Marie Curie has unreservedly apologised to a Christian chaplain after he was told he would face ‘consequences’ and would need ‘re-training’ if he did not remove a half-inch badge pin with a cross on it from his jumper.
Derek Timms, a 73-year-old businessman turned chaplain from Solihull, was told by a Methodist minister at the charity’s Solihull branch that he must not wear the cross as it might ‘offend’ and create ‘barriers’ with patients.
Mr Timms, who has worn the miniature cross for four years at Marie Curie without complaint, has been supported throughout the ordeal by the Christian Legal Centre.
‘The easiest thing to do would have been to say, “I’ll take it off”, but I thought, “no”, I should be standing up for what I believe in. If I had given in, I believe I would have been saying that I am embarrassed to be a Christian.’
