A Catholic Priest in the UK has been fined for £1,000 for flouting the lockdown rules. In a wedding at his church, a total of 200 guests were in attendance while, only 15 people are permitted as per the lockdown rules.
In a report published by The Daily Mail, the police went to the Our Lady of the Angels church in Nuneaton (Warwickshire in England) to inform Reverend Father Simon Hall that he should expect summons through the post. The illegal wedding was held on November 3. It is worth mentioning that this was only two days before the country went into its second national lockdown.
Even before the lockdown began, the government websites had clearly mentioned that a maximum of only 15 people are allowed to gather at any function. The 43 years old priest said, "It was just such a shock to me. We had arranged for 15 people and this was what we had agreed. This was repeated every time I met them and then on the day it was very different."
Sharing his ordeal further, the priest mentioned that he only came to know about the problem when it was too late. He revealed, "When the bride arrived, I knew there were too many. But what could I do? I just wanted to get through it as quickly as I could."
The priest claims that the police entered the church just after he had finished the ceremony. By that time, the guests too had left the church, he claimed. According to him, the police did not give him any papers or any such thing but said that he should expect summons through the post, containing a fine that he could either pay or challenge at Magistrates' court.
He, in a rather pained tone, said, "The last thing I am is a lockdown sceptic. We have been working very hard during the entire process to make the church Covid-safe."