P.M. ‘wants only to stifle,’ says church leader

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 3

P.M. ‘wants only to stifle,’ says church leader

PA Hamilton The president of the Methodist Church, the Rev. P. Stead, of Hamilton, yesterday defended the right of churchmen to speak out on political issues. Mr Stead was commenting on the “surprising reaction” of the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) to the National Council of Churches’ call for him to openly disavow sports contacts with South Africa. “He doesn’t answer questions; he wants only to stifle them,” said Mr Stead. The leaders of the Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Baptist Churches, earlier had urged Mr Muldoon to make an “unequivocal” statement on the Government’s opposition to apartheid, and its position on sporting contacts with South Africa before leaving for the Commonwealth conference in London. In reply, Mr Muldoon said: “I wonder why the Churches are so concerned about sport in relation to apartheid? “I would have thought, that churchmen in New Zea-j land who are opposed to I apartheid, as I am and my| Government is, would have; been looking to Churches in! South Africa, instead of this, preoccupation with sport.” I

Mr Muldoon said that in South Africa the Dutch Reformed Church had for many years publicly and clearly supported apartheid. “I have yet to hear the first expression of concern by the Churches in New land in respect of a Christian church in South Africa supporting apartheid.” The Church leaders who had called for a statement from him did not have the backing of their congregations. he alleged. “There has been no attempt to see what the view of their congregation is. “These are churchmen, certainly leaders of Churches, elected by the systems which operate in the various Churches and, as I have said, their approach will be treated seriously and with the respect that it deserves. But I repeat that I wonder whether they have, in fact, got their priorities right,” said Mr Muldoon. “In a democratic country the Church is part of a democratic system,” said Mr Stead yesterday. Church people had been very concerned about New Zealand’s “equivocal stand” on apartheid. ( There were several non-political organisations, such as Federated Farmers, which from time to time spoke out on issues — poli-

tical or otherwise — that concerned them, he said. “We have the same right when the issue involves people, which this certainly does.” Mr Muldoon did not want to answer questions — he simply attacked. All the Church leaders wanted was a clear statement from the Prime Minister before the Commonwealth conference, because New Zealand’s stand for human rights, at home and on the world scene, would be at stake at the conference. Mr Stead said he had a clear mandate from the Conference of the Methodist Church, which had declared its strong opposition to continuing sports contacts with South Africa. Agreeing that the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa supported apartheid, he said that Church had a very odd Biblical interpretation, “which we simply can’t go along with,” that God had created black people inferior to white people. The Anglican, Roman Catholic and Methodist Churches in South Africa had all publicly protested against aspects of apartheid, he said. Churches’ call. — Page 5