Bid To Change Anglican Church Hierarchy

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32352, 18 July 1970, Page 13

Bid To Change Anglican Church Hierarchy

(N Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, July 16. A Liberal barrister peer wants the House of Lords to remove the special privileges that the Anglican Church has enjoyed under British law for more than 400 years. Lord Grantchester, aged 76, an Anglican himself but also a personal friend of Pope Paul, said today that he hoped to present a private member’s bill implementing far-reaching changes which would make the Church a private institution. The bill would end the tradition which makes the British Moparch the statutory

head of the Church under the s Act of Supremacy, which 1 came into force under Queen i Elizabeth I in 1558. “I want us to accept that ! it is much more important [ for the Queen to say that < she and her family believe * in the Church, and support t it, rather than that she t should be, under some ( statute, its supreme governor,” Lord Grantchester said. < “That cannot be defended, t If there is a supreme gover- ’ nor, I suppose it is God.” i Lord Grantchester’s bill s would also remove the Monarch’s —but, in reality, the I ruling Government’s—power i to create bishops. t The ancient system by ( which 26 bishops have seats i in the House of Lords on a f seniority principle would go 1 after the deaths of the pre-H

sent holders, although some bishops would sit as life peers. Lord Grantchester said that his bill, which he hopes to present when the Lords reconvenes later this year, would help to remove the remaining discriminations between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. “I have talked to the Cardinal” (Cardinal Heenan, Archbishop of Westminster), “about this, and he has approved,” Lord Grantcnester said. “Indeed, why should not he be invited to bold a seat in the Lords, together with the Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland? After all, we already have Donald Soper.” (Lord Soper is a leader of the Methodist, Church in Britain.)