For five years, Derek Thames has been consoling terminally ill patients and their families at Marie Curie’s Solihull Inn in Birmingham, UK, wearing the symbol of his faith, a small crucifix barely more than a centimeter in size, pinned to his chest.
In September of this year, New Methodist Reverend De Yeadon ordered Thames not to wear a crucifix while volunteering in a hospice, because it “creates a barrier” between him and the sick.
Yedun argued that “Spiritual care workers cannot wear religious symbols, as they must be accessible to people of any faith or non-religious.”
Thames was baffled by the decision, because over the years he had not received a single complaint about the cross he wore on his chest, and he had even prayed regularly with people of other faiths in the hospice. So the minister disobeyed the order and questioned Yeadon whether he also prohibited the wearing of other religious symbols. The pastor, who is in his 70s, is convinced that volunteers from other faiths will not act as he did.
Thames turned to an organization that deals with the protection of Christian rights for help, and the end of the case was that the nursing home apologized to him, but today he is no longer a volunteer at the institution, and instead works as a pastor at the local church.
The featured image is an illustration (Photo: MTI/Tamás Vasvári).
