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LONDON A senior clergyman resigned Monday over St. Paul Cathedral's handling of anti-capitalist protesters camped outside the iconic church, the second cleric lost in a tense standoff involving God, mammon and their earthly representatives.
Graeme Knowles said his position as dean of the cathedral "was becoming untenable" in the face of mounting criticism of the way St. Paul's has responded to the tent camp that has sprouted outside its entrance.
The protesters, organized by the London offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, have been on the spot for more than two weeks but now face eviction by the City of London, the historic downtown area that is home to Britain's financial district. Officials with the City of London Corp., which owns some of the property, served the demonstrators with orders to leave within 48 hours.
St. Paul's was never the target of the protesters, but when the protesters' original plan to swarm the nearby London stock exchange was stymied by police Oct. 15, they pitched their tents outside the church instead. They've maintained a peaceful, orderly presence.
But church leaders have adopted an increasingly harder line against the camp, while adding that they share many of the social concerns the protesters have raised.
Last week, Giles Fraser, a high-profile cleric who had welcomed the demonstrators, stepped down as canon chancellor because of his colleagues' toughened stance and his fear that the tent camp might be evacuated by force.
