English Nurse Ordered to Stop Wearing Cross - April 7, 2010

Shirley Chaplin has been nursing for 30 years, and for that entire time has worn the cross that she received at her confirmation in 1971.  According to Chaplin “The crucifix is an exceptionally important expression of my faith and my belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  There had never been an issue until shortly after new uniforms were issued last year.  Shortly after, she was ordered to remove the necklace and the cross.

Refusing to do so, Chaplin took the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Hospital to an employment tribunal, claiming that being forced to take off the necklace bearing the cross would “violate her faith.”  In response, the trust stated that the issue was not specifically about the cross, but about health and safety concerns if patients were to grab the necklace.

The employment tribunal panel chairman, John Hollow, announced his decision yesterday, and found against Chaplin.  He ruled that the trust had acted in a “reasonable” manner in trying to reach a compromise and that the damage to her were slight.  He also stated that wearing a cross was not a requirement for the Christian faith.

Chaplin, who wore the cross while attending the hearing in her home town of Exeter replied with a 71-point statement.  She said “To deliberately remove or hide my crucifix or to treat it disrespectfully would violate my faith." The compromise suggested by the trust was that Chaplin pin the crucifix inside her uniform.  She rejected that saying “I was being asked to hide my religion and my faith. I found it disrespectful.”

Last July she was informed that she was facing disciplinary sanction and a month later, still refusing to quit wearing the cross, she was threatened with disciplinary action.  In September she received a letter that stated that wearing a cross was not a "mandatory requirement" of her faith, unlike Muslim headscarves, which "therefore could be exempted.”  Chaplin took the view that this was discrimination against Christians and was offended that the trust regarded themselves as experts on all sorts of religions and faiths. 

Later that month she was moved to a desk job. 

In his Easter message this past weekend, the Archbishop of Canterbury used the case to make a point about a larger issue.  He spoke of “wooden headed bureaucratic silliness” that forced some Christians to stop wearing religious symbols at work. He noted that there seemed to be a “strange mixture of contempt and fear” towards Christianity.  He encouraged Christians to keep a sense of perspective in the face of opposition and “think about the larger picture.”

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