Religious Groups Want Sport-Free Easter Sundays: Right or Wrong?

Christian-based religious groups in Britain have launched a campaign to try and urge the Government into using Sunday trading laws to prevent sporting fixtures from being on Easter Sunday in the future. "We feel that Church-founded football clubs should remember their Christian roots," said the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu. Concerns were raised last week by Birmingham Church leaders, who wrote to the Premier League over concerns Easter Sunday services would be disrupted because of road closures and safety fears, as Everton travelled to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa in a crucial Premiership fixture. Easter Sunday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar and local church leaders were concerned that the added problem of 45,000 people descending on Birmingham for a football match could cause safety problems for the thousands of church-goers expected to worship in Britain's second city. However, police chiefs and officials at Aston Villa said the following: "We believe ... (link)