Cleansing and Celebration

The Bishop of Salisbury and the rector of the parish in which nerve agent victims Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found have invited all members of the public to a special service celebration for the community life of the City of Salisbury.

The service will start at 3 pm on Sunday 15 April at St Thomas’ Church in Salisbury City Centre (postcode SP1 1BA), just metres from the site where the Skripals were found.

The service will also involve prayers for cleansing as close to the site as possible, in order to symbolically reclaim the city for the common good.

The Revd Kelvin Inglis, Rector of St Thomas’ Church, just metres from the site, said, “The service will bring together city leaders and representatives, members of the business community and local people, together with leaders and members of the emergency and public services

“We shall gather in thanksgiving for the work of the services involved, in prayer for those affected, and in looking forward to the future of our fine city.

“At the conclusion of the service, we shall go in procession to near the site where the Skripals were found for a ceremony symbolically to ‘reclaim’ our city for the common good

“Our service will include hymns and prayers from both Russia and this country, as well as from the Christian bible that been the grounding of both of our cultures. While we feel rightly outraged at this act, I have seen no sense that in the city wishes anything but friendship with the Russian people and better relations between our governments.”

The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, said, “In this season of Easter, which the Church celebrates for fifty days, this feels like an affirmation of the Christian story – that good ultimately triumphs over evil, truth over deception and life over death. Salisbury was built on that Christian story 800 years ago and it still centres the city today.

“I would like to stress absolutely everyone is welcome at this service, including people of all faiths and people of no faith.”