Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has described how his strong Christian belief helps guide him through the “storms” of frontline politics.
The DUP leader discussed his faith during a Christmas Day interview with Baroness Arlene Foster on GB News.
Faiths of the Nation involved interviews with four high-profile politicians.
On the programme, Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg discussed the “extraordinary” drift of Sinn Féin from Catholic teaching.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood and Tory peer Lord Wolfson were also interviewed.
In a deeply personal discussion, Mr Donaldson recalled becoming a Christian in 1989, which he said was “a life-changing experience”.
“I grew up in the Presbyterian Church in my home town and every Sunday we would go to Sunday School and church,” he said.
“I was a member of the Boys’ Brigade — that was a very important part of my childhood experience, not just for the weekly meetings that we went to, but also a lot of my outdoor activity.
“I lived in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains and every month we would have been up in the Mournes...
“I always remember the motto of the Boys’ Brigade, which in later life I came to understand more fully, which is ‘sure and steadfast’.
“It’s out of that Christian hymn, Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life.
“And in politics, I have found that having a strong Christian faith has helped to anchor me in the storms of politics.
“And so, from my childhood days right through to my career in politics, my faith has been very important.”
Mr Donaldson, an MP since 1997, became DUP leader in 2021.
He added: “My Christian faith has influenced the way that I interact with others, it has helped me through difficult and challenging times, not least in Northern Ireland.
“It’s helped me to have a sense of perspective, to keep focused on what is really important in life.
“And of course it influences your approach as well on the wider policies and challenges that we face in politics today - the social issues that impact on us.
“The idea that a politician who has a faith perspective can somehow divorce that faith perspective from the politics fails to understand what is at the heart of faith.”
He told Baroness Foster how “faith goes to your very being — it defines you in so many ways”.
He said: “To give you an example, when I’m going into difficult meetings, where I know that there will be disagreements, differences — some of them fundamental — I just find that saying a prayer before you go into a difficult meeting has a very profound impact on the way that you conduct yourself.
“Going in to do a difficult interview with the media, for example, just taking time out to pray, gives you a sense of calm, a sense of peace, and that helps.”
Earlier, in his interview Mr Rees-Mogg said he was “encouraged” by how many MPs are people of faith.
They discussed the experience of Christians such as ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron and the SNP’s Kate Forbes, who were criticised for their beliefs.
Asked if people in faith could be put off politics, or there is a space for politics and religion to coexist, he added: “I think it’s very important that there is a space. I think as a Conservative it is much easier than it is if you are in the Labour party, the Lib Dems or the SNP, and obviously if you’re with the DUP it’s part of your party.
“It’s extraordinary how Sinn Fein has lost its faith and has completely abandoned any understanding — as far as I can tell — of Catholic teaching. Certainly it’s strongly pro-abortion nowadays, which I think is very sad and damaging.”