Cathedrals are fun - there's loads to do in them, says Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (right) during the Christmas Day service at Canterbury Cathedral.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (right) during the Christmas Day service at Canterbury Cathedral. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA

Lengthy services, solemn events and uncomfortable pews mean most people might not associate cathedrals with fun but the Archbishop of Canterbury is adamant they're the best places to find it. 

"Cathedrals are fun," he told the National Cathedrals Conference in Manchester Cathedral via video message. "If you can't have fun in a cathedral, do you really know what fun is? There's just so many things you can do in a cathedral."

He said that while Dean of Liverpool he had organised a Halloween service which involved one of the canons in the cathedral being wheeled in in a coffin. 

The style of the service led to people who wouldn't normally come to church attending the event, and they were "profoundly touched" by it, he said. 

"You must have fun in cathedrals. God has given them as places of celebration and joy and good news. You're good news for your community, you're good news for the church, you're places that do exciting, imaginative things," he told attendees.

While Dean of Liverpool, the Archbishop had organised a Halloween service which involved one of the canons in the cathedral being wheeled in in a coffin
While Dean of Liverpool, the Archbishop had organised a Halloween service which involved one of the canons in the cathedral being wheeled in in a coffin Credit: MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH/REUTERS

Cathedrals have been the site of striking artistic projects including Salisbury's installation "Les Colombes", by Michael Pendry, which involved 3,000 origami doves, and Peterborough Cathedral has recently played host to Tim Peake's Soyuz space capsule, boosting visitor numbers by 600 per cent year on year. 

In a video interview recorded by students at Manchester College, he added: "I don't want people to be bored. I want them to have fun. 

"Cathedrals are about God, God is incredibly exciting, until we take all the excitement out and then you don't get God, you just get boredom.

"I want people to be really excited about God, about Jesus Christ, and then be really excited about the role of cathedrals."

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