A pastor from Alberta, Canada, awaits a trial in May in solitary confinement, after refusing a bail agreement that would have banned him from preaching.
James Coates, who pastors GraceLife Church in the Edmonton area, was first arrested in February after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) repeatedly signaled to his church for refusing to comply with public health orders that limited attendance. to 15 percent of capacity. While its pastor remains behind bars, the RCMP has since hit the church with even more accusations, according to the Western Standard.
“Last week, on March 4, GraceLife Church’s attorney received a summons to appear at the Stony Plain Provincial Court on May 5, 2021. GraceLife Church was charged as an entity for exceeding 15 percent of the capacity allowed for the services performed on February 21 and 28, 2021, contrary to section 73 (1) of the Public Health Law ”, RCMP Cpl. Laurel Scott said.
“The Parkland RCMP supported the AHS investigation at GraceLife Church last Sunday. The Church was at odds with the Public Health Order for being above the permitted capacity. RCMP members were present for public safety and to support AHS, and did not enter the church. “
“The investigation continues in the church by AHS and supported by Parkland RCMP. These charges are now before the court and other comments will not be available. “
Last Friday, Judge Peter Michalyshyn of the Queen’s Court of Alberta denied Coates ‘bail on appeal, saying Coates’ arrest remains “justified” and “necessary”.
“Pastor Coates obeys the rules of the law. His refusal to the condition of release and several non-compliance with the stated intention to continue concerns public security, ”said Michalyshyn.
As the Edmonton Journal reported:
Michalyshyn said that Coates and his congregation follow a “strong and literal interpretation of the sacred scriptures”, which order them to meet in person and keep their faces uncovered during worship. Kitchen said that his client is, in general, a law-abiding man, but that in cases where the law and its interpretation of the scriptures conflict, the latter prevails.
In a sworn statement, Coates said health orders “directly violate the authority of the local church and the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The statement cites, among other things, Prime Minister Jason Kenney’s May 2020 references to COVID as a “flu”, which critics argued had minimized the seriousness of the virus.
The Coates case has been a source of controversy in the Edmonton area, and protesters have gathered outside his prison to protest his treatment. A statement on the GraceLife Church website explains his reasoning in part:
Having engaged in an immense amount of research, interacting with doctors and frontline health professionals, it is clear that the negative effects of government blocking measures on society far outweigh the effects of COVID-19. The science used to justify blocking measures is suspect and selective. In fact, there is no empirical evidence that blockages are effective in mitigating the spread of the virus. We are seriously concerned that COVID-19 is being used to fundamentally change society and deprive us of all of our civil liberties. When the so-called “pandemic” ends, if it is allowed to end, the inhabitants of Albert will be totally dependent on the government, instead of being free, prosperous and independent.
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