British police halt baptism in London church over coronavirus restrictions

Police disrupted a baptism at a Baptist church in London on Sunday, citing the country's coronavirus restrictions that include bans on weddings and baptisms. The restrictions have been criticized by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales.

A pastor from Angel Church in London's borough of Islington held a baptism with around 30 people in attendance, in violation of the country's public health restrictions. Metropolitan police stopped the baptism and stood guard outside the church to prevent anyone from entering, BBC News reported Sunday.

After the baptism was interrupted, Pastor Regan King would agree to hold an outdoor meeting. According to the Evening Standard, 15 people remained inside the church while another 15 people gathered outside to pray. The originally planned event was a baptism and in-person service, according to the Evening Standard.

The UK government implemented its second set of major nationwide restrictions during the pandemic, closing pubs, restaurants and "non-essential" businesses for four weeks due to an increase in virus cases.

Churches can only be open for funerals and "individual prayer" but not for "community worship".

The country's first blockade occurred in the spring, when the churches were closed from March 23 to June 15.

Catholic bishops have harshly criticized the second set of restrictions, with Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool issuing an October 31 statement that closing churches would cause "deep distress."

"While we understand the many difficult decisions the government has to make, we have not yet seen any evidence that can make the ban on the common cult, with all its human costs, a productive part of the fight against the virus," the bishops wrote.

Lay Catholics also opposed the new restrictions, with the president of the Catholic Union, Sir Edward Leigh, calling the restrictions "a severe blow to Catholics across the country."

More than 32.000 people have signed a petition to Parliament asking that "collective worship and congregational singing" be allowed in places of worship.

Prior to the second block, Cardinal Nichols told CNA that one of the worst consequences of the first block was that people were "cruelly separated" from their loved ones who were sick.

He also predicted "changes" to the Church, one of which is the fact that Catholics must adapt to watching the mass offered from a distance.

“This sacramental life of the Church is corporal. It is tangible. It is in the substance of the sacrament and of the collected body ... I hope that this time, for many people, the Eucharistic fast will give us an extra, acute taste for the true Body and Blood of the Lord "