The Wrong Victims

The situation that surrounds the cathedral church of my new diocese is now an international story. It is a tale that is dividing a church in many regards, and one that is leaving a trail of destruction in its wake which seems to bear no resemblance to the purported cause at the heart of the matter. 

So, we have a gang of protesters who have an issue with the bankers and capitalists. Fine - it's a viewpoint that is open to lengthy debate. They want to make a protest within the context of the capitalist heartland but were 'moved on' by a worried establishment. I can understand that too, in the wake of demonstrations, riots and the visible and well documented assaults upon our Royal Family in our recent history. So, the protesters seek a venue, and through an act of hospitality from a priest, found themselves an oasis from which to express their views. It is their right to protest, and whatever my views are on the matter at hand, support their view to make their protest.

Then the needs of modern life kick in - the need that all society has in the present day to maintain safety and not be exposed to needless harm. I too would have closed the cathedral, but hold to the view that any of us who were not in that room at the time that that difficult decision was made have no real right to judge the decision of those pressed into that position. It is very easy to judge that decision with the happy fact of hindsight (which, of course, is an exact science). 

In the midst of decisions and hard choices, the protesters were, I assume, still protesting about bankers and capitalists - but one could be forgiven for forgetting that. Very quickly they started capitalising on the situation that the hospitality to them created - and using the name of Our Lord as a tool of protest. This very quickly stopped being about bankers and capitalists, but about biting the very hand that feeds (or in this case, judging the very hospitality offered by a church that didn't have to). 

And then priestly ministries started to fall. Why? Because those who exercise their right to protest seem ill equipped to know when to stop, to know when the day is done or indeed when their protest has claimed unforeseen causalities. The disagreements that ensued have claimed the ministries of fine priests who were gifted by God to undertake the ministries that they had at St. Paul's. What now for them? I doubt that the protesters give a monkey's about the priests who have lost their livelihoods, if I am honest (and I can assure them that on stipends, none of us are poster-children for the capitalist ideal). 

When (or if) the dust settles, the story won't be about bankers and capitalists. The silence from the political world is deafening, but that won't be the story either. The story will be about the wrong victims, ministries ended (which has a cost to the families of the priests involved too, lest we forget). The story will be about a pragmatic decision to close a building, not about those who precipitation that decision. 

What the EDL did for us

What a day!

I had started the day with a genuine fear of what might happen. The twittering, the Facebooking, the blogosphere and the world that SMS Texts live in, were all buzzing with the grave potential that today had to be a dark day for the people of my beloved town. 

Well, it was ok in the end, and there have been some very real plusses to a day largely heralded as one where such things might not have manifest themselves.

1. The people of our town, of all faiths and none, were galvanised. The folk of Aylesbury didn't want this, weren't going to support it, and condemned the fact that their town was to be a theatre for a macabre pantomime. I walked the streets before noon and I recieved more 'afternoon vicar's then every before. Yes, there was great apprehension, but we knew that in the end, Aylesbury would be ok. It was and we are. 

2. I am in awe at the professionalism of the police. They were good humoured with me and only in Aylesbury to ensure that we were safe from those who may have sought to hurt us. The Thames Valley Police and their supporters from so many forces demonstrated that they are force to be reckoned with. A town needs to see that every once in a a while, and ironically, I think Aylesbury feels like a safer place tonight. 

3. Our worst fears were not realised, and not realised in the slightest. The true English (and British, and European and Asian and human) heart beat tonight as the bells at St. Mary's rang the 'All Clear' - post-Blitz style.

4. I have learned so much about contemporary communication. Whilst I am fairly savvy, I have learned the significant place that Twitter and Facebook have on days like today. Lies and truth together, they are vehicles that can do so much good too. There was a false rumour being posted by SMS Text that the Mosque had been firebombed - when it was uncovered as a lie, Bp Alan and Fr Shane (my boss and his boss) were able to lurch down to said Mosque and get a pic of them having tea with the Muslim community - and tweet it immediately. It did some good, some real good.

5. The EDL march displaced a the wedding to be held today at St Mary's. We went to the country church in the glorious sun and had a great time.  As it happens, there is a sodding great big hole outside the main door of St. Mary's as a result of some protracted drainage work - so the pics would have been proper manky had we been there!

6. The Bishop bought me a pint in the first business to re-open in Aylesbury. That's always a bonus!

So, as I sit in my house, and as heavy rain pours and cleanses our streets once again - I hope and pray that the people of this most magnificent town will pop to the shops tomorrow. The traders were the real losers, what with it being a bank-holiday Saturday and all that. 

In short ...

Aylesbury 1 : Visiting Team Nil