Political interference by Churches denied

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33068, 8 November 1972, Page 12

Political interference by Churches denied

Churches were not showing partiality in arranging political meetings nor were they engineering political interference, the associate general secretary of the National Council of Churches (the Rev. R. M. O’Grady) said.

He was commenting on views expressed by the member of Parliament for Ashburton (Mr C. C. A. McLachlan) reported in the "Speaking to Candidates” column in “The Press” on Saturday. Mr O’Grady said that Mr McLachlan had made some strong allegations of political interference by the Church and that, taken at face value, the accusations were completely false and should be withdrawn.

I “His suggestion that the churches are engineering young people to ‘give the politicians hell’ is so absurd that it borders on the ridiculous,” Mr O’Grady said. “It appears that some politicians have misunderstood the role of the Church in this political campaign," he said. “It is not possible for Churches in this country to be linked with any political party, even though individual members can have strong party affiliations and, indeed, are encouraged to do I so.” “The Church and the State are separate institutions and I operate in different areas. Many of the candidates in the present election have offered themselves because of their strong Christian conviction and in at least three seats there are clergymen standing on a party ticket. But their action is that of individuals, and does not imply automatic

Church acceptance of the policies they advocate. In many towns and cities, Churches had performed a valuable civic function by bringing together local candidates in the one hall and offering them a set series of questions. Usually, this had been welcomed by the candidates, since it offered them a bigger audience than thev obtained for many of their public meetings. A few candidates had declined to participate in this kind of gathering.

“In offering this service, the Church shows no partiality. It has a special influence on undecided voters because it gives them a chance to compare the candidates and the policies at first hand. It is a matter for regret that Mr McLachlan finds such a helpful action so objectionable,” Mr O'Grady said.