Travelodge, the budget hotel chain in the UK, Ireland and Spain has announced that it has removed Bibles from its hotel rooms. The chain claims that it has made the decision “in order not to discriminate against any religion”, although it appears that there had been no complaints previously about the presence of Bibles in the rooms.
CU Chairman Robert Rigby commented “This action is at once bizarre and sinister. The Bible is a hallmark of our European and indeed to some extent, our global culture. Not only do millions believe it to contain the Word of God, but it is also well on the way to being the best-selling book of all time, with over 100 million copies sold each year. For countless people, the Bible is a source of encouragement, comfort and indeed prayer. It contains some of the most stirring accounts of the history of a people’s growing relationship with God, as well as pieces of the most sublime love poetry ever written, such as the Song of Songs and those great pieces of description of the human drama in relation to God – the psalms. Such a move on the part of Travelodge is likely to do little to bolster its budget image , displaying as it does a corporate view and appreciation of strictly secular values, over the more human and emotional aspects of its clientele and others”.
ZENIT, the Online Catholic Newswire Service published a report on this issue, following the Catholic Union’s statement.