Tomorrow morning Worshippers at St Paul’s Cathedral will be able to freely enter the building and hear the words of the preachers during several services. This is in marked contrast to last Sunday when the building was closed due to precautions being taken to protect the building and worshippers from the encampment of protesters outside. I have checked the website and there are no details regarding the chosen passages for the readings at any of these services. However I suspect that none of the texts chosen for any of the sermons will include 2 Corinthians 8:16-24. This passage refers to the way in which finances will be dealt with by St Paul and some of his colleagues’ and includes the following verse:

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

The challenge for the authorities at the Cathedral is that the building exists in a context where its significant running costs let alone ongoing maintenance depends in large part on trading and donations. This is true for all of our Cathedrals and is unlike the situation in some of our near neighbouring countries in Europe where the state supports these iconic buildings. The source of the funds for St Paul’s was mentioned in passing this week in Parliament by Bernard Jenkin MP who chairs the Public Administration Select Committee and was scrutinising the work of the Charity Commission. He pointed out that St Paul’s depends extensively on donations from the city institutions that surround the building.

Recent reports have indicated that the Cathedral has been critical of these institutions, just as the demonstrators are. However as all charities know, it is very difficult to bite the hand that is feeding you. We live in a world that is very unequal. The levels of inequality in our society which were shown in 2009 to be very high (Unequal Societies) have become even more unequal this week with the announcement that executive pay has risen by nearly 50% whilst that for employees at large by little more than 2% (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15487866). This is of course a challenge for all in our society (apart it seems from Martin Sorrell and friends – http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/28/martin-sorrell-defends-pay-rises-for-executives) who understand the damage that such distorted links between work and reward create. It should have raised grave concerns for the clergy at St Paul’s but perhaps it is most challenging for the Prime Minister who depends on some of these individuals for their donations to his party just like the Cathedral does, but who claims to represent the Millions of people whose income has moved in the opposite direction to Sir Martin. David Cameron is understood to attend a local Church of England church on a regular basis, when at home in Witney. I suspect that 2 Corinthians chapter 8 will not be the text for David and Samantha tomorrow either wherever they are staying, however at some stage he and the congregation at St Paul’s will hear the words above. Perhaps it is time to change the way in which we fund our large Cathedrals as well as for us to clean up the funding of our political parties. This will then allow decisions to clear demonstrators and challenge pay levels to take place in a context that is not open to the criticism that this weeks decisions must surely be.