Church Fears Rosary Fashion Craze

A fashion craze for rosary beads has been criticised by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

After pop star Britney Spears and England footballer David Beckham were both recently photographed wearing them, sales are booming across the UK.

So much so that the Catholic Church fears they are being trivialised and has issued a special leaflet that gives guidance on their use as prayer aids.

Yet one jeweller said they were now more and more seen as fashion items.

Father Allen Morris, secretary of the Catholic Church's department for Christian life and worship, said that while rosary beads "look very nice...it is a great pity if they are only being used as a decoration and not for devotional purposes".

He added that while such celebrities wearing rosary beads were "not doing wicked things and leading us astray, I am sorry that people are wearing them as fashion accessories and are not mindful of their religious significance".

The beads are traditionally used by Roman Catholics to count off prayers.

At jewellery store Aida in Ealing, London, owner Aida Norman said there had definitely been a surge in rosary bead sales over the last year.