SA Govt backing for new church group claimed

Press, 11 May 1981, Page 2

SA Govt backing for new church group claimed

PA Wellington An . organisation established in London to uphold “traditional Christianity,” the International Christian Network, has been gaining popularity in New Zealand and says that it now has prominent New Zealand citizens in its ranks.

The Rev. Matthew Calder, of Wellington, an Anglican vicar who is the networks world deputy chairman said that the organisation now had about 400 members. The Mayor of Lower Hutt, Mr John Kennedy-Good, was one of the prominent citizens who was a member. Others, whom he would not name, included a bishop and two Cabinet Ministers.

Although it was established in 1978 to alert people to the dangers confronting the church from “communist infiltration,” more recently one of its members, Mr Ken-nedy-Good, has become outspoken on the Springbok tour issue. As a result some church people are concerned about the network’s activities in relation to the tour.

Mr Mike Smith, the director of the. Inner City Mission, an interdenominational social-work agency, said that the network had become active, on the subject because it was a “front organisation for South African Government propaganda.” An example of the tactics used by the group had been the attack on the grant made to the anti-apartheid organisation, HART, by the Catholic Commission for Evangelisation, Justice, and Development. Mr Kennedy-Good had led the attack on the grant.

Mr Smith said that he based his allegations on certain facts: •The National Council of Churches last month had received a telegram from the South African Council of Churches which had said that a Johannesburg newspaper had asserted that the Christian League of Southern Africa had received funds from the South African Government. The league had helped to set up the network at its inaugural meeting.

•The telegram had said that a secret contract had

been signed in June, 1979, between the league and the Government. A requirement of the deal was that five prominent churchmen be brought to South Africa to influence local churchmen to withdraw from the World Council of Churches and the South African Council of. Churches. •Mr Calder and Mr Ken-nedy-Good had both made trips to South Africa since June, 1979. Their trips were believed to have been paid for by the South African Government. This was exactly the deal spelt out in the contract.

•The league had consistently denied receiving money from the Government until it had been proved. .

Mr Smith said, “I think that's the way a front organisation works. The whole point of a front organisation is that you don’t fund it directly. It’s done through other sources.” Mr Smith said that the network tended to attack the World Council of Churches and other church groups when they contravened South Arican Government interests.

"It is important for Christian peolpe who are sympathetic to the overt defence of the fundamentals of the Christian faith to be aware that they may be used for South African propaganda.” Mr Kennedy-Good said that he had visited South Africa in November, 1979. He had applied to various countries for leadership grants to look at local government and social services there. The South African Government had given him a three-week grant. He had applied for the same type of grants to the British High Commission and the United States Embassy. He had met his travel expenses to and from South Africa. His accommodation and travel within the country had been paid for during his three-week stay. He had spent a further three weeks in South Africa and Rhodesia visiting relatives at his own expense. He had met people from the extreme Left to the extreme Right while in South Africa.

He had held the same views on the Springbok tour before he had ever heard of the network. The Catholic Commission’s grant had concerned him and other Roman Catholics so they had decided to express their concern to the Archbishop of Wellington, the Most Rev. Thomas Williams. However, the archbishop had said that he was unaware of HART’s connection with communist organisations.

The group had carried out some research and had given the Archbishop information about Hart members’ affiliations with communist organ-

isations. If anything flowed from the evidence presented it was a matter for the Archbishop. Mr Kennedy-Good said that he had joined the network because he believed it was doing a good job and was exposing deficiencies in the World Council of Churches. He could not believe the allegations made by Mr Smith. Mr Kennedy-Good said, “these implied statements that there are large funds from the South African Government are just nonsense. There may be some, I don’t know. If there is, there is certainly not much.” Mr Kennedy-Good said that he had met the South African member of the network, the Rev. Arthur Lewis, who was working on a shoestring budget. Any suggestions of Government funding were totally without foundation. Mr Calder said that he had become involved with the network when, its chairman, Dr Peter Beyerhaus, of Germany, had visited him in New Zealand. Later he had had his air fares paid to London to attend the network’s first meeting. Mr Calder said, “It made me feel like a pop star to be invited. I never stopped to ask why ... I did ask the, Christian League representative who paid the fare? ’Can you show me this is not in fact paid for by the Government?’ He said, ’Certainly not.’ But there were a wealthy group of businessmen. A South African industrialist had given big sums.” Mr Calder said that the International Christian Network had never received money from the league. The league had sent a representa- I tive to the network’s first meeting but . since then the representative had not attended.

Mr Calder showed a statement he said he had received from the league’s chairman, the Rev. E..R. Shaw, in South Africa, concerning the funds received from the Government.

Mr Shaw said that he had □riginally been assured that the league’s sponsors were South African and' overseas businessmen who wanted to remain anonymous. They were not connected with the Government. However' as certain facts had become public knowledge it had been admitted to him by implication that the State was a sponsor.

Mr Shaw said, “the nature and magnitude of our financial obligations made it imperative that our position be handled in a most responsible manner. This was resolved in the form of a strictly confidential contract. The State drew up the legal aspects of the contract.”