Occupy London Siege Continues at St. Paul's Cathedral

Tent city on the Cathedral grounds is disrupting daily life for tourists and worshippers

As the occupation of the grounds at St. Paul's Cathedral continues into its third week, three Church of England clerics, including the Dean and Chancellor of the cathedral, have resigned. The church and the city of London are still unsure how to respond to the tent city erected by demonstrators.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Among the most identifiable landmarks in London we can find the domed St. Paul's Cathedral with its two spires. The idyllic Christopher Wren-designed buidling and landscape was a common stopping point for tourists, at least until two weeks ago when anti-capitalism protesters set up a tent city on the property.

The movement was initially calling itself Occupy London Stock Exchange but was repelled from the Stock Exchange property on October 15th. They then decided to settle on the Cathedral grounds. Since that time the bishop and Cathedral staff have been divided in their feelings about the development.

The Cathedral's tent city, despite the discomforts since some of the tents were set up on the cobblestone streets, began to take shape. They established a kitchen, a library, technology facilities and a full range of recycling bins in and around the property. Approximately 100 had been erected underneath a banner that read "Capitalism is crisis."

With apparent safety from immediate legal action and plenty of media attention, the demonstrators made it clear to the city of London they would not leave until they felt their voices had been heard

The Cathedrals Chancellor, the Rev. Dr. Giles Fraser, offered the demonstrators a warm welcome the day after their arrival and affirmed their right to protest. Amidst mixed reactions by Church of England clergy, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams initially remained silent.

Reporters from The London Telegraph asked the Dean of the Cathedral, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, what he would do if the protesters refused to leave his cathedral, the Dean replied: "I don't have a crystal ball. I hope that the protesters recognize that their voice has been heard and that they withdraw peacefully."

For the first time since the World War II, St. Paul's doors were closed on October 21, citing "fire, health and safety issues." They were opened again six days later when the camp was rearranged.

About this same time the Chancellor resigned, stating that he feared legal action in evicting the protestors would be "violence in the name of the church."

A part-time chaplain, Rev. Fraser Dyer, also resigned for similar reasons several days later.

As Dean of the Cathedral, Knowles found himself in an ever-increasing minority of those wanting to back the Corporation of London in bringing legal action against the demonstrators. Finally, on Sunday, October 30 he resigned as dean with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London - the third most senior cleric, in England now forced to personally oversee cathedral operations.

On Monday, October 31, Williams issued his first public statement, albeit quite ambiguous, saying, "The urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's remain very much on the table and we need - as a Church and as society as a whole - to work to make sure that they are properly addressed."

That same day the Corporation of London initiated legal action, giving the protestors 48 hours to leave the premises. Not even 24 hours later, the Cathedral Chapter, its governing body, changed its mind on initiating legal action and was following in suit by the city.

According to a Cathedral press release, the Bishop "has invited investment banker, Ken Costa, formerly Chair of UBS Europe and Chairman of Lazard International, to spearhead an initiative reconnecting the financial with the ethical. Mr. Costa will be supported by a number of City, Church and public figures, including Giles Fraser, who although no longer a member of Chapter, will help ensure that the diverse voices of the protest are involved in this.

In the release, the bishop stated, "The alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul's has now heard that call. Today's decision means that the doors are most emphatically open to engage with matters concerning not only those encamped around the Cathedral but millions of others in this country and around the globe. I am delighted that Ken Costa has agreed to spearhead this new initiative, which has the opportunity to make a profound difference."

The Rt Rev Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor of St Paul's Cathedral and a member of Chapter, added: "This has been an enormously difficult time for the Cathedral but the Chapter is unanimous in its desire to engage constructively with the protest and the serious issues that have been raised, without the threat of legal action hanging over us. Legal concerns have been at the forefront in recent weeks but now is the time for the moral, the spiritual and the theological to come to the fore."

The city is going to re-visit the issue of eviction on Wednesday, Nov. 2 with regard to Corporation of London property.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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