A cathedral, not a nightclub

Calling the faithful! Please sign and share our petition calling on the Church of England to cancel the sacrilegious agreement between St Paul’s Cathedral and Fabric London to stage what are called ‘contemporary music events’ inside the Cathedral.

Background: St Paul’s Cathedral has entered into a four-year contract with Fabric, a leading London nightclub provider, to stage what it calls contemporary music events within the cathedral, the first of which is scheduled for 29 October. The contract has been fulsomely praised by Muslim mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who said on X, ‘Fabric. St Paul’s Cathedral. Name a more iconic duo. Bringing together these two institutions will create a one-of-a-kind experience, pairing world-class music with one of our most special landmarks.’

Fabric London is known as one of London’s most famous and iconic nightclubs. It is described as a cornerstone of the electronic music scene. In 2016, it had its licence temporarily suspended, following serious concerns over drug use within its club that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers. With Khan’s energetic support, the licence was subsequently reinstated a few months later and the club reopened in January 2017. As part of his campaign to have the club’s licence restored, Khan said, ‘I am in the process of appointing a Night Czar who will bring together key stakeholders including club and venue owners, local authorities, the Metropolitan Police and members of the public…’.

Excellent initiative? The Chair of the taskforce Khan set up for this purpose was none other than Fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie!

The mayor’s public backing for the agreement with St Paul’s can hardly, therefore, be seen as disinterested or neutral. And, that being the case, the question that occurs is how can a devout Muslim, who claims to honour all religions, support what is so obviously an act of desecration in one of Britain’s most historic and sacred Christian spaces? Will he similarly promote the staging of pop concerts in a mosque or Islamic centre? The answer would clearly be no. It would be regarded as blasphemy, and the mere suggestion would provoke outrage, and possibly violence, as being an afront to Allah. Why then is the same respect not being accorded to the established faith of this land? Or is it a deliberate and calculated insult to Christianity, designed further to undermine the nation’s Christian belief?

Equally, it must be asked what kind of mindless insanity has allowed the hierarchy of the Church of England to consent to the proposal in the first place? The St Paul’s website says that it hopes the partnership will ‘introduce new visitors to the cathedral, encouraging people to discover and engage with this historic building in new and exciting ways.’ Elsewhere, however, it has openly acknowledged that the primary aim of the partnership is to generate commercial revenue in order to fund the continued upkeep of the cathedral. Which means, in a nutshell, that it’s all down to money.

Shame on them! On what planet could it ever be thought acceptable for one of the UK’s most historic, and Christian, sacred places to be used to host secular events, celebrating values openly hostile to God. If they’re that short of money, and God withholds supply, then maybe He’s saying it’s time for them to close.

St Paul’s was founded in AD 604, then redesigned in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren, following its destruction in the Great Fire of London. It is one of the most famous and recognisable sites of London. Throughout its existence, it has stood, not just as a place of worship, but as an iconic symbol of the nation’s Christian faith and resilience. It is sacred to Christ, so it is not right that one of the UK’s most historic and sacred places should be used to host overtly secular events, particularly those celebrating values that are openly hostile to the lordship of Christ.

In the book of Ezekiel, prior to the sacking of Israel by the Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BC, the prophet witnessed the departure of God’s presence and glory from the temple — because, he was told, of the vile idolatry of the priests, who had allowed the setting up and worship of idols within the temple precincts.This is what the Church is doing when it allows concerts, such as those arranged by Fabric, to take place in a house of God. And the same is true for other cathedrals and places of worship that similarly host pop concerts, silent discos, iftar meals, art exhibitions centred on climate change, etc.

Moreover, the Church’s desire or need for money does not justify putting aside our principles and faith. In doing so, we rely on Mammon rather than God to fulfil our needs. Christ Himself said there is no place in the temple for money-changers and their like. Allowing the staging of any and all such events is sacrilege and a betrayal of our faith.

We call on the Church of England to cancel the agreement between St Paul’s Cathedral and Fabric London immediately, and to ensure for the future that all church buildings dedicated to the worship of Christ should be used exclusively for that purpose.Sign here: https://citizengo.org/en-gb/ot/19307-cancel-the-sacrilegious-agreement-between-st-paul-s-cathedral-and-fabric-london