Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton convened a call with the heads of the nation’s largest historically Black religious denominations and other faith leaders to call on clergy to refrain from having church services as Christians head into Palm Sunday and Easter Holy Week.

The public appeal is being made following the arrest of a Louisiana megachurch pastor for holding Sunday services and a separate criminal action against a Florida pastor, who held services over the weekend that drew large crowds, willfully violating a local coronavirus stay-at-home order.

“I have been arrested over thirty times for civil rights and civil disobedience—twice for ninety days and another forty-five days for standing up for people’s civil and human rights," Sharpton said. "These separate incidents involving leaders of faith putting people’s lives in danger is not a matter of civil or human rights, nor is it a statement of faith. It is self-aggrandizing, reckless behavior of those Shepherds who would risk their sheep rather than lead their sheep.”

Under the leadership of Reverend Al Sharpton and NAN Board Chair Reverend W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC), a series of calls will continue to be conducted to discourage the growing number of churches that say Palm Sunday and Holy Week should be observed in person.