Cases

Blake v Associated Newspapers Limited

Held

The courts would not adjudicate on issues relating to procedures adopted by religious bodies or on the fitness of a peson to carry out the pastoral and spiritual duties of their religious office: R v Chief Rabbi, ex parte Wachmann [1992] 1 WLR 1036. Many of the issues raised on the pleadings fell within areas the courts would not consider. Those issues related to matters including substantive doctrine of Catholic apostolic churches, ecclesiastical procedure and fitness for epsicopal office. The issues in the case could not be adapted so as to permit the action to proceed. To prevent the defendants from arguing that the Claimant's consecration service had no religious validity would be unfair and contrary to the right to freedom of speech. This was one of the exceptional cases where justice required the action to be stayed.

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