Three of the UK’s leading cinema chains have refused to show an advert by the Church of England which features the Lord’s Prayer before the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. The advert had been intended by the church to be shown before the film, which is released on December 18th.

Star Wars: The Force AwakensCinema chains are refusing to show a Church of England advert before The Force Awakens.

The 60-second advert was cleared by the Cinema Advertising Authority and the British Board of Film Classification, but three major British chains, Odeon, Cineworld and Vue, which control 80% of screens around the country, believe it “carries the risk of upsetting, or offending, audiences”.

Arun Arora, director of communications for the Church of England told The Guardian: “The prospect of a multigenerational cultural event offered by the release of Star Wars: the Force Awakens on 18 December – a week before Christmas Day – was too good an opportunity to miss and we are bewildered by the decision of the cinemas.”

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“The Lord’s Prayer is prayed by billions of people across the globe every day and in this country has been part of everyday life for centuries. Prayer permeates every aspect of our culture from pop songs and requiems to daily assemblies and national commemorations. For millions of people in the United Kingdom, prayer is a constant part of their lives whether as part thanksgiving and praise, or as a companion through their darkest hours.”

“In one way the decision of the cinemas is just plain silly but the fact that they have insisted upon it makes it rather chilling in terms of limiting free speech. There is still time for the cinemas to change their mind and we would certainly welcome that.” The advert promotes the new Church of England website, JustPray.uk, which encourages people to pray more.

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The film shows a variety of Christians saying one line of the Lord’s Prayer each and features weightlifters, a police officer, a commuter, refugees in a support centre, schoolchildren, a mourner at a graveside, a festivalgoer and the archbishop of Canterbury.

Arora said he was told by Digital Cinema Media, which handles most cinema advertising in the UK, that it has “a policy not to run advertising connected to personal beliefs, specifically those related to politics or religion.” They added: "Our members have found that showing such advertisements carries the risk of upsetting, or offending, audiences.”