Cancelled for being Christian and disciplined for saying ‘God bless’? No wonder we’re hiding our faith at work

Nearly half of Catholics do not feel able to talk about their faith in the workplace, according to a new survey. Caroline Farrow believes employers must do more to ensure Christians are comfortable expressing their beliefs in public

A recent survey conducted by the Catholic Union has confirmed what many Christians have long suspected, namely that our freedom of religion and belief is under threat in the workplace.

The survey, which was undertaken to inform the Catholic Union’s evidence to a Parliamentary enquiry into human rights at work, included some shocking responses, with one person claiming that they were subject to a formal complaint for saying “God bless” to a patient.

Almost a third of respondents said they had felt disadvantaged at work due to their faith and, unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these cases took place in the public sector. One lay chaplain working in a hospital described a “pathological closing down” of chaplaincy services.