St Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians that we should all be “fools for Christ”, however this somewhat sincere sentiment has been taken to extreme proportions by the pastors of St Paul’s Cathedral.
This recent parable has seen a breakdown in leadership, not only within St Paul’s, but that of the entire Church of England. A summarized run down would show that St Paul’s shepherds have led their lambs to slaughter by changing their position three times.
Firstly, we saw a comparison to the feeding of the five thousand, by welcoming the horde of protesting ramblers to the door, but then the story went sour and the wine turned to water as the doors were firmly shut. Finally the church looked upwards, seeking consultation from the City of London.
Despite clear-cut advice, the Church has chosen to bypass it by allowing talks with the protesters. It seems that when all has gone to pot, the Church has taken the “what would Jesus do?” approach by inviting protestors in for tea and a chat. However, this tactic seems somewhat naive on the part of the Church. Whilst the protestors complain about the “Robin Hood” tax, it seems the Friar Tucks of this tale would not be the most useful of merry men in a quest to curb bankers’ bonuses. Clearly, they found something to chat about. Maybe it was the expensive menus in the restaurant or goodies from the gift shop, but it seems as if the Church is suggesting that allowing them to stay is harmless, and that to execute another Dale Farm-style removal would be out of the question.
However, in the long term the Church’s lack of decisive action could lead to problems for the police and perhaps even for St Paul’s itself. With the bohemian-type nature these protests bring, who knows when the odd bottle and brick will be chucked through a stained glass window?
But maybe the question we really should be focusing on is: why on earth are they still there? If these protesters have issue with the bankers in the city, go elsewhere! It shouldn’t be for them to impose on the entrance of a church for such a protest. The Church should recognize this and do something about it – we should even question whether or not this is a valid protest.
How ironic it is that anti-capitalist protesters warm themselves at night with hot chocolate from Starbucks, one of the greatest examples of capitalism in our age and some protesters come and go as they please.
Clearly we have a group who are truly committed to the cause – so much so that many aren’t prepared to show their faces; rather they stand up for what they believe in behind a mask. I can’t help but think that if this had happened to the Church of England’s counterparts in Rome, the Swiss Guard would have acted as a biblical Leviathan, and forcefully ridded themselves of such a plague of squatters. Perhaps political leaders ought to step into the breach, draw on the example of Jesus, and cast them out of their temple of worship.
However, the issue does still look ominous for St Paul’s. With none of the hierarchy within the Church taking a clear standpoint, as well as many occupants maintaining that they will stay until the end of the year, it seems that a Christmas miracle will be required to solve this fall from grace.