CHURCHES AND VIETNAM Chaplain Criticises ‘Pacifist’ Views

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31501, 16 October 1967, Page 24

CHURCHES AND VIETNAM Chaplain Criticises ‘Pacifist’ Views

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 15. A Royal New Zealand Navy chaplain, Chaplain R. H. McKenzie, criticised today what he described as the lack of a clear lead and the pacifist nature of statements made by the churches on Vietnam.

He said the churches wanted peace at any price, regardless of justice.

Chaplain McKenzie was speaking at the annual Trafalgar Day remembrance service, attended by Auckland sea cadets and the Navy League in the Chapel of St Christopher, H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel. “The churches don’t seem to be giving a clear lead and in fact in many cases are adding to the confusion with a fear of strong statements,” he said. “They make statements of a pacifistic nature which leave us all wondering if they have taken all the factors into consideration. “They are saying in effect that war is wrong and evil, and, taken by itself, 1 would be happy to agree with them. “But sometimes a war may be the lesser of two evils. Such is the case in South Vietnam.” said Chaplain McKenzie. “I had hoped that church leaders more able than myself would have spoken out on such issues," he said. “Here today in St Christopher’s there may be feelings of dis-

satisfaction over these statements of recent days from church leaders and you are asking for a clear lead.” Chaplain McKenzie said that the World Council of Churches had passed a badlyworded or ill-considered statement on Vietnam, censuring the United States. “But no parallel motion was passed condemning the Communist infiltrating tactics,” he said. “Had there been I would have been much happier and possibly not raised the issue.” He said that on a recent television programme a spokesman for the National Council of Churches had said that New Zealand churches were opposed to sending troops to South Vietnam because all the churches round the world were In opposition and the New Zealand decision represented the popular thinking of the day. “The spokesman has been misled by popular thinking. Since when has the church followed the voice of popularity? The church that does soon ceases to be a respected church. ‘Now, because God is love, there are some who claim that peace takes priority over

justice, and this finally comes down to ‘peace at any price.’ “Those who support this view seem unable to distinguish between the peace, socalled, derived from giving in to tyranny, and the peace that is spoken of in the Bible and associated with the Kingdom of God.

“I believe you can’t have true peace without first having justice. “In Vietnam the allies are involved because they wish to see justice carried out. By contrast the Hanoi regime is geared to prevent the very possibility of justice being carried out, because there is no place in the Communist concept of justice for genuine freedom of expression and political choice,” said Chaplain McKenzie. “Those who support peace at virtually any price are in effect committing themselves to the policies of Ho Chi Minh regardless of what may happen to those living in the south,” he said.