I have just seen a few minutes footage of a BBC programme called The Antiques Roadshow. It is a sort of up market television valuation house for odd bits and pieces of porcelain or furniture, that have lain neglected in the attic for eons and are now, hopefully, in the eyes of the owner, are worth a few thousand quid.
It's all innocent stuff, mildly entertaining and usually, innocuous. However, tonight I was jolted from my post supper reverie by the commentator explaining that the show was coming from Winchester Cathedral. Sure enough, the valuation experts were lined up along the wall on their individual display stands in what is a beautiful Cathedral and what was once a Catholic Church where bread and wine was transformed several times daily into the Body and Blood of Christ.
How dare the Church of England in all its crass ignorance, use such a beautiful and holy place for such mean and mercenary aims.
The crowds milled aimlessly around, ignoring the fact that they were milling in the longest nave in Britain or is that Europe? Anyway, it's very long and should not be used for such mundane purposes.
It reminded me of an incident in Westminster Cathedral when the late Cardinal Hume had put into motion the brilliant idea (groan) of holding a flower festival in the central nave, a very Anglican thing to do for a start.
A late friend and stout Catholic, Stella Hook happened to visit when all was fuss and chrysanthemums and she stood, appalled at the carpet of flower petals strewn along the nave. Just then she realised that the man next to her was no other than the late Cardinal (then still very much alive), turned to him and said:
"You've turned the House of God into a florist's shop!"
She never recorded the Cardinal's reply.
 |
| It's Christ's house, not Christies! |
How dare the Church of England in all its crass ignorance, use such a beautiful and holy place for such mean and mercenary aims.
The crowds milled aimlessly around, ignoring the fact that they were milling in the longest nave in Britain or is that Europe? Anyway, it's very long and should not be used for such mundane purposes.
It reminded me of an incident in Westminster Cathedral when the late Cardinal Hume had put into motion the brilliant idea (groan) of holding a flower festival in the central nave, a very Anglican thing to do for a start.
A late friend and stout Catholic, Stella Hook happened to visit when all was fuss and chrysanthemums and she stood, appalled at the carpet of flower petals strewn along the nave. Just then she realised that the man next to her was no other than the late Cardinal (then still very much alive), turned to him and said:
"You've turned the House of God into a florist's shop!"
She never recorded the Cardinal's reply.
 |
| Arundel Cathedral - another "florist's shop" |
No comments:
Post a Comment