Letter from the Churches
Hundreds of Ontario churches rebelled against COVID measures in May 2020.
The Ontario government declared a province-wide COVID emergency on March 17th, 2020. The next day, it placed limits on the number of people who could attend public events, including religious gatherings. On March 24th, it arbitrarily divided activities, occupations, businesses, and human beings into two groups: essential and non-essential (the legislative framework associated with these actions is described on page 7 of this PDF).
And so began a strange, alternate reality. In which government-run liquor stores were an essential service, but churches were not. By early May, some members of the clergy were rebelling. More than two hundred Ontario churches, as well as a Toronto synagogue, signed a letter addressed to Premier Doug Ford.
That letter was gracious and polite. It acknowledged that times were uncertain and that "your role is not easy." But while the tone was respectful, the message was stern.
Never before, "in 1500 years of Western history has the Church of Jesus Christ not met for Easter" it said. Never had the church "missed months of worship and ministry - even in times of war or plague far more devastating than COVID-19. Never before has the church been denied the opportunity to be with the sick in the hour of their death" due to the clergy being barred from entering hospitals.
In a spirit of cooperation with government, churches had "voluntarily and temporarily" agreed to cease gathering, the letter said. But "the Bible and centuries of tradition oblige Christians to gather weekly." That obligation, it gently pointed out, existed well before the country of Canada did.
The churches told the Premier his policies were inflicting grave harm:
The consequences of the lockdown on people's lives are far-reaching. We know as pastors that addictions are resurfacing and that isolation, unemployment and economic ruin are taking their toll on family relationships and physical and mental health. Our service to the poor and disadvantaged in the community has been curbed, with serious implications for the most vulnerable. To save lives are we actually sacrificing lives?
Congregations "must start meeting very soon,” the letter insisted, “because our people need us. We cannot delay." The letter asked the Premier "to support the reopening of churches and ministries by early June" at 40% of building capacity.
Premier Ford replied on May 20th. “The health and safety of all Ontarians is our government’s priority,” he insisted.
But he did make a small concession. He had, he said, just "approved an exemption to the emergency order." In his view, this was"an important step forward." Drive-in religious gatherings were now permitted. Provided that vehicles kept two metres apart and no mixing of occupants occurred. And provided that no more than five people, standing "at least two metres apart" conducted the outdoor service.
It's easy to forget the degree to which governments tried to micromanage the smallest details of our lives. According to the Premier, five people leading hymn singing in the fully ventilated outdoors posed no risk.
But six people was harmful to public health and therefore illegal. COVID's ability to undermine common sense was truly astonishing.
Thanks for reminding us how ludicrous things were! Drive in churches! Great idea Doug! Periodically I hear of churches that simply disobeyed the orders quietly and met as usual! Had I known at the time, I would have gone, just to support those brave and intelligent people who wouldn’t submit!
Lord.