ANGLICAN CHURCH

Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1929, Page 1

ANGLICAN CHURCH

PRAYER ROOK PROBLEM. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). LONDON, July 10. Yet another stage has been reached in the Prayer Book negotiations, when the Convocations of York and Canterbury assembled to debate a motion for giving official sanction to the proposals outlined by the Bishop, cabled on September 28th last year. The Primate, in moving the motion to sanction the Bishops’ proposals, in the Upper House of the Canterbury Convocation, postponed his full statement until he addresses the Lower House.

The Bishop of London, in seconding the motion, made the principal speech. He said that the State had rejected their plans to overcome their difficulties, hut something must be done; or everybody would be a law unto themselves. He denied that they were flying in Parliament’s face. They were not proposing to authorise the 1928 Prayer Book for use in every parish, and it was untrue to say that they were forcing ritual on reluctant congregations, because the Parish Councils must assent thereto. No. solution had ever been satisfactory to the extremists of both sides, especially regarding the Sacrament. The agitation in that connection had wrecked both books. These proposals were only temporary. He hoped that Parliament would yet assent to the new Book'.

The debate, which was adjourned, did not reveal any changes in the individual viewpoints of the Bishops. Bishop Barnes suggested the addition to the motion of a rider to protect the minority Bishops. Dr Temple, Archbishop of York, in moving the motion at the York Convocation, said that the Church might yet have to seek disestablishment, but at present there was no clean-cut conflict between the Church and the State. It was deplorable that any member of the Church should appeal to Parliament against the Convocation. Ho hoped that the next Assembly would appoint a Commission to study the Church’s relations to the State. The Church’s law at present was hardly observed anywhere, and nobody seemed to wish that it should be observed. The Bishops contended that the law should be altered, in order to bring inside the law certain practices which were now outside the law.