 Caroline Petrie (London Daily Telegraph) |
A Christian nurse in Britain threatened with dismissal for offering to pray for her patients’ recovery has been reinstated to her position, according to a report from the Christian Legal Centre.
“North Somerset Primary Care Trust, in a statement issued on 5th February, said that they recognized that Mrs. [Caroline] Petrie had been acting in the ‘best interests of her patients’ and that nurses did not have to ‘set aside their faith’ in the workplace, and could ‘continue to offer high quality care for patients while remaining committed to their beliefs,'” the legal organization announced today.
As WND reported, Petrie was suspended and faced further discipline because her employer claimed she failed to show a “personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity” when she suggested the prayer.
Petrie, 45, a wife and mother of two, is a community nurse who works for North Somerset Primary Care Trust. As part of her job, she visits patients who are sick and elderly. Petrie said she never forced her Christian beliefs on any of her patients but simply asked if an elderly woman would appreciate the blessing.
She said at the time she couldn’t believe she was suspensed over the issue.
“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. All I am trying to do is help my patients, many of whom want me to pray for them,” she told the London Telegraph.
The Christian Legal Centre report said the “dramatic turnaround” came “days after extensive media coverage and news reports” on the case.
While Petrie is “thrilled” to return to her work, the legal organization said it has concerns “the Trust’s statement is deliberately vague in places about the conditions that the Trust might seek to impose on Christians in the work place.”
Petrie said, “I am looking forward to returning to work and doing what I love and have loved for 24 years – caring for patients and their welfare. I am pleased that I do not have to separate my faith from my work.”
“This is a great victory for Mrs. Petrie, and for commons sense,” said Andrea Williams chief of the legal center. “[The] decision highlights the importance of being able to take personal faith into the workplace rather than being forced to leave it at the door for fear of being silenced by equality and diversity policies.”
The dispute arose over Petrie’s visit to an elderly woman, a resident in Winscombe, North Somerset, in December.
“It was around lunchtime and I had spent about 20 to 25 minutes with her,” the nurse said. “I had applied dressings to her legs and shortly before I left I said to her: ‘Would you like me to pray for you?'”
The patient said, “No, thank you.”
Shortly afterward, Petrie’s employer contacted her and asked her why she had offered the prayer. The patient, a woman in her late 70s, had complained to the trust.
Another nurse approached Petrie the following day and told her the woman had been surprised by the offer. Petrie apologized and asked if she had offended the patient.
The nurse replied, “No, no. She was just a bit taken back. You must be aware of your professional code of conduct. I would be careful.”
But that wasn’t the end of it. Petrie returned home to find a message on her answering machine. She was suspended without pay Dec. 17 and forced to attend a disciplinary meeting.
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