PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 297, 20 November 1912, Page 6

PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.

•j NE TEAIEHE DECREE. J AVellington, Nov. 20. ,i The report of the Committee on J Romanism and Ritualism was read :I at the Presbyterian Assembly tojdr.y. The ciiicf topic in this was the j operation of the "ne temere” dej eree. I Reference was made to the newspaper controversy in Dunedin when j tne Assembly’s attitude, as defined [at the gathering last year, was de--1 fended, according to the report, by ■ sheeting home the following five .charges against the decree:— i (I) In certain cases it becomes an fine-iter or incitement to wife or husj baud desertion. ! (2) It is not a law prohibiting ! mixed marriages, but it makes mixed ' ■ marriages an engine of conversion j by coercion. | (3) It pursues with its vengeance ! t hose who may k ave the Church of i lie me and join other churches. ! (4) It discloses a shifting, shuffling ■ policy of the Vatican by making its | promulgation a thing of geography . and climate. I (5) It is the last of a succession of j Papal meddlings with marriage ithat have resulted in grave family [and social scandals. ! The report goes on to say: —“Our [New Zealand Marriage Act, we are informed, can be used in the interest of tiie “ne temere” decree. A second certificate may be issued to the parlies who are already registered as married persons to go through a second marriage ceremony, and through this seemingly legal sanction the Roman priests may declare \the marriage ceremony of a Presbyterian minister to be null and void. administratio of our Alarriage AefxJri such a way 7 as to weaken the sense' i ts bindingness of the first marria'ge covenant, opens the door to the 'Rptrance of most dire evils. Amongst, tl le recommendations made by the Committee was the following the Committee be authorised to gV legal opinion as to the legality of \issuin.g certificates , to parties ‘ already, married to go through a second v niarriage ceremony. “x The report was adopted'