Archbishop Spends Sunday Night with Clubbers

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, spent his Sunday night debating religion with young people in a Cardiff nightclub.

Dr Morgan was invited to join the debate by Solace, the "church in a bar", to talk to clubbers at Dempsey's.

Some 50 people attended the question and answer session called 'Is Religion Bad?' over a few drinks. Following the session, Dr Morgan said some of the questions he faced were "quite hard-hitting".

He said he had never believed that pubs should be closed on Sundays.

"Some of the best debates and conversations young people have these days are at nightclubs and Solace offers a great alternative for those looking to combine a fun night out with stimulating chat in a responsible atmosphere," said Dr Morgan.

"There was no drunkenness at all. (Being in the club) helped them relax and we talked about religion.

"Now if the church can reach out to people who ordinary churches can't reach then that's a very good thing I think."

Dr Morgan said among the group attending the debate were some people he had confirmed into the church.

But he added: "There were some people there who were certainly on the fringes, some people who professed to be atheists, some people had come from the pub downstairs."

The Archbishop said the nightclub discussion, held every month in either Dempsey's or Clwb Ifor Bach, was a modern response to Christianity.

There were no nightclubs where he grew up, said Dr Morgan, but "every generation must do things in a different kind of way".