By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
LONDON, ENGLAND (ANS) -- Members of the Occupy London movement have written to Church of England bishops about the “touring occupation” that would visit the main churches in their dioceses.
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Anti-capitalist protesters camping in the grounds of St Paul's Cathedral (Photo: PA) |
Beckford went on to say, “It shows that some in the movement, which is calling for reform of capitalism, now see the Church as a potentially important ally rather than an enemy.
“The encampment on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral has been in place for six weeks now, and an abandoned attempt by the authorities to force them out led to the resignations of two senior clergymen. In recent weeks the Church has expressed more sympathy with the activists’ aims if not their methods.
“Protesters have also set up tents outside Exeter Cathedral, although the bishop there has suggested they are mere copycats who do not appear to be targeting financial institutions.”
He went on to say, that now the movement – which on Friday sang alternative Christmas carols and songs such as “deck the banks with public lolly” in the Square Mile of the City of London, which is Britain’s financial center – is considering visiting even more of the Church of England’s 43 dioceses.
Ms. Mariner’s proposal states that Occupy London has already “accomplished the beginning of a great moral awakening in Britain” and that its goal of a “more moral marketplace” is shared by many including the Church, but that its “spirit” is at risk unless it spreads further.
“There is proposed a great Winter Carnival, to roll through all of Britain from Cathedral to Cathedral. These Cathedrals are our commonwealth and they and the national Church of England should be pressed into service in this time of injustice and moral crisis.”
The journalist said that one of her suggestions is a “symbolic candlelit walk”, a “victory march” starting at St Paul’s then travelling to “St Albans, Southwark, Westminster and beyond.”
Other ideas include hosting debates at cathedrals around England, and walking from them to town halls where the activists could “air their grievances in this winter of our discontent”.
The memo also suggests opening the cathedrals to members of the Occupy movement and their children, “and have history teachers explain the martyrs, and the historical role of the Church in securing greater liberty for the people.”
Beckford concluded his story by saying, “The Church of England declined to comment on the plan, saying it was a matter for individual dioceses.”
A History of St Paul’s Cathedral:
The present St Paul's is the fifth cathedral to have stood on the site since 604, and was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. This was the first cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the Church's life.
Throughout its history, St Paul's has been a place where the individual and the nation can express those feelings of joy, gratitude and sorrow that are so central to our lives.
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Diana and Prince Charles walking down the steps of St. Paul's after their wedding |
As the nation's church, St Paul's has also been the site of state funerals of British military leaders, including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and of the wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Services have also been held to mark the valuable contributions made by ordinary men and women involved in armed conflicts in the Falklands, the Gulf and Northern Ireland. A vast crowd also gathered at St Paul's following the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001, as London expressed its solidarity with the people of New York at a time of grief.
People of other faiths have a place in national services at St Paul's. In 2005, at the service of remembrance following the terrorist bombings in London in July of that year, young people representing different faith communities lit candles as a shared sign of hope during turbulent times.
In these symbolic ways London's cathedral seeks to be a house of prayer for people of all nations. It is a place for protest against injustice and for the public express of hope for a better society. Martin Luther King stopped at St Paul's en route to collect his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Involvement in the global community and social justice is as much a part of the working life of St Paul's as prayer and ceremony.
| Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link. |  |
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