Rodney Stout said offensive material aimed at Ballynahinch Baptist Church was posted on social media because of a decision to show the controversial movie, called Voices of the Silenced.

He told the Belfast Telegraph: “I don’t regret allowing the film to be screened in the church, not at all.

“I don’t think anyone should capitulate to threats.”

Previous screenings planned for London and Belfast in recent weeks have been refused by The Vue London Piccadilly and Queen’s Film Theatre.

‘Voices of the Silenced: Experts, Evidences and Ideologies’ features the testimonies of 15 people from eight countries who have moved away from homosexual activity.

Critics have accused the film of supporting so-called gay conversion therapies, a claim denied by the makers, the Core Issues Trust.

The Emmanuel Centre in central London offered its conference space for the London premier of the film, after the Vue London Piccadilly cancelled a booking last month.

Dr Mike Davidson from the Trust previously told Premier: “We are not saying that folk identify as gay are sick.

“What we are about are the rights and freedoms that people need to have respected when they want to move out of unwanted homosexual or other sexual practises – and that’s what the film does.”

The Belfast Telegraph said it understood approximately 100 people attended the…

Alex Glanville, the Head of Property for the Church in Wales has told Premier that managing cemeteries is a difficult job at the moment because of a serious lack of space. 

He told Premier that in about 5 years’ time 2/3 of their burials grounds would have no new space for new graves. 

Describing why some might be concerned, he said: “That’s a matter of personal choice…but people in Wales particularly are strongly associated with where they come from, down to their local village and I think in a lot of cases people hope that when they pass away they will then be buried in that community but, as I say, that’s becoming an increasingly difficult thing to allow for.”

He said finding more land was very challenging and very costly and also hard work when demand is high: “With our burial grounds, each of them is looked after by the local congregation, the church congregation, and taking on yet more responsibility for burials when our church grounds are open to all, they’re not for only our members…that’s a big challenge for local congregations.”

Glanville added that if people want to open more burial spaces there should be local support to do that because they are hard to maintain but also places of immense comfort. 

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The Christian and much-loved comedian, aged 90, died at his home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, on Sunday night.

His funeral will be held at the Anglican landmark on 28th March at 1pm.

Canon Myles Davies, acting dean at the cathedral, said “Sir Ken was a well-known presence in our cathedral, regularly attending worship with us.

“His character and humour affected us all and we are honoured to be able to help family and friends say their farewells.”

The service will be followed by a private interment.

Full details on the funeral arrangements are expected to be announced next week.

Sir Paul McCartney, Dawn French, David Walliams and Ant and Dec were among the stars who paid tribute to the comic following his death, with ex-Beatle Sir Paul saying he had “tears of sadness”.

His widow, Lady Anne Dodd, who the funnyman married two days before he died, described him as “a most life-enhancing, brilliant, creative comedian”.

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