Anglican bishop: Church closure for Easter is a big mistake

The Church of England closed all the temples for Easter. Photo: christiantoday.com

Churches should be allowed to open their doors for prayer this Easter despite the quarantine due to the coronavirus spread, the former Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali said.

Writing on his website, Bishop Nazir-Ali said it was "such a pity" that churches were not open for prayer and that with Easter this weekend, "now is the time to undo this mistake", reports Christian Today.

"Going to church is not the same as going to a pub or a football match. Provided that safe distancing is possible and is maintained, this is exactly the time when people will feel the need to go in and be quiet and, perchance, to pray for themselves or a loved one or even the situation as a whole," he said.

"Why is this any more dangerous than shopping in a supermarket or travelling on the London Underground?" the bishop asked.

He also suggested that traditional Good Friday processions should have been allowed to take place as usual. "This could easily be done while maintaining safe distancing and could also be limited in terms of numbers but a procession, such as this, moving through our streets would be sign of cleansing and healing and of suffering producing hope," he wrote.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the opposition Italian politician Matteo Salvini believes that Catholic churches in the country should be open at Easter.

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