Bono has declared that he is not a man of the cloth, "unless that cloth is leather". But the words of the charismatic U2 front man are nevertheless ringing out from pulpits across the United States. The Irish rock band's songs and lyrics are being used by the Episcopal Church in so-called "U2 Eucharists" as a means of attracting young people who relate to the group's social activism.

"If the sound's an issue, we do have earplugs available," he said. Ushers handed out complementary ear plugs and fluorescent glow sticks for this "U2 Eucharist," a communion service punctuated by the Irish band's rock music. In Episcopal parishes from California to Maine, believers are weaving U2's Biblically laced music into the denomination's traditionally formal liturgy.