Lord Carey: St Paul’s Cathedral 'debacle' damages Christianity

Lord Carey

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, has warned that the ongoing protest camp by St Paul's Cathedral, and the treatment of demonstrators there is damaging the image of Christianity.

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Lord Carey said the Dean and Chapter had been "indecisive and weak."

“After their initial welcome to Occupy, the Cathedral authorities seemed to lose their nerve,” he wrote.

“One moment the Church was reclaiming a valuable role in hosting public protest and scrutiny, the next it was looking in turns like the temple which Jesus cleansed, or the officious risk-averse ’elf ’n’ safety bureaucracy of urban legend. How could the dean and chapter at St Paul’s have let themselves get into such a position?”

But Lord Carey also questioned the motivation of the protesters, describing their monopoly of Church land as “opportunistic and cynical”.