Durham Cathedral demands Covid passes from worshippers
urham Cathedral is demanding Covid passes from worshippers – in defiance of official Church of England guidance.
Those attending Christmas services will need to show proof either that they are vaccinated, have tested negative within the previous 48 hours or have recovered from the virus.
The move has sparked anger amid claims that it is 'profoundly at odds' with the spirit of the festive season.
In its Covid guidance, the Church says it has 'a clear policy of encouraging people to be vaccinated, but, other than in very exceptional circumstances, [it is opposed] to limiting access to church services or organisations on the basis of vaccine certification'.
It adds: 'Such an approach would run contrary to the principle of the Church being a home and a refuge for all.'
But authorities at the 928-year-old cathedral – which is the seat of the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler – said they have 'taken a cautious approach to the Covid-19 restrictions from the start of the pandemic and we're continuing to keep measures in place to minimise risk and reduce the pressure on our NHS services'.
Around 80 per cent of its festive services will require a Covid pass.
The Rev Jamie Franklin, one of 1,000 church leaders to send Boris Johnson an open letter describing vaccine passports as a 'fundamental betrayal of Christian belief', urged the dean and chapter to reconsider their stance.
He said: 'Christmas is a time when we remember God's willingness to be with the lowly, the outcast and the poor.
'The decision to bar from entry to church a sub-section of society who are deemed to be unclean and dangerous is profoundly at odds with the Christmas message.'
Jodie Beck, of civil rights group Liberty, said: 'Durham Cathedral should not be arbitrarily making rules that affect how people can access services.'
The Church of England said: 'We won't be commenting on Durham Cathedral.'
Reference: Jacinta Taylor For The Mail On Sunday
Articles-Latest
- St George’s Day 2024: Date, meaning and who England’s patron saint was
- 18 Everyday Things Amish Women Aren’t Allowed to Do
- Russian priest who led Alexei Navalny’s memorial service mysteriously suspended by Moscow church
- United Methodists open first top-level conference since breakup over LGBTQ inclusion
- Former archbishop George Carey backs assisted dying campaign after 'conversion'
- Using Vibrational Aromatherapy In Treatment - 2
- Taliban step up security ahead of supreme leader’s Kandahar mosque visit on Eid
- Using Vibrational Aromatherapy In Treatment
- The BI-Gendered God-She-male Gods & The Roots of Christianity
- Geometry and Myth-She-Male Gods & the Roots of Christianity
- Muslim Council Demands Investigation Into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party
- What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Well, for starters, Jesus wasn’t a homophobe
- King Charles attends Easter service, providing a glimpse of the monarch after cancer diagnosis
- We must stand up to religious extremism in the UK before it tears us apart,’ writes Frederick Chedam
- Trump compares himself to Jesus Christ – again
- Pope makes last-minute decision not to deliver Palm Sunday Mass homily
- New York City's mayor gets baptized in jail by Rev. Al Sharpton on Good Friday
- Pope Francis calls predecessor Benedict a key transitional figure
- Lawyers hit out at Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’ after Pope secretly changes law four times
- What we know about the killing of Detroit synagogue leader Samatha Woll
Articles-Most Read
- Home
- Let There Be Light
- Plants that feel and Speak
- The Singing Forest
- The Singing Forest-2
- Introduction
- Meditation
- Using Essential Oils for Spiritual Connection
- Heaven Scent
- Plants that Feel and Speak-2
- Purification
- Making the Spiritual Connection
- Anointing
- The Sanctity of Plants
- Essential Oils: The unseen Energies
- The Aroma Of Worship - Introduction
- The Aroma Of Worship-Foreward
- Methods Of Use
- Spiritual Blending
- Handling and Storage