Church leaders ask Scott Morrison to scrap vaccine passports

Thousands of church leaders have signed document that demands the Prime Minister scrap vaccination passports and Covid-19 rules.

Australian churches are demanding Scott Morrison scrap the idea of a vaccine passport and allow them to have vaccinated and unvaccinated people in their congregations.

The declaration, which has been signed by more than 3000 church leaders, features signatures from members at some of the country’s most high-profile churches such as Hillsong and C3.

In total there are more than 25,000 signatures on the document.

The letter to the Prime Minister, titled “The Ezekiel Declaration”, expresses “significant concern” at the prospect of vaccine passports, which the authors claim would “inflict terrible consequences” on Australia.

The idea of a vaccine passport has been flagged as a way for Australia to return to normality by health and government officials. It would be a government-issued document that shows a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and other viruses.

On Sunday, Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said the government would be trialling the documents for overseas travel in the coming months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny at their home church. Picture: AAP

However, the letter — written by Mount Isa Baptist Church senior pastor Timothy Grant, New Beith Baptist Church senior pastor Matthew Littlefield and Biota Baptist Church senior pastor Warren McKenzie — laid out five arguments against the passports.

They argue that vaccines risk creating a two-tiered society, people are already under stress, conscience should not be coerced, vaccines don’t make “logical sense” in protecting others, and Christian leaders find it untenable to refuse entry to people who want to attend church.

“For many Christian leaders and Christians, this is an untenable proposal that would inflict terrible consequences on our nation,” it said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison arriving at his home church after being re-elected. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“We as Christian leaders find it untenable that we would be expected to refuse entry into our churches to a subgroup of society based on their medical choice. Only our precious Saviour, Jesus Christ, has the authority to regulate the terms of corporate worship. These terms tell us that we are to make no distinction between those who call out in faith, neither on race nor medical choice.”

Vaccinations and the church have been a talking point around the world since the jabs were found to be effective.

Australia’s Pentecostal churches are mostly governed by Australian Christian Churches. Both Hillsong and C3 left this association in recent years.

News.com.au asked ACC what the organisation had done to promote vaccine uptake among its community — which boasts more than 1,000 churches and about 375,000 worshippers.

An ACC spokesman declined to answer the question but instead provided a statement.

“The ACC does not hold an official ethical position on the use of vaccines. We encourage individuals to decide based on personal conscience and medical advice,” he said.

The overwhelming medical advice for Australians is to get vaccinated.

This stance was supported by the Archdiocese in Brisbane in a statement published in April.

“Catholics in Australia are being encouraged to receive a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them, with the relevant Bishops Commission saying it is morally permissible to accept any vaccine,” it said.

Originally published as Church leaders ask Scott Morrison to scrap vaccine passports