In the wake of a Supreme Court of Canada decision, Wellesley Township may eliminate its longstanding practice of opening council meetings with a prayer.
The court ruled unanimously that the municipal council in Saguenay, Que., could not open its meetings with a Catholic prayer, as doing so would infringe on freedom of religion.
“Sponsorship of one religious tradition by the state in breach of its duty of neutrality amounts to discrimination against all other traditions,” Justice Clement Gascon wrote.
Analysts suggested that the move could have impacts on deliberative bodies across Canada. Some communities have already nixed similar prayers, while others have vowed to continue with theirs.
The issue was raised this week in Wellesley.
Every council meeting there begins with a prayer that starts with the words “almighty God” and ends with “amen,” but otherwise does not include religious wording.
“We’ve been saying that prayer before every council meeting … for as long as I can remember,” said Mayor Joe Nowak, whose time on council stretches back to 1999.
“It’s a very personal issue for each member of council. They all spoke quite positively about maintaining the status quo and keeping the prayer in place.”
Ultimately, councillors in Wellesley opted to review the court ruling and put off any permanent decision for two weeks.
Bishop Michael Pryse of the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada says a blanket ban on prayers at civic meetings would be a “big mistake,” and he’d rather see the choice left up to individual groups.
“These decisions need to be made by the people who they impact the most,” he said.
