St Paul's and the protesters share common ground

WWJD?: "The Occupy protesters pose, in secular terms, precisely the same questions that the Church does"
12 April 2012

What would Jesus do? It's a question Christians often ask themselves when faced with moral dilemmas. Presumably the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's have been asking it recently with regard to their new neighbours.

When the Occupy London protesters set up camp in the shadow of Wren's cathedral 10 days ago, the Canon Chancellor of St Paul's, Giles Fraser, responded instinctively. He gave them his blessing. As long as they remained peaceful, they could stay, he said.

So far, the protesters have indeed remained peaceful. However, last Friday, following pressure from the police and the press, the Dean and Chapter chose to close St Paul's for the first time since the Blitz. Why? Health and safety.

Now, even if you think protesters smell, you only have to look at the site to question that decision. Nazi bombs might legitimately be classed as a health and safety concern. But a few tents, pitched to one side, leaving the entrances clear?

The odd impromptu reggae gig? According to this logic, Jesus would only have gone ahead with the Sermon on the Mount if it was policed by disciples in hi-vis tabards. He would have been too worried about E.coli to multiply those fishes. He would have spent Maundy Thursday having tetanus shots.
A few protesters clocked that the trustees of St Paul's include a good number of City financiers and drew their own conclusions. That's a bit close to a conspiracy theory for my liking. The decision was more likely motivated by worries about potential legal costs and lost tourist revenues.

It costs money to keep a building like St Paul's looking as magnificent as it does now. However, it still strikes me as a cowardly and self-defeating move.

The global Occupy protests could mark the birth of a genuinely populist movement. Many paint the protesters as a marginal minority and rubbish them for not having a coherent economic alternative.

However, their concerns - outrageous inequality, mass unemployment, economic insecurity, political alienation - are shared by just about everyone. What's more, the movement poses, in secular terms, precisely the same questions that the church does, week in, week out, to dwindling audiences.

As Canon Fraser perceived, there is common ground in the St Paul's churchyard, should both parties choose to build on it. The Church could help underline that the protesters' concerns about our economic system (if not all their solutions) touch everyone. The protests could help cast the Church in a new light, much as the Church's involvement in the Make Poverty History campaign did.

What would JC do? Perhaps it's best to turn to some advice once attributed to St Paul: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

* According to Walter Isaacson's new biography, Steve Jobs had an interesting approach to job interviews. He would apparently lead candidates into a room where an Apple product was sitting on a table, covered by a cloth. He would then pull the cloth away. If their eyes lit up, the job was theirs.

Conclusion? If you want your customers to treat you with unquestioning awe, first make sure your minions treat you with unquestioning awe. Awe-inspiring all round.

Taking liberties with Tintin

I have never understood why everyone is so mean to the Belgians. This is the nation that gave us chocolate, Jacques Brel, poncey lager, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Brussels-born Audrey Hepburn! What did Portugal ever do?

Perhaps, as someone whose childhood was coloured by Tintin, Belgium's most famous son, I'm feeling a little protective. I'm afraid I don't like the look of Steven Spielberg's new £82 million adaptation of Hergé's books one bit.

The beauty of Hergé's art lies in its simplicity, clarity and logic. The animation in the movie looks suspiciously three-dimensional to me, blobby and coarse. The plot is described as an all-action romp. Tintin doesn't ROMP! And he doesn't have irises either.

Perhaps that's Belgium's trouble. Its good ideas get messed up by other people. Take the European Union, for example...

Simon's boys have half-term pulling power

You can always tell when the schools have broken up, as a couple of dozen teenage girls take up permanent residence on the steps outside our offices, drinking soda and checking their phones.

At first, I wondered if they were here to lobby journalists from the various newspapers that are based here, perhaps get Melanie Phillips's autograph. When I asked them, they told me they were here to see the boy band One Direction, whose record company is based just over the road.

How long have you been here? "Oh five days?", said one girl with a futile sigh. Do you even know they're in the country? "Erm no!" she laughed. What would you do if they did come? "Oh, you know just say hello, really."

One Direction finished third in The X Factor last year. I would say reports of the decline of Simon Cowell's empire are woefully premature.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in