The Bishop of Bradford has taken a light-hearted look at predictions that the world will end on the very day of his enthronement at Bradford Cathedral.

According to a group of Christ-ians who are travelling across America on buses emblazoned with the ‘good news’, the world will end on Saturday.

“The End of the World is Almost here! The Bible Guarantees It…It begins on May 21, 2011,” the message from the Family Radio ministry reads.

The imminence of Judgement Day coincides with the enthronement of the tenth Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend Nick Baines.

How does he react to the prophecy? “Announcing the end of the world is a bit risky, but it still comes over as bad news,” the cleric known as the blogging bishop says on his latest blog, Musings of a Restless Bishop.

“Saturday May 21 is the day I am due to be ‘put in’ at Bradford Cathedral to begin my public ministry in the Diocese of Bradford.

“I’m just not sure now if we should proceed with all the preparations, if we are about to expire along with the rest of the planet…”

With his tongue in his cheek, he adds: “My enthronement starts at 2.30pm… If the world isn’t going to end until, say, 7pm, that might put a different complexion on the matter.

“But, if it is due to happen at, say, 10am, we might as well save the money and time.”

Preparations for Saturday’s historic event are not going to be changed, even though the believers in Armageddon say if it doesn’t happen this week it is bound to occur before the end of the year.

The Bishop commented: “That’s the trouble with dodgy prophets: never precise, never consistent.

“On balance, I think we’ll go ahead in Bradford on May 21.”

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