Cathedrals should be places where people can 'slip in' and 'slip out' without being bothered by anyone, the Bishop of Chelmsford has suggested.
The Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell told the National Cathedrals Conference in Manchester this week that people were attracted to cathedrals because they were 'less likely to be pounced on', the Telegraph reports.
While the Church of England has been struggling with a decline in attendance across its 16,000 churches, its cathedrals have been enjoying something of a renaissance.
In stark contrast to regular church services, attendance at cathedral services rose by 17 per cent between 2006 and 2016, with over 11.3m people attending at least one cathedral service in 2016 alone.
Bishop Cottrell suggested lots of people are attracted to cathedrals because of the anonymity they offer.
While cathedrals are popular destinations for tourists as well as those seeking spiritual respite, the bishop said it was important that cathedrals preserve their heritage as a quiet space.
'I think there are thousands and thousands of people who want to come quietly, who even want to come secretly, and it's getting harder and harder to do that in the modern-day bouncy and accessible Church of England,' he said.
'So cathedrals have a special vocation and opportunity to be somewhere that you can slip into unseen and slip out of unseen.'
He also spoke positively about cathedrals offering services that do not make too many demands on those attending.
'It is important to realise that people don't just express their belonging in patterns of attendance, but in what they need spiritually when they attend, and some people need space around them,' he said.
'Somewhere where you're less likely to be pounced on, to be asked to join in, where the worship doesn't need you to say anything.'
