THE POPE AND MAGNA CHARTA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2976, 13 January 1917, Page 10

THE POPE AND MAGNA CHARTA

Sir,—Your correspondent "C.F.," in your i6suc of January 11, tries to introduce into tho above subject irrelevant matters. This is what most practised controversialists do when they aro cornered. That your correspondent has done this will readily appear when . wo look at his concluding paragraph:— "Prior to tho Reformation, was the Church in England subject to tho Pope, or not?" This, your correspondent contends, is tho foundation question to be decided. But I contend, Mr. Editor, that this is not the question at all. "C.F." is one, I should judge, who is practised in all the tricks of controversy, and knows how very tempting to most Anglican clergymen is tho question he proposes. I trust, liowevcr, tliat the JJev. Mr. Whibley will not ho simple enough to fall into the trap. No, the question proposed by "C.F." may bo interesting to some, but to many of us it is of absolutely no importance. Surely th'eiprincipal point in the above controversy is the following: "Was ArcliEishop Langton, in championing tho cause of English liberty in John's reign, acting with, the support of tho Pope, or was he acting independently of tho Pope and really in opposition to the Pope, as shown by subsequent events?" Father Lockingtoil held that Stephen Langton acted 1 simply in his ecclesiastical capacity, and that he had the Roman Church behind him. Mr. Whibley argued, and in my opinion successfully, that Langton did this not as a Roman bishop, but as a leading Englishman contending for English liberties. However, let your controversialists adhere to the above question- and not weary your readers with a long, useless controversy in which the majority of us can take little, if any, interest. —I am, etc., C. BOTJGHTON JORDAN. Methodist Parsonage, Eket-ahuna. January 12,1917.