Cathedral collapse sparks exodus

The damage could costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair

Worshippers at a Ukrainian cathedral in London's Mayfair have been offered space to pray at a Jesuit church after the ceiling of the cathedral collapsed.

The congregation of the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile will worship at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, also in Mayfair.

The damage was discovered on Monday 13 August and is likely to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair.

The Ukrainians are likely to worship in the Farm Street church for some weeks.

Interesting logistics

Jesuit spokesman Ged Clapson said: "It's lucky no-one was in the church when it happened.

"It's going to take 10 to 12 months to repair. That gives you an estimate of the damage."

Farm Street's parish priest Father William Pearsall said: "Our capacity isn't as great as the Ukrainian Cathedral, and we have only limited facilities, so there are going to be some interesting logistics.

"But this is the least we can do to help out our fellow Catholics at this time of crisis."

The two churches belong to the same groups of parishes - otherwise known as a deanery - but their styles of worship are quite different. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is the largest of the Catholic Church's eastern branches.

Mr Clapson said: "The churches are both part of the deanery, and they meet occasionally. It's going to brings us together more closely."