NI Attorney General criticises court ruling against Christians

The North’s Attorney General has criticised a British Supreme Court decision which penalised the Christian owners of a B&B who refused to rent a double room to a gay couple.

Addressing the topic of ‘Do Christians have rights?’ during a conference hosted by the Presbyterian Church in Stormont, John Larkin QC said the judgement last November against the couple had failed “to understand the orthodox Christian position”.

“A Christian who wishes to adhere to traditional Christian moral principles cannot without committing serious sin make available premises to facilitate a purpose which that Christian believes to be gravely sinful,” he said. “To do so, the Christian believes, is to be complicit in the sin.

“I do think that a Christian in business should not be placed in a position in which he now seems placed by the Supreme Court decision where she or he must choose between withdrawing from business or being complicit in what the Christian must regard as deeply sinful.”