What if the protestors had come to the Abbey (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

What if the protestors had come to the Abbey

1:27pm Monday 14th November 2011

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So what if the protestors had turned up outside St Albans Abbey instead of St Paul’s Cathedral?

Would they have been welcomed with open arms or would proceedings have been launched against them?

Would the Abbey have closed its doors? Or talked to the protestors about their anger at the world’s financial mess?

Would the Abbey and the protestors have together raged against the injustice in our society? Or would they have agreed...to disagree?

Who can say for sure, but as a big fan of the Abbey I hope fervently that it would have stayed open, despite any health and safety concerns.

And that it would have continued to be a place of worship, prayer and study, as well as the venue for numerous community and cultural events. After all, it’s been a sacred centre of welcome and prayer for centuries.

I rejoice that the Abbey does not charge admission, despite its running costs. So it’s always open to anyone to drop in to say a prayer, leave a card on the Abbey’s prayer board or light a candle as an act of prayer or remembrance. I rejoice that many hundreds of school children visit every year, thanks to the work of its thriving education centre.

And yes, I hope and believe that the Abbey would have engaged with the protestors, listened to their concerns and spoken with one voice about the injustice in our society – and how the recession is hitting some people so much harder than others.

It’s an uneasy, challenging message for our times.

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