FIXED PRIMACY

Evening Star, Issue 23499, 13 February 1940, Page 10

FIXED PRIMACY

ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOPRIC SYNOD TO CONSIDER PROPOSALS Important business confronting the General Synod of the Anglican Church when it meets in Nelson this week will include consideration of to establish a fixed primacy in Wellington (says the ‘ Dominion ’). At present the headquarters of the Church Province of New Zealand are in Auckland; the Auckland diocesan secretary is also provincial secretary, and the provincial offices are located there. Standing Committee, however', meets in Wellington, and as Wellington is the capital of the country, and the seat of government, as well as the hub of almost all national activities," it is strongly felt by many church leaders that the Anglican Church should also possess permanent headquarters here.

Considerable difficulty has repeatedly been experienced through lack of such headquarters. It is felt that till the primate is permanently resident in Wellington, a fixed provincial office established here, and a provincial secretary paid by General Synod appointed in Wellington, the Church will lack an effective mode of expression on questions affecting the church or the country as a whole. Such a recent question was that of the establishment of wet canteens, when a member of the Standing Committee was called upon at short notice to advise the Government of the atitude of the church; and similar problems are frequent. Proposals favoured by church leaders, it is understood, provide for the establishment of the.primacy permanently in Wellington, the archbishop eventually to he assisted by a suffragan Bishop of Wellington, who would take off his hands much of the diocesan business and so free him to deal with provincial business. Strong objection to these proposals is expected in certain quarters, however. Many technical difficulties also present themselves. _ For instance, the election of an archbishop is carried out by the church of the province as a whole, whereas the canons of the church also lay down that the diocese shall have the right to elect its own bishop. As with a fixed primacy the archbishop will also be Bishop of Wellington, some arrangement must be made to ensure that the interests of the diocese and province will not conflict.

In any event, it seems unlikely that the primacy can be permanently established in Wellington for some years. Whatever the result of the forthcoming election, as General Synod meets only once in'three years, a six-year period must elapse before the constitution of the church can be altered to provide for the fixation of the office. After that, in the event of the Bishop of Wellington not being Primate at that time, it would probably be necessary to wait for the bishopric to fall vacant before the Primate could be asked to come to Wellington. The most that is likely to take place at the forthcoming synod is that the proposals will be accepted in principle, and a committee set up to consider the problems raised.

A new Primate to succeed Archbishop Averill will be elected by the General Synod of the Anglican Church when it meets.

THE CANDIDATES. General Synod meets once in three years. It is the supreme governing body of the church in the Province of New Zealand, which includes the dioceses of Polynesia and Melanesia. It consists of three houses—the bishops, tbe clergy, and the laity. There are nine bishops, representing the seven New Zealand dioceses and the two island ones; three other clergy elected by each diocese; and three laymen elected by each diocese. Synod meets in rotation in the various New Zealand cathedral towns. Its last meets ing was at Hamilton, and the one before at Napier. When, as on this occasion, the resignation of the Primate coincides with the session of General Synod, the election of his successor is carried out by General Synod on nomination of a candidate by the House of Bishops. If the Primacy falls vacant at _ any other time, the bishops act on their own initiative and elect one of their number.

Election by synod depends upon the candidate obtaining a majority in each of the three houses of Synod. If either the bishops or General Synod fail to elect a Primate, the senior bishop automatically assumes the office. The order of seniority of the five bishops eligible for election is: Christchurch, Waikato, Dunedin, Wellington, and Waiapu. The Bishop of Nelson lias_ resigned to go to Sydney, and the retiring Primate, Archbishop Averill, is Bishop of Auckland. These offices will bo subsequently filled by their respective diocesan synods.