Reply #41: The church's reaction to the protesters has lacked humanity

[Turborama]

The senior members of the church are silent about greed, avarice and social justice – some of Jesus's favourite topics

Editorial
The Observer, Sunday 30 October 2011

In June, as guest editor of the New Statesman, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, showed impressive prescience http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2011/06/long-term-government-democracy">when he wrote: "There are a good many on the left and right who sense that the tectonic plates of Britain – Europe? – are shifting…" He went on to argue for St Paul's idea of "the sustainable community", "the mutual creation of capacity".

From tomorrow, if the dean and chaplain and representatives of the Corporation of London have their way, that community, at least in one small area of London, may be reduced by roughly 200 or so tents. The City and the church have announced their intention to take legal action to remove the canvas mini-village of Occupy London that is pitched near St Paul's cathedral.

As our columnist Andrew Rawnsley describes, the pilot light that began with a handful of anti-capitalist activists, as part of a global protest now spreading to more than 900 cities, has resulted in a boiling cauldron of dissent in the church; a series of "loose cannon" resignations, not least of the popular Dr Giles Fraser, who abhors "violence in the name of God" and, Rowan Williams apart, the continuing silence of the senior clergy on such matters as greed, avarice, inequality and social justice – just a few of Jesus's favourite topics.

One reason might be that Rowan Williams was given a sound drubbing for his attempts in the New Statesman to make the church relevant to matters of concern besetting thousands of its parishioners.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/30/observer-editorial-st-pauls-protest

:hi: