WAIKATO ANGLICAN CHURCH TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 187, 10 May 1928, Page 11

WAIKATO ANGLICAN CHURCH TROUBLE

Sir, —The Rev. W. Tye in his letter of May 1 which appeared in this morning’s issue of “The Dominion" is to be thanked for this letter by the great majority of Anglican laymen not only throughout the "Waikato diocese but throughout New Zealand. Mr. Tye has expressed in clear, concise terms what is practically the mind of the New Zealand Anglican Church. To put it plainly, the New Zealand Anglican Church does not want AngloCatholicism. The Anglican Church and the Catholic Church are two entirely separate bodies with their own tenefs and are entirely distinct from one another. Let the Anglo-Catholic go over to the Catholic Church and leave the Church of England alone. The answer given in England for the introduction of the revised Prayer Book was quite sufficient to show that even in England the majority of the Anglicans did n'ot wish for AngloCatholicism, and this rules very much more strongly in New Zealand. The arrogant attitude taken up by Dean Barnett with regard to the position between the clergy and their people calls for the strongest condemnation. He speaks as if his parishioners' were nothing but ignorant, .uneducated and unintelligent people, "full of ignorant and narrow-minded prejudices.” May I beg to suggest, after hearing the Rev. Dean’s utterances, it is very clear from whose mind the ignorant and narrow-minded prejudices have emanated. If any of the Anglican clergy are so fascinated and enamoured of Rome, why do they not immediately go over and join that Church and leave our own Church alone?

Whilst I have no quarrel against the Roman Catholic Church, do you think for a moment that their bishops and priests would stand Protestants and Evangelical Anglicans trying to introduce into it a semi-Protestant Church? If this question were put to the vote of the Anglicans, not only in the Waikato diocese, but throughout New Zealand, there would be no doubt as to the opinion and wishes of the great majority of Anglicans throughout New Zealand, even though they may be an “ignorant and narrow-minded prejudiced lot.”—I am, etc., LAY ANGLICAN. Wellington, May 4.