Bishop Defends Ban By Mothers’ Union

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 7

Bishop Defends Ban By Mothers’ Union

(‘The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND, August 26. The Bishop of Auckland (the Rt Rev. E. A. Gowing) has defended the stand of the Anglican Mothers’ Union in not admitting divorced persons to its membership. Speaking at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Mothers’ Union of All Saints’ Church, Ponsonby, the bishop said the union had been “under fire” recently in England and New Zealand because of its stand on the permanence of marriage. “It is sometimes said that its rules are too strict,” he said. “But it needs to be pointed out to the critics that it is simply upholding the teaching of the Church.

“Our Church teaches the lifelong nature of marriage, and in doing this it believes that it is witnessing to Christ’s teaching. “At this point the Church and the Mothers’ Union are as one. “But the Mothers’ Union does not admit those who have been divorced. Does this also apply to the Church? The answer is not a simple yes or no.” . The bishop said it was true that the Church encouraged the divorced to continue to come to church and always sought to help them in every way it possibly could. “Yet” he added, “it is also true that the Church, in an attempt to be loyal to our Lord’s teaching, says that those who marry contrary to the law of the Church should be regarded as subject to the discipline of the Church with regard to Holy Communion. “Lambeth says that their admission lies within the discretion of the bishop. “I may say now that whereever I am convinced of the sincere desire for the grace of the Sacrament, approval is always given.” In an age where there were more broken homes and divorces than ever before, he believed it was a thoroughly good and commendable thing that there should be a society within the Church that con-

tinued to maintain the Church’s standards at the highest level. However, the Mothers’ Union was only one organisation in the Church and there were usually guilds and bodies which those who had been divorced could readily join.