Bishop Ashby set to fight tour by Springboks

Press, 12 September 1980, Page 1

Bishop Ashby set to fight tour by Springboks

If the Springboks are invited to tour next year, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (the Most Rev. B. P. Ashby) will campaign against the playing of rugby in Catholic schools.

Furthermore, he will resign as patron of the Christchurch Marist Club. Bishop Ashby has made his intentions known in a telegram to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The telegram was sent on August 8 and a copy was given to the Marist Club. With the approval of Bishop Ashby, the club has published the telegram in its latest newsletter. The full text of the telegram is: “In spirit and letter of Gleneagles Agreement the Catholic Commission for Evangelisation, Justice, and Development begs you not to invite Springboks in 1981. Commission heartened by Government and Opposition fidelity to Gleneages. If invitation issued I will personally re« sign patronage of Marist Rugby Football Club and actively campaign against continuation of code in schools under my jurisdiction.”

Bishop Ashby is the chairman of the commission, a national body which comprises both clergy and lay members. It is a commission of the New Zealand Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Bishop Ashby was not available for further comment yesterday, but his

secretary (Mrs A. McAloon) said that she was in no doubt that he was expressing both his personal view and that as Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, in addition to representing the commission. The education area that comes under Bishop Ashby’s jurisdiction runs from Rangiora in the north to Waimate in the south, It also takes in the area between Cobden and Hokitika in Westland. There are 46 schools, both primary and secondary, tied to the Roman Catholic ■ education . system in these two districts. The president of the Canterbury Rugby Union,

Mr B. J. Drake, said yesterday that it would be unfortunate if Bishop Ashby carried out his threat,' as the Canterbury union had always enjoyed good relations with rugby masters in Catholic schools. “But I must accept that Bishop Ashby is entitled to make decisions as he sees fit, just as the New Zealand Rugby Union is,” said Mr Drake. The president of- the Marist club, Mr N. P. Blanchfield, said no action had been asked of his executive, but it had decided to pursue the matter further. “We are going to ask Bishop Ashby to put in writing his reasons for opposing the tour and we will seek a similar-sized report from someone who supports the tour. “We will send these statements out with our annual report next month and they will. form the basis of a discussion at the annual meeting in No« vember.”. Mr Blanchfield said he expected a vote would be taken at the annual meeting on what the club’s stance should be. At this time he had no idea of the majority view of the club’s membership.