The Chapter House of Bristol Cathedral is the setting of a 17-minute virtual-reality service for Holy Week, Prayers at the Foot of the Cross. It includes prayers, time for silent contemplation, and music sung by the cathedral choir. The central focus is a replica of the Icon of the Cross from the Taizé Community.
The Canon Missioner, the Revd Jonnie Parkin, said: “It was poignant to pray around an exact replica of an Icon of the Cross that young people from Russia and Ukraine will have prayed around together in more peaceful times.”
It is the second full virtual-reality service to be released by the the Church of England. The first was the Blessing of the Light service from St Stephen Wallbrook, in the City of London, which has received more than 400,000 views on YouTube (News, 12 November 2021)