Face values

Face coverings or masks will be compulsory from next week for users of public transport. Britain has been slow to introduce this requirement. The British don't take easily to the instruction to cover their faces.

Here, as in much of Europe, the inability to see a face tends to cause unease. Ten years ago the wearing of face veils by Muslim women was a hot issue. Faces covered by burqas or niqabs could not easily be identified. Wearers were viewed with suspicion. Political debates became heated. Britain resisted a ban on face coverings while other countries introduced laws that proved difficult to enforce.

Facial recognition is a key element in identification. Masks and helmets have long been used by criminals to conceal their identity. Photos, ID parades, CCTV and now facial recognition technology are all used by police to identify suspects. Initial identification begins with the recognition of an individual face. From next week that may not be an option.

Christians worship an unseen God who reveals himself in human form. For centuries artists and film makers have created images of the face of Christ. None would help us pick Jesus out in an ID parade. No-one knows what he looked like. Yet for over two thousand years millions of human individuals have trusted and believed that Jesus was just who he said he was.

Faces matter but they don't tell us everything.