Holding steady

On this graphic's last outing, the US and the European part of the former Soviet bloc were the hot spots. Now, with the new variant fuelled wave coming on fast, the European Union makes it three. Russia does not seem to figure at all. World daily deaths having now held fairly steady for a couple of months, running something above the 7,000 we had at the first peak, back in April 2020.

The graphic itself (when viewed on the FT website that is) has got more whizzy with little pop-ups appearing for the mouse location telling you what is going on at that particular spot. Thing like: 'Week ending February 10 2021. 12,805 average daily deaths globally, including 2830.5 in US'. On which I offer two observations. First, the figure for the US might sensibly have been rounded to the nearest unit. Indeed, given the shakiness of the figures generally, rounding to the nearest hundred might have been appropriate for pop-ups. Perhaps with a pointer to an Excel worksheet containing the raw data for those who like that kind of thing. Second, I hope they don't fall into the Wikipedia trap of over-engineering the graphic. It can become irritating rather than informative.

However, the topic for breakfast this morning was not the plague, but rather the function of cathedrals. What are these large and impressive but generally empty buildings for? Prompted by BH's early morning viewing of a television programme about choir holes and trumpet holes in the west front of Wells Cathedral. And I now know that the idea was to provide heavenly musical accompaniment to religious festivals which were important enough to take place out front. Of which more in due course.

At the time many of our cathedrals were built, they were an assertion of secular rather than ecclesiastical wealth, power and authority. Many of them also served as the place of worship of a monastic community. All of them served to glorify God in heaven and his senior staff on earth. While now, the monasteries have gone (at least in this country) and while the choirs and their music hang on, congregations have dwindled, to the point where they are much too small for the size of the building - and quite possibly relegated to some side chapel, rather than using the church proper. I dare say a lot of the Trollopian episcopal sinecures have hung on too.

Then there are the ceremonial functions. Marriages and deaths of important people, particularly royal people. Important events in the life of the nation. Functions built on a foundation of faith which is now no longer there, so to that extent, fake.

Then they are let out for various cultural activities, often musical. Often despite the cold and the poor acoustics. But sometimes worth it for the impressive visual backdrop.

Overall, value for money not great.

So one can quite see why many reformed churches have done away with both bishops and cathedrals as having no role in a modern church - although in most of the reformed churches the episcopal function does creep back in other clothes. A big church - in the sense of a community rather than a building - does need to be organised and that is very much part of what bishops and their staffs do.

After breakfast, I turned to reference 2, which provides some historical background, but does not get to the meat of the matter. Then to the horse's mouth, that is to say reference 3, from where I am directed to reference 4. So the Church of England is clearly aware that there is a problem here.

And a few minutes with the report at reference 4 has reminded me of the heritage role of cathedrals. They attract lots of visitors, the number of which, it seems, is growing. They provide a rallying point for the faith. And speaking for myself, part of the point of visiting cathedrals, something which we do whenever opportunity offers, perhaps two or three times a year, is that they are still, at least after a fashion, working buildings. Living relics of something which was once important. I don't think we would visit them as much if they were turned over to some Historic Buildings operation and run as tourist attractions, complete with immersive, interactive experiences. With children perhaps being invited to play at being a bishop or a monk for an hour or so.

To be continued.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/10/optics.html.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral.

Reference 3: https://www.churchofengland.org/.

Reference 4a: Church of England: Cathedral Working Group: Final report - Rt. Revd. Adrian Newman, Very Revd. Vivienne Faull, Mrs Julie Dziegiel and others - 2018.

Reference 4b: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/Cathedrals%20Working%20Group%20-%20Final%20Report_0.pdf.

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