Another pastor arrested, his church ordered closed for violating COVID-19 rules in Canada



Yet another Canadian pastor was arrested for violating a province's COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Pastor Tim Stephens and his family have been cornered by @CalgaryPolice following worship today. @RebelNewsOnline https://t.co/8OBowjhMHY

— Adam Soos ⳩ (@ATSoos) 1621199805.0

What are the details?

Calgary police arrested Pastor Tim Stephens outside Fairview Baptist Church after a late-morning Sunday service, the Calgary Herald reported.

Alberta Health Services said public health measures were violated, a prior warning had been issued, and Stephens had been fined multiple times for repeatedly breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules, the paper said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Stephens was charged with organizing an illegal in-person gathering, inciting or inviting others to meet illegally, and promoting an illegal gathering, the Herald added.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The paper said Stephens was released from custody Monday pending a civil contempt hearing next month — but AHS ordered the church closed.

The church and its members had been openly defying restrictions that most recently limit attendees to 15 people at a service, the Herald said, adding that the church's defiance angered neighbors.

The paper spoke to a neighbor who said he's been monitoring the church's behavior for months and is relieved by the arrest and church closure.

"It's heartening that after a long period of waiting and advocacy, the leadership is being held accountable and the facility is being shut," Ken Lima-Coelho told the Herald. "The last thing we need is a super-spreader in our neighborhood."

Lima-Coelho added to the paper that his 13-year-old daughter has been afraid of walking past the church.

What has the pastor been saying?

Stephens and other church leaders have said in-person services would continue regardless of consequences, the Herald reported, and that Fairview held services in an undisclosed location over the winter. The paper characterized such services as "clandestine."

Stephens wrote on the church's Facebook page that biblical teaching compels the congregation to meet in person, the Herald said.

"Our actions are not borne out of 'COVID fatigue' or simply having enough of the restrictions," he wrote, according to the paper. "Rather, our actions are borne out of theological commitments to the Lordship of Christ and his instruction to the church as revealed in scripture."

Stephens added that Fairview doesn't recognize the state's authority to intrude in church affairs, and he questions the medical necessity to limit worship, the Herald reported.

UPDATE: Lawyer says Pastor Tim Stephens unlawfully arrested under amended AHS orderyoutu.be

Anything else?

Another Canadian pastor, Artur Pawlowski, was arrested earlier this month for holding a church service in defiance of Alberta's public health orders.

Pawlowski made big headlines in April when a viral video showed him booting police and a health official from his church while calling them "gestapo."

Also in April, fences went up around GraceLife Church near Edmonton as police and health officials shut down the place of worship for failure to comply with COVID-19 mandates. Days later worshipers tore down the fences — only to be met reportedly by 200 police officers in riot gear sent to disperse the crowd.

Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski arrested for holding church service



Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski was arrested on Saturday for committing the crime of holding a church service, which violated Alberta's public health orders.

Pawlowski, who went viral last month for the video of him kicking Canadian police and a health official out of his church while calling them "gestapo," held church service on Saturday in Alberta where "dozens were congregating without masks, with no regard for physical distancing," according to the Calgary Herald.

BREAKING: Less than an hour after Pastor Artur Pawlowski hosted this “illegal” church service in Calgary, he was sw… https://t.co/IfbiW755q3

— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) 1620503404.0

Video shows supporters of Pawlowski scream at Calgary Police as they leave the church.

Artur Pawlowski's supporters have ejected Calgary Police from the church. We expect they will return in force.… https://t.co/h20Z8OEjmA

— Adam Soos ⳩ (@ATSoos) 1620493535.0

However, less than an hour after the church service, Pawlowski was arrested by police, who he famously labeled as "Nazis" the last time authorities came to his church to serve him court papers. The car that Pawlowski was traveling in was pulled over on a highway by at least six police vehicles. The Calgary Police informed Pawlowski and his brother Dawid Pawlowski that they were being arrested for violating the public health orders for gatherings because of Saturday's church service.

An onlooker yellsed at police, "Shame on you guys, this is not Communist China. Don't you have family and kids? Whatever happened to 'Canada, God keep our land glorious and free?'"

A heavily-armed SWAT team just took down a Christian pastor heading home from church. Police say he’s charged with… https://t.co/d4xDiLKiQf

— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) 1620516112.0


Earlier this afternoon, my fellow pastor Artur Pawlowski was arrested in Calgary for the crime of holding a church… https://t.co/eAl2XeZ3FI

— Pastor Henry Hildebrandt (@aylmerpastor) 1620511193.0

The city of Calgary issued a statement on the arrest of Pawlowski and his brother by the Calgary Police Services:

Earlier this morning, CPS lawfully enforced this order by proactively serving an organizer of a church service with the court order in an effort to ensure that citizens attending the Saturday service were abiding by the current COVID-19 public health orders. The order was served prior to the church service, and CPS did not enter the church during the service. The service organizer acknowledged the injunction, but chose to ignore requirements for social distancing, mask wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees, and continued with the event.

The arrests come after the Alberta Health Services obtained a Court of Queen's Bench Order on Thursday that cracks down on all gatherings, protests, and rallies in the name of public health during the coronavirus pandemic. The order imposes new coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings, and requires the use of face masks, social distancing, and attendance limits.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a statement about enforcing the order.

"Law enforcement agencies can act immediately under this injunction, without the necessity of Alberta Health Services attendance," the RCMP said. "There are a variety of ways to enforce this order, including the ability to issue tickets, fines and criminal charges to individuals who are breaking public health orders by organizing and/or attending these events. This can include arrest and removal any person who has notice of this Order and chooses to act in violation of it."

Artur and Dawid Pawlowski were both arrested for breaching the Queen's Bench Order for holding Saturday's church service, and charged with organizing an illegal in-person gathering, including requesting, inciting or inviting others to attend an illegal public gathering, promoting and attending an illegal public gathering.

Artur Pawlowski and Dawid Pawlowski arrested after the Church service www.youtube.com