If off-licences can be open on Easter Sunday then churches should be too, says Tory MP

CHURCHES should be reopened for “private prayer”, a Conservative MP has insisted, and questioned why offlicences are deemed more essential than places of worship.

All places of worship must remain closed in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. This is despite it being one of the busiest months in the religious calendar for Jews, Christians and Muslims as they prepare to celebrate Passover, Easter and Ramadan while the country remains under lockdown.

Yesterday the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, reiterated calls for churches to remain closed over Easter – a decision that has prompted much backlash – as he reassured Christians that Jesus is “quite up to date” with technology. However, the debate moved to the political sphere yesterday as Jack Lopresti, the Con servative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, wrote to the housing minister calling for churches to reopen over Easter to enable people to engage in “private prayer”.

In an open letter to Robert Jenrick, Mr Lopresti said: “I firmly believe that a temporary relaxation of restrictions, allowing people to attend church to engage in private prayer, while observing social distancing, would be an appropriate compromise. If the Government allows for me to go to an offlicence, a takeaway or a local shop on Easter Sunday, providing I observe social distancing or take other necessary precautions, why can I not go to a church and say a prayer, providing I do the same?”

Responding to Mr Lopresti’s call, the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said: “It doesn’t strike me as being very wise.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The guidelines that were published three weeks ago [were] that places of worship shouldn’t open.”

The Revd Dr Brendan Mccarthy, the Church of England’s national adviser on health and social care policy, added: “We are living through unprecedented times which require unprecedented actions to help slow the spread of the coronavirus and save lives.”

‘If the Government allows for me to go to an off-licence on Easter Sunday, why can I not go to a church?’