Over 1000 UK clerics urge Boris to keep English churches open during latest Coronavirus lockdown

Over 1000 clerics from across the UK - including around 50 Irish leaders - have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to close churches in England during a four week lockdown due to come into affect on Thursday.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 3rd Nov 2020, 15:10 BST
Updated 3rd Nov 2020, 15:14 BST
Over 1000 clerics and counting have signed the letter.Over 1000 clerics and counting have signed the letter.
Over 1000 clerics and counting have signed the letter.

Last month the News Letter reported that almost 700 clerics from across the UK – including some 60 Irish leaders – had written to Mr Johnson warning that “authoritarian” Covid restrictions were causing more harm than the virus itself, and that churches must not be closed again.

Dave Gobbett, Pastor of Highfields Church in Cardiff, has now circulated a second email asking for support once again.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Thank you so much for signing our letter to the Prime and First Ministers which was sent on 24th September, in which we urged them not to close churches again for Christian worship,” he told supporters. “As you will know, sadly the Westminster government is now planning to do just that for churches in England, as the Welsh government have done in their current firebreak. However, this is not yet settled and will be voted on in Parliament tomorrow [October 4].

“We apologise for contacting you again, but we feel that the situation is urgent enough to warrant writing another letter from church and other Christian leaders to the government. Therefore we have written a new letter asking the Prime Minister to change his mind on this.”

The letter will be sent to the Prime Minister on the afternoon of November 3 and will also be copied to all Westminster MPs. It can be signed at;-https://forms.gle/BkJsJ7TpcxSRvTXe8

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor

Related topics:Boris JohnsonPrime MinisterNews LetterEngland