The unwillingness to trace the fruit to the tree and to the root irritated me mightily – The Tablet

29 September 2021, The Tablet

Its an interesting choice by English Heritage to ask Stephen Fry to provide the voiceover for its online effort to get visitors to former monastic sites in its care to undertake an hours contemplation and renewal regardless of your religious belief before closing time. Dont you hate that regardless of religious belief? He read from Aelred of Rievaulxs account of life in the monastery: There was no moment for idleness or dissipation but a marvellous freedom from the tumult of the world.

Mr Fry is something of a poster boy for agnosticism, or possibly atheism; it is heartening that he is susceptible to the holiness of the monastic life. Personally, I wish English Heritage would do more, and offer visitors an occasional proper service, vespers or compline in the ruins, so visitors can embrace an element of the actual monastic life.

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The unwillingness to trace the fruit to the tree and to the root irritated me mightily - The Tablet