Churches must be allowed to reopen, MPs demand in letter to PM

The 20 MPs questioned why shoppers can go to a 'busy supermarket' but worshippers in need of spiritual sustenance cannot pray in a church

Father Richard Carter live streams a Eucharist service from St Martin-in-the-Fields on May 20, 2020 in London, England - Group of MPs write to Boris Johnson urging him to allow churches to reopen
The Government's Covid-19 recovery strategy originally put churches and other public places of worship with pubs and cinemas - that they could not reopen until July 4  Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Boris Johnson has been urged by a group of Conservative MPs to allow churches to open for prayer, weddings and funerals as soon as next month.

The 20 MPs, including former ministers and senior backbenchers, questioned why shoppers can go to a "busy supermarket" to buy food and drinks but worshippers in need of spiritual sustenance cannot currently pray in a largely empty church.

"Weddings (whether in the church porch or inside), christenings and other services are wanted; safely and soon", the MPs said. "Ten can gather in a crematorium yet one cannot be in a church."

The Government's Covid-19 recovery strategy published earlier this month put churches and other public places of worship in the same bracket as pubs and cinemas, and said that could not reopen until July 4 at the earliest.

It added that some of these venues may not be able to open even then because "it may prove difficult to enact distancing”.

However, in a letter to the Prime Minister, a copy of which has been seen by The Telegraph, the MPs make clear that "many [of us] want further faster opening of churches and places of worship".

They said: "We ask for clear guidance, rules removed and discretion allowed as local faith leaders stay alert and make churches, chapels and places of prayer and worship available to the faithful. Everyone understands the value of appropriate social distancing and the obligation to avoid contamination."

Fr Tim Bartlett and caretaker John Hanvey install Covid-19 social distancing measures at Belfast's oldest Catholic Church, St Marys in Chapel lane, which is due to open for private prayer on Saturday, after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
Churches in Northern Ireland have already begun to open Credit: PA

The letter was sent to Mr Johnson and his Parliamentary Private Secretary Andrew Bowie this weekend. It has been organised by Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley. Other signatories include Tim Loughton and Sir Bob Neill as well as senior members of the influential backbench 1922 committee of Tory MPs such as the chairman Sir Graham Brady and executive officer Bob Blackman.

The group warned Mr Johnson that "the Cabinet and you know the strength of backbench feeling", and expressed concern that some places of worship might not even be able to open in July.

They said: "Even that may be extended by delay in publishing regulations, decisions by diocesan bishops and local circumstances.

Quoting a representative Catholic pastor, they tell Mr Johnson: “I ask you to put pressure on the Government for private prayer as soon as possible. Two-metre social distancing is easy (easier than in a supermarket) and sensible hygiene precautions can quickly be put in place.

"It seems odd that you can go for a walk, enter a busy supermarket, get on a bus, but cannot go to a large virtually-empty-for-much-of-the-time building.”

They add: "We ask that our leaders, Government and church, especially the Church of England, together find reasonably safe ways to reopen our churches for prayer, for funerals even with limited congregations and for worship sooner than July."

The letter emerged as the body representing the UK's two million evangelical Christians across 3,000 churches warned that the shock from the lockdown will put "an unprecedented strain on the voluntary work and social action undertaken by churches and religious charities".

In a submission to a House of Commons committee, the Evangelical Alliance UK urged the MPs to "look beyond the immediate circumstances of lockdown and consider what support will be available for charities to continue in difficult economic times once the lockdown is lifted".

Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, said: “The support that Sir Peter and other MPs have given has been very welcome. We share their desire for us all to be able to meet and worship together in our sacred spaces as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.

Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London since 2018
Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London since 2018, said that 'congregations across the country have stepped into the gap created by this crisis to serve our neighbours in so many ways' Credit: GEOFF PUGH

“We have been working hard to make that possible and have been actively planning for a phased reopening of church buildings, in step with government advice. 

"That has involved drawing up detailed guidance to help local churches plan to enable individual prayer, weddings, funerals and other important rites to take place and then, in due course, a resumption of public worship services.

“While our church buildings have been closed, congregations across the country have stepped into the gap created by this crisis to serve our neighbours in so many inspirational ways. 

"Thousands of parishes have discovered new ways of connecting, sharing prayer, worship and teaching through the internet and, for those unable to get online, through phone services such as Daily Hope.

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“This has been an enormously challenging time for the country. I am thankful to know that in every community, the Church is present - perhaps like never before. I trust that when we are back together in our church buildings, we will be stronger for it.”

On Saturday night, sources close to Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, said he was looking at bringing forward the right to pray individually in church to next month. A source said: "There is a general acceptance that services and group prayer are quite different for the immediate future.

"We are looking at whether it is possible to start individual prayer before the full reopening of churches.

"It will be up to individual churches. If you are a small parish in Shropshire it will be easier to do than if you are Westminster cathedral."

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