74. City of London Dialogue - Treasuring Our Cosmopolitan Heritage, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London, 17 November 2023

Eileen and I were invited to a meeting at St Ethelburga’s Centre on Bishopsgate, housing a mission on peace and reconciliation.

The Lord Mayor Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli opened the meeting as a conversation bringing Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives to bear on the rich faith heritage of the City of London.  He asked everyone to consider the challenges and opportunities of contemporary civic interactions.

The dialogue was between Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Imam Dr Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, and Reverend Dr Alan McCormack.

We learnt that St Ethelburga’s is one of the few surviving medieval City churches in London.  The church suffered minor bomb damage during the Blitz of the Second World War and was repaired in 1953. On 24 April 1993, the IRA detonated a bomb right outside St Ethelburga’s. One person was killed, and about 40 people were injured. Damage to the surrounding commercial buildings, including the NatWest tower – then Europe’s tallest building – was massive and 500 tonnes of broken glass were eventually removed. 70% St Ethelburga’s was destroyed and it was not insured. The new Centre for Reconciliation and Peace commenced its work in 2002.

We learnt that there are 50 Christian churches in the City of which five are Catholic.  Before 1666 there were 110.  London’s Jewish community has long roots in the city, reaching back to the 12th century. Though these communities were largely self-contained, medieval Jewish communities faced anti-semitism, including legislation that limited where they could live and Edward I ultimately expelled Jews from England in 1290.  Portuguese Jews had settled in the City by 1606 and Oliver Cromwell invited them back.  As a result of trade with Spain, Venice and Sicily, Muslims have lived and worked in the City for 1000 years.  City architecture reflects Syrian and Saracen building traditions. Trade and business have brought people together and all have prospered through this collaboration.

It was an important history lesson for us all to share.