Anglican Attitude On Marrying Divorcees

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28399, 4 October 1957, Page 13

Anglican Attitude On Marrying Divorcees

(Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, October 2. The Lower House of the Convocation of Canterbury today passed a resolution supporting a statement on marriage and divorce made by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Geoffrey Fisher) to the Uoper House yesterday Dr. Fisher said that clergymen who married divorced persons in their churches did so at their own “spiritual peril." even though the law of the land said that they might legally do so. Moving today’s resolution, the Dean of Winchester, the Very Rev. E. G. Selwyn. said they had had nearly 20 years’ experience of the greater part of these resolutions which had now become an act. There were signs that the idea of what was the Church’s discipline in this matter had got across very clearly into the minds of the public. “Possibly, it has got across more definitely into the minds of the public than into the minds of certain of the clergy.’’ he added The resolution called on the clergy to give, the act their loyal and unstinted allegiance in word and deed It was passed with orily one member voting against it Later, Dr Fisher told members of the Lower House that he greatly valued the passing of the resolution, which had made it perfectly clear that in whatever he had said yesterday he was not misrepresenting the mind of the Church on this particular matter

The 70-year-old “rebel’* rector of Kirton. Suffolk, the Rev. William Weir, made an offer today to the divorced people of Britain who want to be married in church according to the “Daily Express.” “If they have a good case, 1 *ill put them up free of charge •t my rectory so they can get married—if they can’t get married

locally.” he said. “I will make no special charge for the service.” He talked of a “strategicallyplaced force of clergymen” throughout the country who were also prepared to marry divorced couples Dr. Arthur Morris. Bishop of St. Edmunds-Bury and Ipswich, in whose diocese Mr Weir’s parish lies, told the “Daily Express” that he had no intention of bringing pressure to bear on the rector, or imposing any form of discipline. Tonight, Canon Bryan Green, the outspoken rector of Birmingham. said: “It is not true to say that the overwhelming majority of the clergy want remarriage in church of divorced people banned “It should be perfectly clear that there are a very large number of people indeed who are distressed by the narrow uncharitable viewpoint expressed in the new Act of Convocation ” “Sham” Godparents Canon C B. Mortlock (London) was loudly applauded in the Lower House of the Convocation when he declared: “I would rather have no godparents at all than godparents who are a sham and who are simply there as a social convention and no more.” He was speaking on an amendment. which was defeated, to a canon on baptism governing godparents and sponsors. The amendment would haVe barred godparents and sponsors who had not been confirmed The House approved amend ments that godparents ought to be practising communicant members of the Church of England or of some other church in communion therewith: that they should have been baptised: and that one of them at least should have been confirmed, though the minister should have power to dispense with this qualification.