A SIGN on the door of an Anglican church in Istanbul has been altered after the Bishop in Europe, Dr Robert Innes, requested its removal.
Dr Innes told the Chaplain of Christ Church with Moda, Istanbul, Canon Ian Sherwood, to take down the sign, which prohibited British MPs from crossing the church’s threshold after the vote to decriminalise abortion up to birth in England.
Canon Sherwood put up the first sign after the MPs voted by 379 to 137 in favour of an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill in June (News, 18 June).
The sign read: “Would British Members of Parliament please refrain from entering this church? Check with the Chaplain first that you specifically are not anathematised as of 22 June 2025 for your shameful vote in enabling late abortion!
“If you are under anathema but wish to make amends, you are invited to speak with our priest. Thank you on behalf of English Chaplaincy Istanbul.”
A spokesperson for the diocese in Europe said that “The Chaplain had not been in touch with the Bishop to ask for any direction on this matter, as would be required by Canon Law.
“If he had, the Bishop would not have approved the action. The Chaplain has been told to remove the sign, which he has done.”
A member of the Christ Church congregation, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Church Times: “I appreciate Father Ian’s moral clarity and strongly support his stance on this issue. The Church of England should have spent more time listening to his concerns and less nagging him to take down the sign.”
Canon Sherwood later said that “the sign was up for a few days, but out of respect to the Bishop, it was modified so as not directly to target the guilty MPs.
“None the less, when any MP visits our church, he or she will be obliged to chat with the priest if they wish to receive holy communion.”
The sign now reads: “A number of Roman Catholic & Anglican priests with Protestant pastors have outrightly condemned British Members of Parliament voting to decriminalise late-term abortion. A local Anglican priest has anathematised this decision.
“Before receiving Holy Communion, the clergy call on those legislators to repent of that which is the murder of millions of innocent human beings, and to undo their sin. This is a diabolical sin far greater than any unjust war.”
In emails to the Church Times, Canon Sherwood commented further: “Happily, the Establishment has already taken note of the Anathema formally placed on MPs that voted for the decriminalisation of late abortions and thus the promotion of the murder of babies. Such practices are plain murder for anybody that is familiar with modern medical science. The MPs have promoted this murder of innocent human beings and are undeniably guilty.
“The Bishop has pointed out that such Anathemas cannot continue without his authority. They were generated by the authority of the priest and people gathered together in Holy Eucharist and are an expression of general Christian morality. The entire congregation stood solemnly for the ceremony. Our notice on the church door has reached far and wide so we have removed it, and ceased specifically to target the guilty Members of Parliament; albeit it remains Anathema to kill babies, whatever civil or ecclesiastical authority dictates on this matter.”
Earlier this month, the priest of St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Dorking, Fr Ian Vane, told congregants at the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. masses that the Liberal Democrat MP for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan, would be refused communion, after he had voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (News, 1 July).
In social-media posts, Mr Coghlan described the decision as “utterly disrespectful”. Neither he nor his family was present at the services.