As if a cardboard cathedral were not a sufficiently apt metaphor for the state of western Anglicanism, we now have the soggy cardboard cathedral; nothing to worry about, though, “it’s just cosmetic”:

Sections of an innovative New Zealand cathedral being made from cardboard have gone soggy in the rain, but the project will still be completed next month, the Anglican Church said Friday.

The structure, which has walls made from cardboard tubes, is a temporary replacement for Christchurch’s Anglican cathedral, which was destroyed in a February 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people in New Zealand’s second largest city.

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“It’s nothing to be worried about at all. The builders anticipated this would happen. It’s just cosmetic.”

From here:

The original 1864 cathedral was badly damaged in a major earthquake on February 22, with the bell tower completely destroyed.

A second quake, in June, caused further damage, shattering stained glass panels.

The city has yet to decide on a long-term replacement for the landmark and has commissioned architect Shigeru Ban to create a structure that will be ready by the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and last until the Anglican cathedral can be restored to its original condition.

Tokyo-based Mr Ban has earned a reputation for his use of cardboard – because it is recyclable and surprisingly strong – for large buildings.

It isn’t often such an apt metaphor presents itself: a cardboard cathedral for a denomination with a cardboard faith which will soon have to fill its pews with cardboard cut-out people to maintain the illusion that someone is still interested.