Large numbers of evangelical churches in Ireland have called for the immediate ending of the blanket ban and criminalisation of public worship.

Christian Voice Ireland, a group of over 80 Christian Churches and ministries, released a statement Tuesday that said, given the essential nature and work of the church, they “cannot in good conscience continue under these restrictions”.

Should they not be lifted, they called on churches, if their circumstances permit, “to gather for the public worship of the Lord Jesus Christ—safely and with all appropriate Covid precautions in place”.

The pastor of one church, John Ahern, told Premier Radio on Monday that he would organise an outdoor worship event at the Phoenix Park this coming Sunday morning, even at the risk of arrest and imprisonment.

Meanwhile, the Church leaders of The Dublin Gospel Partnership released a statement on Tuesday saying the criminalising of gathered church worship is disproportionate and exceeds the limits of government authority.

They added that Christian worship is intrinsically corporate – an act of the gathered Church – and some aspects of it, such as baptism and communion, simply cannot be replicated online.

Therefore, they conclude, “to criminalise gathered worship is effectively to criminalise the practise of the Christian religion”.