BACKWARD STEP
IN OUR issue of 8 March, Gavin Stamp complained about the plan of the Bishop of Stepney to close Hawksmoor's great church of St George-in-the-East, which stands in an area full of the problems discussed in Faith in the City. The threat remains but the bishop's plans have changed. As he announced to a recent 'Consultation' with various interested indi- viduals (not from the parish), he now seeks a 'visionary' solution, perhaps making St George's into 'a centre which would tell the story of the Christian faith in Britain.' What must have disconcerted the bishop was that most of those present considered that St George's is a living symbol of faith by being a place of worship. The bishop remains convinced that the building is intimidating despite the fact that it was local people who repaired it after war damage, building a small modern church within the walls equipped with toilets, kitchens and all the other amenities now considered essential. And the local 'com- munity' wants its parish church to stay. The truth is that the diocese never wanted St George's restored and that the bishop himself is partly responsible for its present difficulties. St George's no longer has its own rector, for the present hardworking incumbent has also had to look after St Paul's Shadwell as well as another church, now closed. The constitutional defeatism of the bishop has led him not only to denude this area of both clergy and build- ings but to ignore the fact that, because of the redevelopment of Docklands, its population is again increasing.
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