Two Church of England bishops have expressed their “great concern” that the Christian owners of a guesthouse will be in court on Monday for restricting their double bed accommodation to married couples.
Pensioners Peter and Hazelmary Bull are being sued by Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall under equality laws. Their legal defence is being funded by The Christian Institute. Download a fact sheet on the case.
Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall’s legal bills are being paid for by the Government-funded Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The Bishop of Winchester and the former Bishop of Rochester have written a joint letter to the Daily Telegraph, saying they are worried that “liberty of conscience is being eroded.”
Their home
They write: “Mr and Mrs Bull’s understanding of marriage is the same as that of English law and the Christian Church. Their guesthouse is also their home. Their policy may seem traditional but, of itself, there is nothing wrong with that.”
They added: “Liberty of conscience must not be confined to the mind. It is meaningless unless it includes the freedom to stand by our principles publicly.”
The letter in full:
SIR – We wish to record our great concern that liberty of conscience is being eroded. Next week, two Christian pensioners, Mr and Mrs Bull, will appear in court because the guesthouse that they own and operate in Cornwall has a policy that couples must be married if they wish to occupy a double room (report, December 8). They offer single bedrooms to unmarried couples.
Mr and Mrs Bull’s understanding of marriage is the same as that of English law and the Christian Church. Their guesthouse is also their home. Their policy may seem traditional but, of itself, there is nothing wrong with that.
Surely in the interest of tolerance and diversity, we must accept that people may live by different principles, even if others don’t necessarily agree with them. Yet they are being taken to court by a homosexual couple who were denied a double room at the guesthouse.
Liberty of conscience must not be confined to the mind. It is meaningless unless it includes the freedom to stand by our principles publicly.
Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt
Bishop of Winchester
Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali
Bishop of Rochester, 1994-2009