The BBC’s Songs of Praise this Sunday explores how Christians are reacting to ‘Brexit’
Songs of Praise – Sunday 17 July 2016 – BBC One 1715 to 1750
Songs of Praise this week comes from Boston in Lincolnshire to speak to Christian groups who worship there and to gather views on the country’s vote to leave the EU. The town recorded the highest proportion of Leave votes in the country.
The town is home to a large Eastern European population, greatly increasing attendances at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church which now holds three Masses in Polish and two in English every weekend.
Pam Rhodes meets Neil Mugglestone, the leader of the ecumenical group “churches together” in Boston. He voted out in the referendum, as he believes it will benefit business but he’s also seen the effect the leave result has had on the local community. He thinks that the churches have a role to play in healing any rifts that have appeared in the community.
She also hears from Yvonne Stevens, a UKIP Councillor who attends St Mary’s in Boston and who wishes that there could be greater integration between the English and Polish worshippers at the church. Pam also meets Marcin Pretki who explains the importance to him and his fellow countrymen of being able to worship in his mother tongue.
Also in the programme; a year after her visit to the camp in Calais known as “the jungle”, Sally Magnusson reunites with Biniyam, a young Ethiopian she met at the camp who was determined to worship in the most challenging of circumstances, and equally determined to get to Britain.