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All Things Considered

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Religion & Ethics

Religious affairs programme, tackling thorny issues in a thought-provoking manner

Religious affairs programme, tackling the thornier issues of the day in a thought-provoking manner

All Things Considered: Covid, churches and freedom of worship

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Covid, churches and freedom of worship

BBC Radio Wales - All Things Considered, Covid, churches and freedom of worship

Jonathan Thomas and guests discuss freedom of worship during the Covid pandemic.

2020 has been a year of unprecedented firsts, not least in the mass closure during lockdown of churches across the United Kingdom. Whilst many churches saw it as their responsibility to close quickly and without fuss, a sense of unease has been growing amongst some. Indeed one group of church leaders in England and Wales has now requested a judicial review of these closures, whilst some churches have met despite the government guidance. 

In Wales, as tighter rules are put in place for other sectors, churches are now able to meet physically, though with restrictions – at least until Christmas. But, how far is it right for the government to legislate whether a church can meet or not, and how they do it? Is physical church activity non-essential – and what are the potential implications of such actions in the future? 

Joining Jonathan to discuss these issues are: the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, whose churches closed during lockdown; Rev Wade McLennan, Pastor, New Hope Community Church in Llanrumney, whose services in the second lockdown were stopped by police; Menna Machreth, welsh language activist and one of the leaders of a welsh language Baptist church in Caernarfon; and Rev Dr Peter Naylor, Minister of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Cardiff, one of the signatories to the legal challenge.

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