

“There are cabinet members in Scotland and in all four countries who believe what you believe There are senior civil servants who believe what you believe.”

He then closed his eyes and led a prayer for those in the front line of the response.

He said: “We feel uncertain, we don’t quite know what this is, and we see our friends and colleagues around the world and around Scotland struggling with how to respond. 

“So teach us, teach us how to respond, show us the direction we should go in.” 

He added: “We pray for those who are sick tonight, those who are in intensive care, those who are at home feeling unwell, and we pray a measure of healing on them.” 

A government source said: “There’s a difference between following God and following the science. You wouldn’t get a traditional civil servant blurring the lines.”

READ MORE: Jason Leitch confirms he wiped pandemic WhatsApp messages

A spokesperson for the Scottish Humanist Society said: "It's very important that government representatives are able to distinguish between their professional roles and their faith positions. This is especially true where scientific reality may differ from religious beliefs."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is committed to responding to both the UK and Scottish Covid-19 inquiries, as learning lessons from the pandemic is vital to prepare for the future.

“It would be inappropriate to comment on the detail of evidence being considered by the UK Covid Inquiry while hearings are ongoing.”