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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| St Paul's is moving on – and we hope that Occupy will too | St Paul's is moving on – and we hope that Occupy will too |
| (10 days later) | |
| In your report (Women chain themselves to St Paul's pulpit, 15 October) and the accompanying leader article on the Occupy protesters at St Paul's, there was some criticism of the cathedral for making inadequate responses to the issues Occupy raises. There are a couple of further things to be said. | In your report (Women chain themselves to St Paul's pulpit, 15 October) and the accompanying leader article on the Occupy protesters at St Paul's, there was some criticism of the cathedral for making inadequate responses to the issues Occupy raises. There are a couple of further things to be said. |
| The first is that St Paul's, through its institute, has been engaged in a wide-ranging programme of education, including a major event with Michael Sandel on the cathedral floor, as well as seminars and discussions – which Occupy has also been doing as part of its own work. The institute has been following these lines since 2008; we are reviewing its work in conjunction with appointing a new chancellor, in order to enable its ministry to be more effective. | The first is that St Paul's, through its institute, has been engaged in a wide-ranging programme of education, including a major event with Michael Sandel on the cathedral floor, as well as seminars and discussions – which Occupy has also been doing as part of its own work. The institute has been following these lines since 2008; we are reviewing its work in conjunction with appointing a new chancellor, in order to enable its ministry to be more effective. |
| It's also important to see St Paul's in its context as one of many thousands of Christian churches, whether Anglican or not, which are together undertaking an enormous amount of work on behalf of the poorer and more vulnerable members of society, work often unseen and unsung. I quoted in my sermon on Sunday (available on St Paul's website) the more than £60m raised by the Church Urban Fund in the past 25 years to enable a huge portfolio of projects from the Tyne to the Tamar; St Paul's itself works with partners in east London to find care for those in need and support local community development. | It's also important to see St Paul's in its context as one of many thousands of Christian churches, whether Anglican or not, which are together undertaking an enormous amount of work on behalf of the poorer and more vulnerable members of society, work often unseen and unsung. I quoted in my sermon on Sunday (available on St Paul's website) the more than £60m raised by the Church Urban Fund in the past 25 years to enable a huge portfolio of projects from the Tyne to the Tamar; St Paul's itself works with partners in east London to find care for those in need and support local community development. |
| The Occupy protesters made much of Jesus throwing the moneylenders out of the temple – the only occasion Jesus is recorded taking this kind of direct action. The temple in Jerusalem was at that time the powerhouse of the city economy, creating enormous wealth for the ruling classes from its markets and financing: Jesus treated the worship of the temple with respect but confronted the corruption of those in power. It's not St Paul's but the financial industry that is the wealth-generating hub of this City, and that is where the attention of the protesters should be focused. | The Occupy protesters made much of Jesus throwing the moneylenders out of the temple – the only occasion Jesus is recorded taking this kind of direct action. The temple in Jerusalem was at that time the powerhouse of the city economy, creating enormous wealth for the ruling classes from its markets and financing: Jesus treated the worship of the temple with respect but confronted the corruption of those in power. It's not St Paul's but the financial industry that is the wealth-generating hub of this City, and that is where the attention of the protesters should be focused. |
| St Paul's does not seek its own agenda, nor the agenda of Occupy. We are in a process to discern better God's way ahead for us in the task of sharing love and justice in partnership with all people of goodwill; and as we are moving on, so we hope that Occupy will too. David Ison Dean of St Paul's Cathedral | St Paul's does not seek its own agenda, nor the agenda of Occupy. We are in a process to discern better God's way ahead for us in the task of sharing love and justice in partnership with all people of goodwill; and as we are moving on, so we hope that Occupy will too. David Ison Dean of St Paul's Cathedral |
| • You write of the Occupy movement that "No one in power is going to provide the answers unless awkward gadflies buzz about" (Editorial, 15 October). To assume that anyone in elected power must by that fact be someone who cares nothing for others is to side with the political right, who use that line to argue for weakening the democratic state. It is no coincidence that Occupy and a well-known rightwing blogger use the same Guy Fawkes mask image. | • You write of the Occupy movement that "No one in power is going to provide the answers unless awkward gadflies buzz about" (Editorial, 15 October). To assume that anyone in elected power must by that fact be someone who cares nothing for others is to side with the political right, who use that line to argue for weakening the democratic state. It is no coincidence that Occupy and a well-known rightwing blogger use the same Guy Fawkes mask image. |
| Begging politicians to change their minds is pathetic. Why not change the politicians through the ballot box? | Begging politicians to change their minds is pathetic. Why not change the politicians through the ballot box? |
| A subject that should be dear to the hearts of Occupy – wealth taxation – was an issue at the three main party conferences. The first tentatively supported it but the failure of the second to follow it up left the third to rubbish it with misleading emotional lines. How useful were the gadflies in helping push practical proposals to even up wealth distribution? Completely useless, as we shall see when the Liberal Democrats get duffed up by the other two parties should they try to make any stand on it. Matthew Huntbach London | A subject that should be dear to the hearts of Occupy – wealth taxation – was an issue at the three main party conferences. The first tentatively supported it but the failure of the second to follow it up left the third to rubbish it with misleading emotional lines. How useful were the gadflies in helping push practical proposals to even up wealth distribution? Completely useless, as we shall see when the Liberal Democrats get duffed up by the other two parties should they try to make any stand on it. Matthew Huntbach London |
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