"THE ABODE OF LOVE'"

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 451, 9 March 1909, Page 5

"THE ABODE OF LOVE'"

RETRIBUTION. REV. J. H. SMYTH-PIGOTT UNFROCKED [Bt TELIGUAPH—rEISS ASSOCIATION— COI'TRICII t.) London, March 7. An impressive ceremony took place yesterday .at Wells. Somerset, when the Bishop of Bath and Wells (Dr. Kennion). unfrocked the- Rov. John Hugh Smyth-Pigo.tt, head of the Agapcmonites, a "religious" sect, the headquarters of which is "The- Abode' of Lovo" at Spaxton, Somerset. Pigott did not appear. It was a sombre and impressivo ceremony, the first of its kind held at Wells for a thousand years-

THE FORM OF DEPRIVATION. To unfrock a clergyman is to deprive him of ecclesiastical rank or authority. The order of priesthood is, from the Church's point of view, indelible; that is to say, a priest cannot at his pleasure throw off his sacred character, though for misconduct he may be degraded from it. . The ancient ceremony of unfrocking a priest, according to Philliniore, the well-kn»wn ecclesiastical lawyer, is as follows:—The priest is brought into the Church having on his sacred robes and having in his hand some vessel, instrument, or ornament appertaining to hjs order, as if he were about to officiate in his function. Then tho Bishop publicly takes away from him one by one the said instruments and vestments belonging to his office, saying to this effect: "This and this we take from thee, and do deprive thee of the honour of priesthood"; and, finally, in taking away the last sacerdotal vestment, saying thus: "By the authority of God Almighty, the Father, tho Son, and the Holy Ghost, and of us. we do take from thee the clerical habit, and do depose, degrade, despoil, and deprive thee of all order, benefit, and privilege of the clergy." There must be move than one bishop present at the ceremony of the unfrocking of a priest. In tho case of Hr. Smyth-Pigott, the cable states that he was not present, and the above form would, of course, have to be modified accordingly. "Agapemone" (the "Abode of Love") was founded in 1845 by Henry James Prince, who was born in 1811 and died in 1899. It is recorded that he "claimed to bo an incarnation of the Deity," and that "his deluded followers, formerly persons of property, lived in common, professing to devote themselves to innocent recreation, and to maintain spiritual marriage." The mantle of Prince fell on the shoulders of John Smyth-Pigott, who was a clergyman in the Church of England. He claimed to be the Messiah, and his acis S aTe rise to riotous scones at Clapton. From time to time scandalous stories have been current abont tho doings at the "Abode of Love/' Spaxton. SmythPigott was recently adjudged guilty of immorality, and on January 27 the Bishop of Bath and Wells pronounced him "incapable of holding preferment." Surprise was expressed at tha time that Smyth-Pigott was not unfrocked —which punishment has now overtaken him.