Five days after one of Britain's great churches, London's Westminster Abbey, was seen on television by millions as the site of a royal wedding, the Church of England released statistics showing that weekly attendance at its 43 cathedrals rose by seven percent in 2010.
"Attendance at services outside Sundays has grown more significantly by 10 percent over the past year ... Steady growth since the beginning of the millennium is encouraging cathedrals to explore the unique position they hold in the life of the nation and is restoring confidence in mission," commented the Rev. Lynda Barley, head of research and statistics at the Archbishops' Council, in a news release.
About 15,800 adults and 3,100 children and young people attend Sunday services at cathedrals, while over the whole week the figures rise (by 73%) to 27,400 and 7,600 respectively. Westminster Abbey -- which is not a cathedral, but a "royal peculiar" under the direct supervision of the monarch-- adds, on average, 1,800 people each week to those numbers.
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