Don’t meddle in row over crosses says Sentamu

The Archbishop of York accused Ministers of “meddling” yesterday after it emerged the Government plans to argue in a landmark court case that Christians have no right to wear the cross at work.

John Sentamu made the criticism as it was disclosed the Government would fight a case brought by two women at the European Court of Human Rights.

The pair, Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin, claim that they were discriminated against when their employers barred them from wearing the symbol.

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Mrs Eweida’s case dates from 2006 when she was suspended by British Airways for breaching its uniform code.

Mrs Chaplin was barred from working on wards by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust after refusing to hide the cross she wore on a necklace chain.

Lawyers for the two women claim that the protection under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act for “manifesting” religion covers things that are not a “requirement of the faith”.

But legal documents have indicated the Government’s submission to the Strasbourg court dismisses their argument as “ill-founded”.

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“The Government submit that... the applicants’ wearing of a visible cross or crucifix was not a manifestation of their religion or belief within the meaning of Article 9, and... the restriction on the applicants’ wearing of a visible cross or crucifix was not an ‘interference’ with their rights protected by Article 9,” it said.

The response, prepared by the Foreign Office, adds: “In neither case is there any suggestion that the wearing of a visible cross or crucifix was a generally recognised form of practising the Christian faith, still less one that is regarded (including by the applicants themselves) as a requirement of the faith.”

It is believed to be the first time the Government has been forced to state whether it backs the right of Christians to wear the symbol at work.

But Dr Sentamu said yesterday: “My view is that this is not the business of government actually.

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“They are beginning to meddle in areas that they ought not to.

“I think they should leave that to the courts to make a judgment.

“Article Nine of the Human Rights Act actually says that people should be able to manifest their faith in teaching, in worship and in belief.

“If someone wanted to manifest their belief as a Christian that they wanted to wear a cross – after all at their baptism they are sealed with a cross of Christ – so if they decided to say ‘I know I am sealed with it, but I am going to wear it’, I think that is a matter really for people and that we should allow it.

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“The Government should not raise the bar so high that in the end they are now being unjust.”

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, said: “The reasoning is based on a wholly inappropriate judgment of matters of theology and worship about which they can claim no expertise.

“The irony is that when governments and courts dictate to Christians that the cross is a matter of insignificance, it becomes an even more important symbol of expression of our faith.”

Mrs Eweida is a Coptic Christian who argued BA allowed members of other faiths to wear religious clothing and symbols. Mrs Chaplin’s 31-year nursing career ended when she refused to hide the cross.

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Their lawyers say Christians are given fewer rights than members of other religions who have been granted special status for items such as the Sikh turban or the Muslim hijab.

Best-selling cook and practising Catholic Delia Smith yesterday attacked “militant neo-atheists and devout secularists” who she claimed were “busting a gut to drive us off the radar and convince us that we hardly exist” as she launched a Lent appeal for the Church’s aid agency Cafod, which is this year marking its 50th anniversary. Every £1 raised will be matched by the Government for projects around the world.

Comment: Page 10.

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