Noisy worshippers outed by website 

A website "naming and shaming" noisy churches has received an overwhelming response, according to its creators.

The founders of www.noisyparishawards.com have said nearly 1,500 people have visited the site since the end of July.

The site is open to all Christian denominations who might wish to report their frustration at noise and chatting from parishioners supposed to be deep in prayer and contemplation.

The churches featured on the site so far include St Andrew's Cathedral, in Glasgow, the National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception, Washington, US, and the Basilica of St Pius X in Lourdes, France.

The website co-founder, a 29-year-old Roman Catholic IT worker from Lanarkshire who wished to be known only as "Elliot", said the site had been set up as a light-hearted response to growing noise from parishioners.

He said he believed many Roman Catholic priests were privately in favour of the site - but in public would rather not "read the riot act" to parishioners in the face of dwindling congregations.

He said: "As a Catholic, I believe the Lord's presence is in the Tabernacle (in church) and I would love to have that spiritual communion with God but I cannot because of what is going on."

He stressed that the site did not allow attacks on named individuals and was not about targeting the antics of young children - a group he said were welcome in church.

"Kids are going to be kids when they come to church but what is funny is their parents' reactions.

"You often see parents tell kids to sit still and be quiet and then turn round and engage someone else in conversation."

The site message board includes postings from frustrated worshippers including one visitor who reports: "Just back from a noisy Mass.

"In the procession for communion, I overheard a nice story about someone being arrested and charged. How was your Mass?"

But Father Allen Morris, secretary for the committee for Christian Life and Worship at the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, said he feared the website could provoke an "uncharitable" approach.

He said: "People will observe all sorts of situations now very differently from the way they would 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

"There is sometimes a problem when people are gathering for worship when conversations which have begun outside the church carry on into the church and people are not respectful of others who are in prayer.

"My case is that we are probably all guilty of it from time to time, and we need to help one another to be mindful of this in a charitable way."