Religious leaders push for return to small worship gatherings
Some B.C. religious leaders are struggling with the recent government lockdown that has banned virtually all in-person worship. They say the two-week crackdown seems excessive, given that the province's religious institutions have hardly ever been cited as exposure sites for COVID-19.
Two online B.C. petitions against the tightening up on worship have gained almost 20,000 signatures. The province's top Catholic leader is among those expressing consternation. One Langley congregation has been fined $2,300. A UBC law professor has come out emphasizing the importance of freedom of religion.
And Christmas, arguably the most popular Christian festival, is only three weeks away.
As B.C. waits anxiously to see what Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will announce as new measures for after Dec. 7, some people are wondering if Victoria will continue to restrict religious gatherings only to funerals, weddings and baptisms with 10 people or fewer.
While virtually all of B.C.'s religious leaders appear to be asking members to follow the rules — which currently allow most businesses to operate but suspend indoor “social and community events” until Monday, even if they're under 50 people — some want a relaxation of what they consider overkill.
Another large proportion of faith leaders, meanwhile, appear ready to do whatever Henry declares is necessary to rein in this autumn's more rapid spread of the coronavirus.
B.C. is witnessing small bursts of the freedom-of-religion battles that have been raging vociferously for months through the U.S., where a minority of Christian, Jewish and other religious groups have pushed back against state constraints.
In B.C. roughly 44 per cent of residents tell the census they're Christian, which is about the same proportion who declare no religious affiliation. Another five per cent are Sikh, two per cent are Buddhist, two per cent are Muslim, one per cent are Hindu and 0.5 per cent are Jewish.
Vancouver Catholic Archbishop Michael Miller focused the province's debate on religion in late November when he publicly said: “It is puzzling, to say the least, to comprehend why our facilities can be used … for meetings such as AA in the basement, while not even limited worship can take place upstairs in the church.”
The archbishop, who oversees more than 400,000 Catholics, said not one of his 78 parishes has been the site of a community outbreak. Early this week, the archbishop's office noted he'd had a “very productive” phone call with the health minister “to discuss the goal of reopening Catholic churches to public worship while keeping British Columbians safe during the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, a Surrey pastor who started a Change.org petition titled “Let the Places of Worship Gather!” has so far garnered 13,400 signatures protesting the government's decision to end in-person worship, even though “malls, Costco, bars, restaurants and others venues, which hosts large crowds, continue to be allowed to function as usual.”
Pastor Gwen Dreger, head minister at Celebration Life Church and superintendent for 70 Independent Assemblies of God congregations in B.C., said neither she nor any of the evangelical clergy she knows have been invited to the online COVID-19 awareness conferences Premier John Horgan, Dix and Henry have organized with selected faith leaders.
While Henry has said in recent months some South Asian celebrations and weddings, which are normally held at temples, have been sources of outbreaks, Dreger said the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website has virtually never named religious groups as exposure sites for COVID-19, with the exception of an Abbotsford gurdwara and a Kelowna church.
“The public doesn't realize churches are very clean and protective of their members. It's disappointing to see how many people feel we're not being careful,” said Dreger. Why, she asked, doesn't Victoria just clamp down on individual congregations that allow outbreaks?
The pastor recommended B.C. return to the 50-person allowance for religious gatherings.
Dreger couldn't help but highlight that one of the most festive times of the year for Christians and others is just around the corner. Christmas is not only a traditional time to gather in reverence, Dreger said. It's a time when people take extra steps to help the afflicted.
Given the rules of engagement against COVID-19, she asked, how many suffering British Columbians might not get comforted this season?