LONDON (CWNews.com) - Britain's Catholic showcase millennium celebration is under threat due to lack of interest. With only six weeks to go, thousands of places are still available for the event planned to place at the National Exhibition Center, Birmingham, on May 29.

    The focal point of the event, the largest Mass since Pope John Paul's visit to Britain in 1982, has cost 90,000 British pounds to stage and is to be attended by 30 bishops. But organizers say that, despite an extensive publicity campaign, the event has attracted minimal support from Catholics in England & Wales.

    "We're disappointed to find that a number of parish priests and lay people still don't know about the event," organizer John Barrie told today's Catholic Times. "I feel it is time for the Catholics of the country to stand up and be counted, to give thanks for 2,000 years of Christ. We've provided an opportunity for a mass demonstration of faith. Now priests and lay people need to feel a sense of obligation."