Condemnation belongs to the Devil — it fosters extremism

On the eve of his retirement, Bishop of London Richard Chartres explains why today, more than

ON THURSDAY evening there will be a farewell service at St Paul’s Cathedral for the retiring Bishop of London, Richard Chartres. Less conventionally, there will be a “pop-up cathedral” celebration next door at Paternoster Square, scene of the Occupy demonstration in 2011. The anti-capitalist protesters wanted to occupy the Stock Exchange but failed to storm it, so occupied the area round St Paul’s, causing the suspension of services at the cathedral. Chartres says in hindsight that some protesters were genuine, others “there for a punchup”.

The pop-up service is a “Christian demo”, a gesture to the modern world from a church leader perplexed by aspects of it, who says he prefers to live the Christian message rather than be a “salesman for God”. He is retiring after more than 20 years because Parliament says bishops must retire at 70. He says he feels ready, wanting time for the contemplation that he believes is lost in our hyper, urban existence.

“We are communicating very swiftly but crudely,” he says in a sonorous bass voice that is capable of filling the cathedral. “Words are shorn from relationships. I think that is very dangerous. We can add immense fuel to the flames by hitting back, rebutting. I think we should rediscover the Christian tradition of reticence.

“I do think there is a lot of darkness around, I am not blind to it. It is a time o f p ro mi s e , w i t h technological possibilities and enormous peril. The technology itself produces the peril because of its effect on people.”

He explains that the combination of rapid communication and political and economic turmoil is combustible. There is a need for a more proportionate timescale, “a deeper sense of now”. “The great problem is short-termism

‘I’m delighted at the idea that Theresa May has a moral compass. Her Trump speech was remarkable’

in politics and wider parts of life. Christians see themselves as part of a divine drama and that diverts the pressure of the moment. And it is that pressure which causes panic. It is an immobilising pressure of responding to everything: a ticker-tape existence where every passing moment is hyped, you accentuate the conflict and the effect. We have a spaciousness to inhabit. The story moves on. We are next-worldly. The teaching of Jesus Christ urges us to grow. ‘Deeper now’ is crucial, it gives people freedom and relieves them of the immobilising pressure of responding to everything.”

This sense of hyper-politics is perhaps exemplified by the tweeting of Donald Trump. We are speaking just as Theresa May is meeting the new US President. What does the bishop make of him after an inauguration in which he attacked his enemies and made multiple references to God? Is Trump a salesman f o r G o d ? Wh a t is his brand of Christianity?

The bishop’s voice descends to new, rich depths: “I have learned really that condemnation belongs to the Devil. I think that if you go round smiting people, what tends to happen is they become even more extreme than they were before. So I find it impossible to believe that Jesus Christ would approve of erecting new barriers between people and in any way demeaning any sections of the community. So I would certainly have some questions.”

How i s Theresa May, a v i c a r ’s daughter, faring in the presence of a smiter? The bishop is delighted to see the media’s interest in May’s Christian upbringing. “If the suggestion is that she has a moral compass, then I am delighted. I do think her speech was remarkable. It wasn’t sycophantic, it was drawing attention to areas where Mr Trump may have a point. For instance that America has thrown a shield over much of the rest of the world and it is about time everyone invested in their own defence. So I wouldn’t want to dismiss the new atmosphere. I think it was a wise and