Lord Fisher Favours 'Fossil' Revision

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30145, 31 May 1963, Page 11

Lord Fisher Favours 'Fossil' Revision

<IV X press Astn.—Ccvyrigiui LONDON. May 30 The former Archbishop of Caatertrary. Lord Fisher of Lambeth said yesterday the Chureb of England’s 39 Articles of Assent "should certainly be revised.'*

Lord Fishei was commenting in a letter to "The Times >n “he Articles -400-year-olc. doctrinal rules defining the dogma of the Church of England which are printed in the Book of Common Prayer (The Vice - Provost of Southwark Cathedral Canon J D. Pewree-Higgins, protested publicly taM week

against having to assent to the Articles Reuter quoted hum aa saying; They appear to me to be in the nature ot a theological foeeil embedded in the constitution of the Church of England "» Lord Fisher said tn nis letleri

“It is agreed. I imagine by everyone th* while some of the Article* are outdated and unsatisfactory others of them enunctarte principles of vital importance tor the C..urch of Ragland and tor the whole Catholic Church "For that reason It would cause serious mimmdetvtandmg and confusion if the requirement of general aosent

to them were abolished

’They should certainly be revised But that would be a long and arduous task involving consxlenition of some of those doctrines upon which the Church of England and the Church of Rome have differed violently tn the pest and still differ

“Even go. the Convocations hove shown no sign of wishing to run sway from the task."

No-one had proposed in the Convocation that the task of revising the articles should be taken up. Lord Fisher said He continued; “If the ViceProvost of Southwark Cach-

edral wishes H to be taken up at once, hi. right course is to secure that one of the Southwark members should put down a motion to that effect in Convocation 'There is another possibility he might consider The Convocations have a great deal of pressing bueinoM in hand.

“Would tt not help them, and indeed help the ordinary churchman, too. to see the dimension* of the problem if the Vice-Provost got tOdstber a amaU group of sthoierly people ... to work throne the Articles, and prepare tor publicetion a suggested revision?"