ANGLICAN BISHOPS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1930, Page 7

ANGLICAN BISHOPS

PALACE RECEPTION

THE KING’S SPEECH

[OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, July 23.

The King 1 and Queen to-day greeted at Buckingham Palace 300 Anglican Bishops who are at present in London for th© Lambeth Conference.

During a speech, His Majesty referred to the effect of the war on religion, and to the possibilities of Christian re-union. He expressed particular pleasure at meeting .the Bishops of the Anglican Communipn, not only from the Dominions, but from the United States, and said he had observed with interest that, among the delegations visiting Lambeth, had been an important one from the Orthodox Church. The King continued: “Looking back upon the beginning of this series of Lambeth Conferences, it must be a source of pride and thankfulness to reflect what testimony they bear to the growth and development, of the Anglican Communion. One hundred years ago it was little more than, the church of a single Kingdom. The present conference is a world-wide gathering of united, though'mostly selfgoverning, churches, which has attained the proportions of a General Council. I remember ten years ago 1 that the question of the reunion of Christendom was foremost in your thoughts. You put before the world the ideal of unity, and a plea for a new endeavour to heal the rents in the fabric of the Church. I am most happy to learn that this appeal has not been fruitless. It is my earnest hope and prayer that the -work which your last Conference began may prosper, and that the deliberations of this present 'conference may result in some notable advance towards this great and desirable end. The main subjects for your consideration are summed up under th© general head, “The Faith and the witness of the Church in this generation.” Th© subject has been well chosen, and with keen insightjnto the needs of the present day. The obvious and material damage of the War is not now so manifest as when you last met. The wounds are to some extent scarred over, but men’s minds and souls are' still troubled by wounds which the War inflicted, and are perplexed through shocks that were thereby dealt to old beliefs and spiritual loyalties. At such a time the fathers of the Church do well to take counsel together how best to bring home to the world to-day, in ways most apprcfr priate tp the difficulties which beset

it, the truths of the everlasting Gospel. God reigns, and I pray that His blessing may rest upon your deliberations.”