St Ignatius church Pic: Paul Melling

A Preston church is to be re-designated as a cathedral by the Catholic church.

The Pope has decreed the Syro-Malabar congregation at St Ignatius church, off Meadow Street, may become a cathedral.

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Preston became a city in 2002 – the Queen’s jubilee year – despite not having a cathedral.

But this will be changed due to Pope Francis’ order.

St Ignatius reopened in 2014 when the Keralan community took over running the church.

The Syro-Malabar order of the Catholic faith has more than 4 million members worldwide and traces its routes back to 52 AD when St Thomas the Apostle reached Kerala, India.

The Bishop of Lancashire Michael Campbell said: “I welcome this exciting news and in particular Bishop Srampickal as the first Bishop of the Eparchy of the Syro-Malabars in Great Britain. I look forward to working with him as a close colleague and friend while he has care of his brothers and sisters throughout the whole country.”

The church, a listed building, has recently been awarded nearly £100,000 towards urgent repairs to its roof.

Do you attend this church? What do you make of the news? Let us know in the comments below