A PASTOR has said he will keep his Belfast church open during lockdown, in defiance of the new two-week period of restrictions.
Rev Paul Burns from Adullam Christian Fellowship Church in Sandy Row in south Belfast, said he will not abide by the measures.
He said that the "church is separate to the state" and added that the "government has to respect that".
All places of worship are to close at the end of this week, except for services such as weddings, baptisms and funerals.
Rev Burns told The Sunday Life: "We will work with the government, we will work with communities, but there comes a time where the church has to say, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'
"We are with them, we're not denying coronavirus exists but what we're saying is don't take away the people giving hope to the nation."
He added that he also has a track and trace system in place and that closing in the lead-up to Christmas would show a lack of faith.
It comes as a priest in Co Cavan who initially defied the Republic's restrictions by celebrating Mass with parishioners in attendance gave an assurance to his bishop that he would no longer do so.
Gardai were called to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mullahoran last Sunday, where around 50 people had congregated for Mass celebrated by Fr PJ Hughes.
Fr Hughes told The Anglo Celt newspaper that the restrictions were similar to "living in a police state".
However, it was reported that Fr Hughes had assured Bishop Francis Duffy that he would not celebrate Mass yesterday.
The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, has said the two week closure period in the north was a "great disappointment" which ran contrary to "assurances" given to faith groups.
