LAMBETH CONFERENCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 890, 6 February 1930, Page 7

LAMBETH CONFERENCE

MANY IMPORTANT SUBJECTS FOR THE CHURCH

DISESTABLISHMENT AND INDIA The Parliament of the Church of England—the Lambeth Conference — will be in session at Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury', from July' 7 to August 9. This year 300 bishops and archbishops from all parts of the world will attend and some vastly important subjects dealing with the Church will be given full and free discussion. New Zealand will be represented by the Primate, Archbishop Averill, Bishop Cherrington, Bishop West. Watson and Bishop Richards. The Bishops of Polynesia and Melanesia will also be present. The Lambeth Conference meets only once every 10 years, and is attended only by working bishops and archbishops. The first meeting is in Canterbury Cathedral, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury delivers an address. This service is a magnificent one. The dignitaries of the Church all wear their robes and in the dim light of the lovely' old cathedral present a wonderful spectacle. Naturally the public crowds to this service. DISESTABLISHMENT

One of the most important subjects for discussion will be the question of the Disestablishment of the Church. .Discussing this subject today, the Primate, Archbishop Averill, said that as far as he could gather there was no great desire, except among a few, for disestablishment. There was far less today than there was 30 years ago.

In his opinion there was no political party in England today which would move one step Goward disestablishment. Everyone realised that in England the State and the Church had grown up together, and it must be realised that Parliament was really based on the original Church synods and councils.

It would be a far bigger question to disestablish the Church in England than most people imagined. “I feel very strongly that it would be a retrograde step,” said the archbishop. “There should be public and State recognition of religion. Ido not think that the disestablishment of the Church would lead to the benefits some people think it would give. For one thing, I believe the sects in the Church would be more divided.” The primate "thinks that if churchmen will only exercise a little patience the present difficulty with the State will be overcome by an amending measure passed by Parliament. CHURCH IN INDIA Another question, both interesting and serious, which will be discussed by the conference will be that relating to the Church in South India. This question may lead to a serious spilt in the Church and the Church of South India may break away from the Communion.

Ten years ago the Bishop of Bombay declared publicly that if a favourable solution to the present trouble were not reached there would be a break. Some trouble may also emanate from the “extremists” of the Church. These people may be inclined to say that if the bishops of the Lambeth Conference view sympathetically the negotiations which are at present proceeding in South India for a United Church that they (the bishops) are acting contrary to the Catholic Church and that the “extremists” will have to consider their relations with the Church of England. At present all denominations in South India, with the exception of the Roman Catholics, are working together as a United Church. All parties agreed to Episcopal Government, but for the next 30 years they desire that those who have not been episcopally ordained should not be so ordained. At the end of 30 years the whole question is to be reconsidered —whether all clergy are to be episcopally ordained. It was considered in some quarters that certain irregularities could be overlooked in view of the greater benefits which could be obtained from a United Church. DIVORCE AND YOUTH Divorce will be another big question for consideration. This will be included under the subjects: Marriage, Sex, Race, Education and Government and Peace and War. The primate considers that a new subject: “Youth and Its Vocation,” should be productive of interesting discussion. This is the first time it has appeared on the agenda paper of the conference, and has been placed there largely by the suggestion of the Bishop of Ripon, who is New Zealand’s representative in London on the consultative body of the conference. Very important questions of organisation, including the development of the Church in China and the proposed East African and Mediterranean Provinces, will also be discussed. Although there will be no subjects individually touching New Zealand to be discussed this Dominion will of course be affected by the various conclusions reached at the conference. The Press is not admitted to the Lambeth Conference, but the resolutions passed, after the subjects have been dealt with fully by committees, will be issued for publication. At the end of the conference the reports and resolutions are published in book form. An invitation has been issued to all bishops and archbishops attending the conference who are in London on June 25 to be present at the reopening of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The King is expected to be present and the Archbishop of Canterbury will preach. This will he the second time Archbishop Averill has attended a Lambeth Conference. In the various processions at the conference the bishops take their places in the order of the seniority of their consecration. At the last conference the primate was in the middle of the procession—this time he will take his place at the end with the archbishops.