General Synod Church Tourism Debate |
In relation to holy places T.S.Eliot saw tourists as more of a threat than an opportunity. He celebrates the holy places where the sanctity shall not depart, “though armies trample over it, though sightseers come with guide books looking over it”. I sympathise with the sentiment but tourists can become pilgrims and it is our duty to assist this transformation.
As Chairman of the Church Buildings Division, I am very glad to support Roy Thompson’s motion and I hope that its implications will be pondered in the Dioceses of our church. I salute Roy’s indefatigable efforts in this field. Would that all the Lord’s people had his breadth of vision.
It would be good if we all knew at least some of the facts and aspirations contained in GS Misc 887A and B. Thanks to the work of the Division and bodies like Aspire our case is much more securely grounded in hard evidence. Every single Synod member should be equipped to convince gainsayers in the pub and the council chamber that our churches and cathedrals represent a country wide network of community hubs with huge social and spiritual potential. We should be proud of the achievements of tens of thousands of volunteers and talk up the way our church has been faithful in caring for an asset which belongs to the whole community.
We have a long way to go. Speaking in Parliament in a general debate on tourism, I pointed to the fact that Churches and Cathedrals were near the top of the list of what visitors to this country were hoping to see. I was astounded afterwards that people who had spent their careers in tourism said that this aspect had never occurred to them.
More recently in discussion with Ministers in an attempt to gain access to some of the budgets at national and regional level which relate to regeneration in addition to the hard pressed heritage funds I was again told that most of these presupposed a connection with the local economy.
Gracefully I hope but with spirit I observed that the Italian Government would have no difficulty in seeing the economic argument for ensuring that the Churches and Cathedrals of Italy were worth a visit since in both our countries tourism is a huge employer and makes a large contribution to improving the balance of payments. Three departments in Government are co-operating with the Division at present in trying to find a way forward in meeting the shortfall on the maintenance of our buildings and opening them up for wider community use while preserving their sacred character. I should like to acknowledge publicly the tireless efforts of Ann Sloman of the Archbishops’ Council in pursuing these discussions with Ministers and Civil Servants.
Much of the expenditure incurred by Cathedrals and some of the larger churches arises directly from the duty to present the building intelligently and to welcome visitors appropriately while taking care of the wear and tear involved in the tourist traffic. Of course we would like to open our Churches and Cathedrals free of charge to all who wished to visit them but alas unlike the York Railway Museum the Minster cannot expect an annual grant from public funds.
But the argument for supporting this motion enthusiastically is not of course principally economic. We live at a time when a great deal is known about “now” but there is general ignorance of how we came to this point.
In consequence the stories which define our moral compass have been lost and we are adrift on a heaving sea of appetites and desires which lead us this way and that. Visits to a church building if we prepare for them properly can be one of the ways to remedy this dangerous educational deficit. An increasing number of churches are taking their responsibilities as centres of education in their own right more seriously, by organising events which dovetail with the various key stages in primary and secondary education.
Then we have the great challenge of helping the tourist to discover the inner pilgrim. Here I cannot resist an outburst of local patriotism.
For years the story of St Paul’s has been presented as if the most important thing about it was that it is a rare English baroque masterpiece. Wren’s achievement is steadily being turned once again into a high holy place with great imagination. The recent installation of haunting moving images by Bill Viola is intended to make the visitor pause and to liberate the contemplative within.
This is good moment to be debating this subject and I hope that the Synod will give an unambiguous welcome to this motion.
