UPROAR IN CHURCH

Grey River Argus, 24 August 1945, Page 2

UPROAR IN CHURCH

London Protestants STAGE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST BISHOP-ELECT Rt. Rev. Doctor Wand, the Bishopelect of London, whose appointment is opposed by many Protestants, on the ground of his being an AngloCatholic, was met by an uproar when he entered St. Mary’s Woolnoth Church, London, for a confirmation service. Cries of ‘'l protest! We protest!” came from all sides as Dr. Wand and' the Vicar-General headed the procession up the aisle. Before the confirmation service began, two protests from the Protestant Truth Society and the National Union of . Protestants against Dr. Wand’s confirmation had to be presented to the Vicar-General. The protests claimed that Dr. Wand was not a fit and proper person for confirmation in the See of London. The protests were dismissed by the Vestry at a private meeting. The disturbances continued unceasingly while the confirmation service was in progress. A verger left the church and returned with a policeman. The congregation chanted in unison: “We protest!” It was impossible to hear anything of the service. Mr. W. Sinclair-Taylor, DirectorGeneral of the National Union of Protestants, submitted a photograph which showed Dr. Wand and other members of the clergy participating in Mass. Rev. Mr. Taylor, laterwalked down the aisle and showed the photograph to members of the congregation. . John Kensit, leader of the Protestant Church Society, in a protest, claimed that the line of demarcation between the Church of England and the Church of Rome had been altogether obliterated- in a number of churches in London dioceses. He said: “I failed to gain from the Bishop-elect any pledge that he will deal with these cases. Moreover, Dr. Wand himself professes to belong to the Anglo-Catholic school. It can only be assumed that there is no redress for the aggrieved parishioners if this election is confirmed. Dr. Wand is an unsuitable person to deal with erroneous and strange doctrines of Roman Catholicism practised in the'diocese. After the service was over Rev. Mr. Taylor asked the congregation to remain. He said: “We have written to the Archbishop of Canterbury and have, seen the Vicar-General, but we cannot persuade these people how wrong they are.” Protesters leaving the church sang the battle hymn of the National Union of Protestants. Rev. Mr. Taylor later, disclosed that he was a member of the clergy. “I put my collar on back to front because I wanted' to protest as an ordinary layman,” he said.