Posted on 07/14/2023 6:22:33 PM PDT by Morgana
British pro-life advocates say York Minster Cathedral banned them from worship services last week while allowing another group of protesters carrying climate change posters to attend.
Leaders of the pro-life Christian group “Where’s Welby?” said they went to the cathedral on July 9 as part of their effort to urge Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to speak out against killing unborn babies in abortions, according to the group’s Twitter page.
However, the pro-life leaders said York Minster police, who provide security specifically for the cathedral, told them that they were not welcome.
“‘Where’s Welby?’ are in York, but we aren’t welcome here,” the pro-life group wrote on Twitter,
The group shared a photo of police confronting pro-lifers outside the cathedral, adding, “Here you can see us being told that the Minster police, at the request of the Bishop of Bristol and Bishop of Gibraltar, won’t let the Where’s Welby team to worship in or enter York Minster.”
Meanwhile, the pro-life advocates said climate protesters were allowed in the cathedral to worship that same day.
“Here you see climate protesters next to us,” the group shared in a second Twitter post. “They have been allowed IN the Minster with their placards. Pro-lifers cannot worship in York’s cathedral. Climate activist can PROTEST there.”
According to GB News, pro-life advocates said their demonstration was peaceful, and they never disrupted any worship services, past or present.
The Rev. Matthew Firth, a pro-life advocate, said last week was the group’s first time in York, so they could not have interrupted any services, as they were accused of doing.
“I note that climate activists who were protesting next to the Where’s Welby group were welcomed into the Minster for public worship, even though they have disrupted public worship before,” Firth said.
Responding to the incident, a spokesperson for the cathedral said the church did not ban the group, and acknowledged that the pro-life advocates “protested peacefully.”
“York Minster would not ban individuals or groups from any service,” the spokesperson told GB News. “Groups or individuals would only be asked to leave if they behave in a way that puts the safety of worshipers inside the building at risk. No groups or individuals were asked to leave any services at York Minster [on July 9].”
Pro-life advocates said they believe the Bishop of Bristol and the Bishop of Gibraltar, both of whom were there that day, were behind the effort to ban them from worship – something both bishops denied, according to the report.
“Bishop Vivienne Faull did speak to protestors outside of York Minster on Sunday morning, to hear their concerns; but she made no attempt to deny entry to any group, nor did she advise the local constabulary to do so,” a spokesperson for the bishop said.
Pro-life advocates formed “Where’s Welby?” to urge the Archbishop of Canterbury to speak out against the violence of abortion, which claims the lives of more than 200,000 unborn babies every year.
“Our goal is to cause Archbishop Justin Welby to not only clarify his wishy-washy position on abortion but to do something about it!” the group website states. “Babies are dying, women are crying, and the abortion industry is lying. It’s about time Welby makes his position known!”
Then it’s obviously not a church.
Regards,
Silly people. Why would they think there’s place for a “pro-life Christian group” or any “Christian group” in the CoE?
n.b, I’m well aware much of our Catholic hierarchy is hellbent on aping the CoE’s apostasy.
It then needs to remove the label of *church* and just call itself a social club that it is.
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