US State Department monitors UK pastor’s trial over hospital sermon charges

A retired priest in the United Kingdom is awaiting verdict after appearing in court on Wednesday on charges stemming from a gospel sermon he gave near a hospital.

Clive Johnston, 77, faces two charges in connection with the sermon he preached on July 7, 2024, at John 3:16 near the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. Prosecutors allege he breached Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 by preaching near a hospital where abortions were performed. If convicted, he could face a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 ($3,376).

Johnston may be the first person to be prosecuted under the law for preaching a sermon unrelated to abortion in a protected area, according to the Christian Institute, which supported his case.

According to the legal group, at a hearing in the Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the District Judge announced that he would postpone his decision until May 7.

Newly released police body camera video from the July 2024 incident was shared with Fox News Digital on Wednesday. In the video, an officer approaches Johnston and tells him he is in a clearly marked safe access zone and that he cannot film or preach in the area.

“You may say to yourself, I come here in good faith to preach the word of God,” the officer said at one point. “However, if you are careless about the impact this may have on patients, staff or any protected person then you could be committing a criminal offence.”

“That’s an incredible thought,” Johnston replies in the video. “What you’re saying is the word of God, which the country has been free to proclaim and read in church for hundreds of years, freedom since the Magna Carta can suddenly become offensive because it’s outside a hospital.”

The officer goes on to tell Johnston that he can enter the chaplaincy area at the hospital if he wants a “safe space” to provide “religious guidance, comfort, or assistance.”

“However, while in a Safe Access Zone, any action that would deter, harass or distress any protected person in that zone from using the services is an offence,” he added.

Retired priest Clive Johnston, 77, had a hearing on April 22 for allegedly breaching the safe access zone by giving a sermon near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine on July 7, 2024. (Christian Institute)

Prosecutors accuse Johnston of “directly or indirectly affecting a protected person” by staging a “protest” near the hospital where the abortion was performed, in violation of the 2023 law. He is also accused of failing to leave a secure access area when instructed to do so.

The Christian Institute said abortion was not mentioned in Johnston’s sermon.

Ahead of the hearing, the U.S. State Department expressed concern about Johnston’s case.

The US State Department said it continues to “monitor” many buffer zone cases in the UK. (Agencia Press Güney/Getty)

“The United States is still monitoring many ‘buffer zone’ cases in the United Kingdom, as well as other acts of censorship across Europe,” the department said. Telegram.

Citing other cases involving Christians prosecuted under the abortion law for silent prayer, the ministry added: “The UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and religious liberty, but also a worrying departure from the shared values ​​that should underpin US-UK relations.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON MEDIA AND CULTURE

Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, said the investigation into Johnston set a disturbing new precedent in the UK.

“Should a law designed to stop abortion protests be used to criminalize gospel preaching? John 3:16 is a great, famous verse, and everyone knows it says nothing about abortion,” he said in a press release. “We have incredible freedom to share the Christian message in this country. That’s why we took on this lawsuit. Suing Pastor Johnston for preaching ‘God so loved the world’ near a hospital on a quiet Sunday is a shocking new attempt to restrict religious freedom and freedom of expression in a part of the world where outdoor gospel services are part of the culture.”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Johnston said He was grateful that the judge decided to take the time to think about his case before making a decision because “there’s a lot at stake.”

“This is a difficult thing to overcome, but we are supported by the prayers of God’s people and have drawn closer to Christ for help and strength,” he said. “Christ is the most precious thing in the world to us, and that is why we are so eager to talk about Him on the highways and byways of this land we love.”