GENERAL SYNOD

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 105, 28 January 1931, Page 8

GENERAL SYNOD

Opening on February 5

TRIENNIAL MEETING Christchurch Gathering Representatives of the clergy and laity from the various New Zealand dioceses, including Polynesia and Melanesia, will meet at Christchurch on February 5 for the triennial meeting of General Synod. The Primate of New Zealand, Archbishop A. W. Averill, will preside, and the proceedings, which will be held in the Provincial Council Chambers, are expected to last for at least two weeks. Since returning from the Lambeth Conference the Bishop of Nelson, Rt. Rev. W. C. Sadlier, has been laid up with leg trouble and as a result it had been expected that he would not be able to take his place on, the Bench of Bishops. A decided improvement, however, has been shown in the Bishop’s health during the last week or so, and it is now likely that he will be able to go to Christchurch and take part in the discussions at Synod. The Bishop of Melanesia, Right Rev. F. M. Molyneux, and the Bishop of Polynesia, Right Rev. L. S. Kempthorne, have already arrived in the Dominion to attend the gathering. The other members of the episcopate, the Bishop of Wellington, Right Rev. T. H. Sprott, the Bishop of Christchurch, Right Rev. Campbell West-Watson, the Bishop of Dunedin, Right Rev. Isaac Richards; the Bishop of Waiapu, Right Rev. Herbert Williams, and the Bishop of Waikato, Right Rev. C. A. Cherrington, will also be present, in addition to the Archbishop and Bishop of Auckland. The Bishop of Aotea-roa, the Right Rev. A. F. Bennett, who exercises episcopal supervision over the Maori people, will also be present, He does not, however, occupy a seat on the episcopal bench, being .a suffragan bishop to the Bishop of Waiapu. The clerical representatives of the Diocese of Wellington on General Synod are the Bishop of Wellington, the Archdeacon of Waitotara, Archdeacon R. CreedMeredith, the Archdeacon of Wairarapa, Archdeacon A. L. Hansell, and the Rev. W. Bullock, of St. Peter’s Church, Wellington. There are four representatives of the laity—Messrs. H. E. Evans, G. Shirtcliffe, J. W. Henderson, and E. F. Hadfield. Messrs. Hadfield and Shirtcliffe have resigned their appointments, however, Mr. Shirtcliffe owing to urgent business reasons, but successors to these two gentlemen are to be appointed tomorrow. / The last General Synod was held in Wellington three years ago, when many important matters of vital interest to

the Anglican Church, including the ques; tion of appointing a bishop for the Dlaori race, were dealt with. More than usual public interest was taken in the proceedings at that Synod, due to the dissension that was then rampant in the diocese of Waikato, but the curious were disappointed, for not a word was mentioned of the trouble in that diocese. The 1928 Synod decided to hold its 1931 meeting at Nelson, but it was then expected that the new cathedral, still in course of construction, would be completed by this time. The Nelson cathedral is yet uncompleted, and when it was apparent about twelve mouths ago that it would not be finished in time it was decided to change the venue to Christchurch.

The proceedings at Christchurch will open with the Primate’s presidential address. This will be followed by the election of officers, arrangement of hours of business, and the presentation of petitions. The way will then be clear for discussion on several motions which are standing on the order paper for the first day.