In the letters page of the 4 April 2020 issue of The Week, was a letter entitled Closing our churches. Here it is.
To The Times
It is extraordinary that for the first time since Pope Innocent Ill placed England under an Interdict to admonish King John in 1208, our churches and cathedrals are closed, even for private prayer — this time by the edict of our own archbishops. To deprive those who seek solace at a time of pestilence is both a disturbing assertion of executive authority and an abdication of spiritual leadership.
Lord Cormack, Lincoln
What is wrong with the man that he cannot see the danger? People congregating in a closed space are a recipe for a heavy viral load of the coronavirus. And while anyone can get solace from being in a place of worship, they can also get solace at home, safe from infection.
In The Apple Tree 