A retired pastor faces conviction and a fine for preaching the Gospel near a hospital, sparking a debate about freedom of religion and expression. His appeal challenges a law that could criminalize peaceful public faith, potentially...



Retired Pastor Clive Johnston plans to file an appeal after he was convicted in Northern Ireland for preaching John 3:16 outside the buffer zone of a local hospital. Johnston, 78, was fined $604 and convicted of two charges of "influencing" people on abortion under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act while standing within 328 feet of Causeway Hospital during an open-air service in 2024, despite his sermon not mentioning abortion, The Christian Post reported.

Speaking on the ruling, Johnston says it "sets a deeply troubling precedent” and plans to appeal.

“I was not protesting abortion. I was peacefully preaching the Gospel, reading from the Bible, and pointing people to the hope found in Jesus Christ," he said.

“If this conviction is allowed to stand, it will signal that basic Christian witness and public expressions of faith can be criminalized simply because they take place in the wrong location," Johnston added. "That should concern every person who values freedom of religion and freedom of expression, regardless of their views on abortion.”

The Christian Institute, which is supporting Johnston’s case, cautioned that the ruling warned that the ruling poses a "serious threat" to freedom of religion and freedom of speech across the U.K.

“This case was never about harassment or intimidation — nobody has alleged Clive Johnston engaged in anything close to this form of behavior. It is about whether the state can criminalize the peaceful expression of Christian faith in a public place under abortion buffer zone laws,” said The Christian Institute’s Simon Calvert in a statement.

“The implications of this dangerous ruling reach far beyond one individual pastor in Northern Ireland. If public authorities can prosecute someone for reading the Bible and preaching on God’s love, then fundamental freedoms are at risk.”

Johnston’s case has also attracted international attention outside the UK, including the U.S. State Department, which previously criticized similar cases as an "egregious violation" of fundamental rights.

American evangelist Franklin Graham also criticized the ruling.

“Pastor Johnston didn’t even mention abortion; he just preached the Gospel in a public space. I hope his legal team at [The Christian Institute] will have success in appealing this. Religious freedoms are being threatened not only in the U.K., but here in the U.S., Canada, and around the world, Graham said.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “It is extraordinary that in a Christian country the police think it is an offense to preach the word of God outside a hospital.”

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