A new and interesting development locally is a monthly inter-faith coffee morning. A few of us from different faith traditions go and have coffee together in a local cafe. No agenda. Very relaxed. It is a meeting which includes RC, Presbyterian and Episcopal Christians, the local Immam and someone from a Tibetan Buddhist centre. We are in touch with someone from the local synagogue too, but so far I’ve not met him.
This week was a particularly good meeting. Someone had invited two liaison officers from the local police force – two individuals who work on diversity issues including race, gender, religion etc. One of the most interesting things to come out of the conversation on Tuesday was that of five of us sitting around a table, three of us had had trouble in the streets which had to do with wearing particular clothing associated with religion. In my case, the number of times I’ve had aggressive comments about my collar has meant that I now remove it before walking home.
It does not feel comfortable to have to modify one’s dress in the street in order to avoid trouble, and the police were very keen to point out to all of us that hassling someone because of the way they are dressed is a crime and should be reported every time. It was the fact that this is something that we had in common across faith boundaries which struck me most.
I’m aware of some people who think that the right thing to do is to carry on wearing clerical dress proudly at all times and to take one’s place in the streetscape. In theory I agree with this. In practise, I slip off my collar before I get past one of the local pubs, where there have been drinkers out on the street late at night since the smoking ban came in.
What would you do and what would you have a priest do?
I wear my collar all the time. I’m a priest, and if that offends folk, then tough. I’ve had more slagging from my congregation here than I’ve had on the streets in Dumbarton, but most of my ministry was in Glasgow, and I coped with the ocassional jibe.
I think it’s part of our witness, as priests, and I’ve had many an opportunity to talk about “church” and the Gospel simply because I WAS wearing my collar.
When I go to Ibrox or Parkhead, before entering the Thistle Section, I keep my scarf in my pocket to save the hassle. It would be a shame if priests started to feel they had to put their “scarves in their pockets” when walking about the communities they serve.
Bearing in mind I don’t face such issues, let alone in Glasgow, myself…
`wearing clerical dress proudly at all times’
Yes in principle. That’s a good ideal to hold; I well remember the Cope of Glory photo too.
`crime and should be reported every time’
TBQH I don’t see that working at all. Either the police do nothing and you’re seen as a nuisance, or they do something and you alienate the community.
`one of the local pubs’
I would maximize potential for rational conversation. That sadly includes assessing others’ abilities (impaired by ethanol as may be) and likelihood of aggression leading to jam-on-the-streetscape versus ability to keep Peace.
On balance, maybe wise to allow a few `off’ moments. That’s understandable in some kind of extremis.
I am sure no-one (well not many anyway!!) would want you to risk being set upon and roughed up while walking past a pub late at night. The only safe thing to do is to remove your collar in such circumstances. It is not cowardly,merely sensible.
Ivan, when dressed in a similar fashion – mainly in the daytime it has to be said – has been lucky and up until now has been addressed in a friendly but somewhat drunken manner as “Hello Father” (this is slurred and comes out as one word). They may then want to shake his hand.
As far as I know he has never been asked for money – but I have and both these incidents took place outside the Cathedral on a Sunday and Thursday morning.
The point is that a black suit and clerical collar is, in some minds, a uniform associated particularly with wretched crime against children.
It is not a question for me of pride. It is a question of safety.
For the record, I don’t ever visit any of the local hostelries wearing the Cope of Glory.
(at least, I haven’t yet).
By all means, be safe! I agree that in theory it would be good to ‘wear clerical dress proudly at all times’, but I think common sense and safety are important and I doubt you have shortage of opportunity for useful dialogue where the risks are not so high.
Clerical dress has, of course, changed a great deal over the years. The dog collar is relatively recent.
I was struck by the dress of the priest in the opera that I saw the other night. This was France at the time of the Revolution. Rather fine black velvet clerical knickerbockers, I thought.
However, I suspect that they would get me just as much [unwanted] attention from the regulars at the pub.
Since Liturgy & Worship in seminary, it has often struck me as a bit comical that what is but the remnant of a frilly undershirt and the fact that Jesuits adopted a Mandarin collar on their cassocks while working in China, is now the symbol of ecclesial office.
After the Mexican Revolution, which was actually a civil class war, the backlash against the church brought about anti-clerical laws making it illegal for priests and religious to wear religious garb on the street. This has since changed in my lifetime.
I say do what you need to do to be safe.
” … Rather fine black velvet clerical knickerbockers …….. I suspect that they would get me just as much [unwanted] attention from the regulars at the pub. “
And indeed some might say also from some regulars in the Cathedral! I wouldn’t say that, of course, but some might.
Hold on though, I’m just going to poke out my mind’s eye. Thanks for that image Kelvin!
Growing up, I could always distinguish ministers from RC priests by the choice of black shirts with dog-collars, as opposed to the blue of ministers. Perhaps another colour could be used to distinguish episcopal priests (or does your black shoe rule extend to clerical shirts)? There is also the problem that, if clergy wear the collar, then they are obviously constantly “on-call” for spiritual problems even if they are en route to a pub or whatever. Safety first 🙂
Also, could someone kindly point me to the Cope of Glory? I assume it is an inside joke and I am curious.