Can you still use a church or place of worship as a sanctuary from the law? Like in the Iron Maiden song or The Hunchback of Notre Dame? We were wondering about it this morning as we read about Father Malcolm Hunter who has taken to the rooftop of St Michael's in Camden Town. Not because he can laugh at the wind, howl at the rain, down in the canyon or out on the plain (although with the 21st century's progressive Church we bet he can do any of that) or has fallen head over frock for some Esmeralda type tart. He's just trying to save the roof under his feet so that others will have a roof over their heads:
With only a radio, mobile, waterproofs and toothbrush, he will be reliant on passers-by for food and water. He aims to raise £100,000 towards a new roof so the church can continue to be a shelter for the area's homeless.
Despite having his own costume we can't take the piss too much out of this singular father4justice, but the BBC seem bewildered that he'd do such a thing during a "crunch World Cup England match". Whatever that is.
The good news is that if Father Hunter can raise the £100,000 by the big J's next birthday then the Heritage Lottery Fund will cough up another £350,000 towards a new roof. Which parallels the plot of William Golding's The Spire - apart from the man of God in that was struck down with cancer of the spine and his church became a pagan travesty. Does anyone read Golding any more apart from Lord of the Flies? Darkness Visible has some great London scenes in it and... oh yeah the priest.
He'll be up there for ten days and nights so if you're around the area at say 3am and vomiting in the vicinity be sure to shout up a cry of support.
