(LifeSiteNews) — Canterbury Cathedral, the site of the first Catholic cathedral on the British Isles and destination for millions of Christian pilgrims, has hosted a two-night “silent disco” serving alcohol to revelers in headphones.
The events, described in advance by one Catholic writer as “dancing on the grave” of the martyred Saint Thomas Becket, took place on the nights of February 8 and 9, and were promoted by the homosexual Dean of Canterbury, who manages the formerly Catholic cathedral.
The current dean is the Very Reverend David Monteith, described by an Anglican news outlet as a “partnered gay priest” with a reported interest in “getting the youth into church.”
His plans for Canterbury Cathedral were outlined in a statement following his appointment by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022:
“Dean Monteith, who is in a civil partnership with David Hamilton said he was ‘overjoyed and humbled’ by his appointment to Canterbury. ‘Canterbury Cathedral has played a vital part in our Christian story in England… I already can see there is much to steward and much to imagine anew as our context reshapes.’
Canterbury Cathedral is described by the Church of England as the “Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury & World Heritage Site.”
It is the place at which the Catholic faith was first established in England, built on a church founded by St. Augustine, who arrived in 597 AD.
The “reshaping” of the “context” of Canterbury Cathedral comes after similar stunts to broaden the appeal of sacred buildings beyond their purpose, with the Church of England installing a crazy golf course in Rochester Cathedral in 2019, and a helter skelter in Norwich Cathedral in the same year.
Now, the organizer of protests and a petition against the cathedral discos warns that this is just the beginning, as the Church of England has plans to host discos in a further 12 cathedrals.
Protests by an ‘extreme minority’
Medical doctor and Christian Dr. Cajetan Skowronski initially led protests in Canterbury against the events. Speaking ahead of the raves, Skowronski told KentOnline:
While respectful of our right to protest, the Dean [of Canterbury Cathedral] was dismissive of our petition, stating that we were an extreme minority – for not wanting an alcohol-fueled rave to the music of Eminem in God’s house.
An updated petition against the desecration of Canterbury Cathedral alerts signatories to plans to extend the silent discos to cathedrals throughout England. The petition, also started by Skowronski, has almost 2,000 signatures.
In it, Skowronski warns:
CANTERBURY WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING. MORE GREAT ENGLISH CATHEDRALS ARE TURNING INTO NIGHTCLUBS.
THE DESECRATION WILL NOT STOP UNLESS WE RESIST, WITH PETITIONS AND PRAYERS, TO MAKE THE CLERGY SEE THEIR ERROR AND AWAKEN THE PEOPLE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR SACRED PLACES. [Capitalization in original]
Returning to the Gospel of St. Matthew, Skowronski reminds the reader of the words of Our Lord: “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:12-13)
Skowronski concludes, “Or, in this case, ravers.”
Against Monteith’s aim to “bring the youth in to church,” Skowronski counters that it simply makes a mockery of Christianity.
It will not bring young people closer to Christ, rather it will send the message that Christ and His Church, and all the truth, beauty and goodness it has to offer, are unimportant.
That entertainment deserves our attention more than God. That Christians do not take their faith or their holy places seriously. That Christianity is a lame joke.
KentOnline’s report noted the reaction of other Christian protesters, with one, Tom Alberto, asserting the cathedral is the “very birthplace” of Christianity.
“Saint Augustine landed here almost 1,500 years ago, it’s going to see a rave inside there tonight,” he continued.
Alcohol is going to be served and music – it’s the very opposite of holy.
It’s profane it is going to be played and, frankly, I was quite horrified to see the Church of England, the dean of the cathedral and the Archbishop were giving the okay on this.
KentOnline said “about 15 protesters could be seen under umbrellas… singing several well and lesser-known hymns.”
The protests were undertaken in the defense of the sanctity of the cathedral.
Canterbury Cathedral is the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in 1170. It is not only the destination of what was once the second most popular pilgrimage in Christendom, but represents the foundation of Christianity in Britain.
The Catholic St. Augustine arrived in 597 to found an abbey, the ruins of which pilgrims return to this day. He also built a church – which became Canterbury Cathedral. It is an exceptionally holy place, with 700 healing miracles recorded at Becket’s tomb.
Dancing on a martyr’s grave
The cathedral is now managed by an open homosexual who has claimed “most Christians would support” the desecration of one of the holiest sites of the early Catholic church. This is a predicament which typifies the Anglican Church, according to one Catholic writer.
Speaking of the plans to profane this sanctuary in January 2024, former Church of England clergyman turned Catholic convert Gavin Ashenden described the plight of formerly Catholic holy sites under the management of the Anglicans.
His article in the Catholic Herald was titled, “St. Thomas Becket’s shrine has a fine and sacred story. Now they literally dance around his grave.”
Ashenden noted the growing trend toward the profaning of the sacred sites of Christianity.
“Scarcely a month seems to go by in the United Kingdom without a small scandal relating to a medieval Catholic cathedral sequestrated at the Reformation and now run by the Church of England,” Ashenden writes.
“The current cathedral custodians in different places have resorted to golf courses, helter skelters, risqué film clubs and gin distilleries.”
Lenten abuses
Yet the desecration of the miraculous birthplace of British Catholicism extends beyond these “raves in the nave,” as the Daily Mail described them. Even the New York Post reported on the scandal, noting that the presiding vicar Monteith had assured everyone the discos would be “in good taste.”
Monteith’s concept of taste extends to offering a Holy Week “retreat” package at the Cathedral, which includes a money-spinning “4-night full-board luxury accommodation in our onsite Cathedral Lodge hotel, with full Kentish breakfast, light lunch and sumptuous three-course dinner.”
The retreats offer “opportunities to interact with the Dean of Canterbury, The Very Reverend Dr. David Monteith, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd. Justin Welby.”
Romance on Ash Wednesday
In addition to the ignorance of Lenten penance and fasting in service of profit-making, the Cathedral is also hosting “St. Valentine’s Day Mini-Talks ” – on Ash Wednesday. A tweet from the Canterbury Cathedral account advertising the event reads, “Explore timeless tales of romance, celebrating stories of love through the ages.”
Catholic priest Father Mark Elliott Smith responded on Twitter, asking, “Who runs your Comms department?? Who runs the Cathedral?”
The answer, of course, is a “partnered homosexual.”
Who runs your Comms department??
Who runs the Cathedral?There will be no shortage of people gently pointing out to you that the feast of the martyr St Valentine is pretermitted by a day that some of us call Ash Wednesday, a day of some significance in the Christian calendar.
— Fr Mark Elliott Smith (@MarkElliottSmi1) February 13, 2024
Smith pointed out that Ash Wednesday may hold some other meaning than “tales of romance” for Christians.
“There will be no shortage of people gently pointing out to you that the feast of the martyr St. Valentine is pretermitted by a day that some of us call Ash Wednesday, a day of some significance in the Christian calendar.”
The protests against these desecrations look likely to continue, as the Church of England pursues plans to “reshape the context” of places of Christian worship in Britain – beyond Christianity itself.
You can sign Dr. Skowronksi’s petition “Stop Turning Our Great Cathedrals into Nightclubs” here.