Christian documentary filming banned by National Trust in 'religious discrimination'

The National Trust has found itself at the centre of discrimination claims after refusing to let a Catholic filmmaker shoot at a historic religious site in Northumberland.

Christian Holden, who specialises in documentaries with Christian themes, was turned away from St Cuthbert's Cave because of what the Trust called his "religious affiliation".

The Christian human rights group argues that blocking someone from filming based on their faith amounts to illegal discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Mr Holden had been commissioned earlier this year to create a documentary following Dr Jason Baxter, an American academic, and students from Benedictine College, a Roman Catholic university in Kansas.

The group walked the 62-mile St Cuthbert's Way in August, tracing the saint's historic route from Melrose in Roxburghshire, where Cuthbert served as prior, to Lindisfarne in Northumberland, where he was bishop.

The documentary aimed to explore the legacy of the 7th-century monk, who's now the patron saint of Northumbria.

Christian Holden was turned away from St Cuthbert's Cave because of what the Trust called his 'religious affiliation'

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The 51-year-old filmmaker from Tenby, Pembrokeshire, had requested permission to film at the cave, where St Cuthbert's body is believed to have been hidden from Viking raids in the 9th century.

But Trust officials said no, sparking accusations from Voice for Justice UK that the heritage charity has breached equality laws. The Christian human rights group argues that blocking someone from filming based on their faith amounts to illegal discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Mr Holden had been commissioned earlier this year to create a documentary following Dr Jason Baxter, an American academic, and students from Benedictine College, a Roman Catholic university in Kansas. The group walked the 62-mile St Cuthbert's Way in August, tracing the saint's historic route from Melrose in Roxburghshire, where Cuthbert served as prior, to Lindisfarne in Northumberland, where he was bishop. The documentary aimed to explore the legacy of the 7th-century monk, who's now the patron saint of Northumbria.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.gbnews.com/news/christian-documentary-filming-banned-northumbria-national-trust-religious-discrimination