Petition demands that public worship never be banned again

Religious believers are signing an open letter to the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, demanding a commitment never to ban public worship in Ireland again.

Church doors will reopen for public worship on Monday after it was forbidden for most of the last 14 months, attending or holding public worship criminalised for much of that time. Despite commercial public venues such as dry cleaners and off-licenses being allowed to open with safety measures in place, worship in church was strictly prohibited.

“There is no clear reason as to why the Irish government prevented places of worship from opening for so long. Other European countries allowed religious worship to continue with safety precautions which protect both the public at religious services and the wider community,” said Lorcán Price, Irish barrister and Legal Counsel for the human rights group, ADF International.

The open letter is available to read and sign at www.letusworship.global/ireland.

It makes three concrete asks of the government.

First, that the Taoiseach affirm respect for the fundamental right to freedom of religion, which is enshrined in Article 44 of the Constitution and protected in international human rights law.

Second, it demands that he recognise that churches are an essential part of society, and finally, that he commits that the government will never again impose a blanket ban on public worship.