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Thousands sign petition against Canterbury Cathedral's silent disco.

Staff writer  15 February 2024 .

The silent disco at Canterbury Cathedral.(Photo: X)

Over 2,000 people have signed a petition protesting a recent silent disco at Canterbury Cathedral. 

The cathedral was founded by St Augustine in 597 AD and remains an important centre for pilgrimage as the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also the place of the martyrdom of English archbishop Thomas Becket. 

The silent disco featured pop music from the 90s and alcohol was on sale in the building for the event. A silent vigil was held at the same time outside the cathedral by Christian protesters.

Despite the furore, more cathedrals have signed up to host silent discos in their buildings in the coming weeks and months, including Hereford, Leeds, St Albans, Coventry, Sheffield and Manchester. In addition to a silent disco in May, Manchester Cathedral also has a Punk Rock Club night planned for 29 February.

A petition on Change.org called 'Anglican Deans, Stop turning our Great Cathedrals into Nightclubs' has been signed by 2,140 people.

It accuses cathedral deans of desecrating the sacred buildings and says that the place for silent discos is in nightclubs, not cathedrals.

It calls on Christians to voice their opposition and for deans to make their cathedral buildings a house of prayer.  CT.