CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Evening Star, Issue 21628, 25 January 1934, Page 8

CHURCH OF ENGLAND

PRIMATE OH CURRENT TOPICS HOPES OF DISARMAMENT « (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, RUGBY, January 24. (Received January 25, at 11 a.m.V Tire Archbishop of Canterbury (Dp Lang), presiding at the Upper Hons® of Convocation, referred to the difficulties of the situation between the German church and the State. Ha said: “With a desire that the newfound unity of the State should be accompanied by greater unity in the church we cannot but sympathise, but we trust that the unity of the church will not be achieved at the cost of its spiritual freedom. We earnestly, trust that both the Catholic, and the Reformed Churches in Germany may be left free to give their own unhinderedl witness and influence to the national life.” Touching on the question of-disarma-ment the Archbishop expressed the deep anxiety with which the bishops were watching the negotiations, for a solution, without which there could be no recovery for the world from the economic issues which beset it. “However strong and clear our ideals may be,” said Dr Lang, “wo must recognise the realities of the difficulties of adjusting the natural claim of Germany for equality with the equally natural claim of France for security, but we earnestly hope that some preliminary convention may be obtained which will clear the way within the near future for a wider and fuller convention on the basis, not of the levelling up of armaments but down by common consent to a level necessary for internal safety and defence.”