APARTHEID POLICY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29178, 12 April 1960, Page 19

APARTHEID POLICY

“Church Must Oppose It” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, April 11. The South African Government’s apartheid policy was completely opposed to Christianity, and the Christian Church must oppose it, the Anglican Primate of Australia and Archbishop of Sydney (the Most Rev Dr. H. R. Gough) said today. He was speaking on “church and politics,” at a luncheon meeting of the Constitutional Association of Australia. Dr. Gough added that some Christians, however, allowed moral indignation to warp their judgment, for example in the proposed boycott of trade with South Africa. Dr. Gough said: “The coloured people will suffer from that more than the white ones.” Dr. Gough said some aspects of the white Australia policy also were non-Christian, but if millions upon millions of coloured people were allowed to come into Australia, Christians would be outnumbered and Australia, would become un-Christian. “This does not mean I support the white Australia policy,” he added. He believed, according to an old maxim, that “You should take your religion into politics but not allow your politics to influence your religion,” and compromise it. Dr. Gough said the churches had not always carried this out. When the church kept itself isolated from politics and “the things of the world” this was contradicting her foundation, in the incarnation of Christ, when God became man.