![]() And normally, obeying Jesus and obeying the government go right in hand,” Kitchen said. “His first obedience is to his Lord, is to his God. The officers told Coates that he could be released if he promised to discontinue Sunday services, which the pastor refused to do.Ĭoates’ lawyer James Kitchen told CTV News that his client was willing to go to jail in order to do the “right thing” but “Coates could not, in good conscience,” agree to the cessation of church services. GraceLife has held worship services for three consecutive weeks after it was ordered to close at the end of January because of restrictions related to the coronavirus. James Coates of GraceLife Church of Edmonton turned himself in to police on Tuesday, two days after officials attended his Sunday service to assess compliance with conditions issued to the pastor, police said in a news release Wednesday.Īuthorities from Alberta Health Services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) determined that Pastor Coates “was not complying with his Undertaking release conditions” issued by authorities. When asked if Coates was in custody, RCMP told CTV News Edmonton: "When we are in a position to update information on the Pastor or the Church, we will.A Christian pastor from Edmonton, Canada, has been jailed for breaking Alberta’s Public Health Act by continuing to hold church services when ordered to stop. In fact, it is also evidence of how harmful they are." Our local church is clear evidence that governmental lockdowns are unnecessary. If anything, we see our actions as contributing to its end – the end of destructive lockdowns and the end of the attempt to institutionalize the debilitating fear of viral infections. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, GraceLife added: "We do not see our actions as perpetuating the longevity of COVID-19 or any other virus that will inevitably come along. "At this point, he is prepared to incur the consequences, up to and including imprisonment to continue to do what he believes is the right thing to do for his people." "The CMOH orders infringe those freedoms and the enforcement of the CMOH orders infringes those freedoms."Īccording to the lawyer, Coates – who has refused to address media except in statements posted online or at the beginning of Sunday services – and the GraceLife community reject COVID-19 restrictions as "an evil that has to stop." ![]() "Ultimately what Coates and GraceLife is doing is exercising their constitutionally protected rights under Section 2 of the Charter," Kitchen said. The second time, Coates was arrested and served the undertaking. GraceLife has met for three consecutive weeks after it was ordered to close at the end of January. A Court of Queen's Bench order to enforce Alberta's public health order was issued in January when it continued to break gathering, masking, and physical distancing rules. The church was first cited for, among other things, hosting more than 15 per cent of its capacity at a December service. "The government's forcing him in to a position where he has to choose between disobeying God and obeying government, or obeying God and disobeying government." And normally, obeying Jesus and obeying the government go right in hand," Kitchen told CTV News Edmonton that afternoon. "His first obedience is to his Lord, is to his God. His lawyer, James Kitchen with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, said Coates was still in the queue as of 2 p.m. 14, allegedly breaching an undertaking that was issued one week earlier not to violate Alberta's public health orders. Coates was scheduled to have a bail hearing for holding a service on Feb. ![]() ![]() James Coates of the GraceLife Church west of Edmonton turned himself in to police on Tuesday, his lawyer told CTV News. ![]() The pastor of an Alberta church that has met for months every Sunday in defiance of public health orders is willing to go to jail in order to do the "right thing," according to his lawyer. ![]()
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