CALLING it "unethical form of coercion", more than 1,200 church leaders have urged British prime minister Boris Johnson not to introduce Covid vaccine certificates.
In an open letter, they said passports could create "surveillance state".
However, the government said it is reviewing the matter and "no decisions have been taken".
The UK equality watchdog says passports could create a "two-tier society".
According to government ministers, certificates would allow people to show if they have been vaccinated, had a negative test or had natural immunity from a previous infection six months.
"We are considering a range of evidence around Covid-status certification and whether it may have a role in opening up higher risk settings safely. The review is ongoing and no decisions have been taken," a government spokesperson said.
As restrictions ease, certificates could play a major role in opening up the economy. But the church leaders think otherwise.
"This scheme has the potential to bring about the end of liberal democracy as we know it and to create a surveillance state in which the government uses technology to control certain aspects of citizens' lives," they wrote in the letter.
"As such, this constitutes one of the most dangerous policy proposals ever to be made in the history of British politics."
The church leaders have said whatever be the final decision, they would not refuse entry to anybody without a vaccine passport or certificate.
