Is it crazy to play golf inside a cathedral?

WORSHIPPERS at Rochester Cathedral have the temporary benefit of access to a crazy golf course in its nave (Mail). Anglican leaders hope such attractions will appeal to younger people and help increase the congregation. But shallow innovations are one-minute wonders that don’t capture hearts and minds. Though gimmicks may provide short-term interest, younger people crave and respond to inspired leadership and worthwhile causes.

NEIL KELLY, Hove, E. Sussex.

I VISITED Rochester Cathedral last week and the nave was buzzing with people playing crazy golf. They experienced the warmth of the cathedral’s welcome and realised it isn’t an austere and alien place, encouraging them to return. A secular

use of the space is nothing new. The nave has always been cleared in August and hosted many art exhibitions and floral festivals, while normal services are held in the Quire.

Mrs U. V. MELHUISH, Rochester, Kent.

MINI-GOLF in a cathedral is totally out of place. That this is considered suitable is a sad reflection on the Church authorities who permitted it. Whatever next? Clearly anything you like.

DOUG JENNINGS, Mickleton, Glos.

I AM all for anything that brings the public to a church or cathedral as long as it does not prevent worship and there is also a quiet space for visitors to sit or kneel. Many churches are being made available for secular gatherings and events as people begin to realise they

won’t be houses of prayer if they are closed down.

NEVILLE MORTON, Wendover, Bucks.

AS A golfer raised as a Christian, I see the golf in Rochester Cathedral as a felicitous union of the sacred and profane. However, some modification of golfing terminology is needed. How about renaming a hole in one as a pope; an albatross, an archbishop; a birdie, a bishop; a par, a vicar; a bogey, a venial sin; and a double bogey, a mortal sin?

TERRY CARTER, Edlesborough, Bucks.

THE golf course in Rochester Cathedral shows just how far this country and the Church has sunk in its reverence and respect for God. A church is for worship and prayer, not entertainment.

ROBERT TUCK, Wimborne Minster, Dorset.