Anglican church in Istanbul bars MPs from entry over abortion vote

Telegraph

12-07-2025

An Anglican church in Istanbul barred British MPs from entry after they voted to decriminalise abortion up to birth in England.
Christ Church in Turkey's largest city was slapped down by the Church of England for putting up a sign on its doors telling MPs not to cross its threshold.
A sign affixed to the front door said that British MPs should 'refrain' from entering after the 'shameful vote' to decriminalise abortion last month.
Parliament voted to change the law so that women will no longer be prosecuted for aborting their pregnancies at any point up until birth.
Anyone who assists a woman, including medical professionals, in getting an abortion outside the current legal framework will still be prosecuted.
The sign said: '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.'
Christ Church, known also as the Crimean Memorial Church, in Turkey is affiliated with the Church of England and is the largest Protestant church in the city of Istanbul.
A Diocese in Europe spokesman confirmed that the chaplain had been ordered to take down the sign, and that it had not been cleared with the Bishop before it was put up.
In the aftermath of the historic change made to British abortion laws, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, said that women facing unwanted pregnancy require 'compassion and care'.
She said: 'They should not be prosecuted. However, decriminalising abortion can at the same time inadvertently undermine the value of unborn life.
'The amendment passed to the Crime and Policing Bill may not change the 24-week abortion limit, but it undoubtedly risks eroding the safeguards and enforcement of those legal limits.'
It comes after a Liberal Democrat MP, who is Catholic, was denied communion by his local priest after he voted in favour of legalising assisted dying last month.
Chris Coghlan, who represents Dorking and Horley, said attendees of a mass at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Dorking were told that he would be refused communion.
Mr Coghlan told BBC Radio Surrey that he and his family were not in the church in person to hear the priest, but that people who were there had contacted him to say they were 'pretty appalled'.
'It is one thing to take a view on an MPs vote on a conscience vote in Parliament, it is quite another to go out and publicly name and shame them, as a Catholic priest, to hundreds of their constituents.'
Christ Church in Galata, Istanbul, was built during the Crimean War when servicemen expressed a wish for an Anglican church to minister to British sailors in the region.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were among those who donated money to the memorial fund that helped to found the church.
A spokesman for the Diocese in Europe said: '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.'