Cathedrals go corporate

Up to 500 business people are paying £50 each to dine at candlelit tables in the nave of Ripon Cathedral, founded by the aristocratic St Wilfrid, while the choir sings.

This new enterprise by the increasingly wordly guardians of the Church of England's increasingly costly cathedrals is aimed at raising funds for Ripon's leaking roof. Success is likely to lead to further commercial hiring, including perhaps such events as the annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

Quite a contrast to the situation further east, where a recent concert at Haghia Sophia drew heated denunciations from Muslim and Orthodox clerics alike (and wouldn't you know it -- I can't find the link!)

Posted by David on July 9, 2003 7:23 PM