Plans by Peterborough Cathedral to hold an Ibiza-themed concert in November are being strongly criticised by clergy across the Church of England.
The night of Ibiza classics is set to take place on All Souls Day and critics say the cathedral has lost confidence in its core mission.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Rev Daniel French who is the vicar of Salcombe said the event was “incongruent with the Christian message…This is not like a Handel concert with cheese and wine in the interval.
“I’m not trying to be a snob, but there you would have the aesthetic, whereas an Ibiza night is going to be pumping out a message of hyper-individualism and sexual licence. That doesn’t feel quite right.
“I would be cynical about clergy saying this is getting people into the church. I don’t believe it is a coherent form of evangelism. A lot of the young adults I am meeting are asking for a faith that is demanding and in many ways more traditional.
“I can’t imagine this happening in a mosque.”
Rev Marcus Walker who's rector of Great St Bart’s in the City of London, said he believes churches could be put to secular use, but only if they’re used to point people towards the Gospel and the cross.
This weekend, the 12th century cathedral hosted the “Queen by Candlelight” live band tribute show. Later in November, it will host the DJ and star of the TV series ‘Red Dwarf’, Craig Charles. In a post on social media, the cathedral described it as “an unforgettable night as he spins an epic DJ set, mixing classic soul, funk, & contemporary hits. Don’t miss it - Tickets on sale now!”
The cathedral's head of marketing and communication Paul Stainton, said that the cathedral's electricity bill had gone up by £120,000 which left it with difficult choices:
“Cathedrals are self-funding – they don’t get anything from the Church of England. If we don’t do other things we wouldn’t be able to survive. We have to use the cathedral as it was intended to be used, which is as a place of worship but also a place of coming together and joy.”
All Souls Day is a day of prayer and remembrance for the departed, observed by Christians on 2 November.