CANON REBUKED

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1936, Page 7

CANON REBUKED

CHURCH AND POLITICS

CATHEDRAL INCIDENT.

LONDON, April 24.

The Dean and Chapter of Liverpool Cathedral decided, and intimated last Sunday, that as they did not approve the Government’s policy in the European crisis they could not pray for the Minister* of State. r

Canon T. A. E. Davey, preaching in the Cathedral, said: “To-day we of the Chapter of Liverpool have not been able in our customary manner to com-, mend the proposals of the Ministers of *-tate to the blessings of Almighty God.”

In a subsequent interview, Canon Davey said: “The "White Paper proposes that the whole position should Be discussed anew on the basis of equal-: ity. To continue an enforcement ®ol the spirit of inequality Upon Germany' is unworthy of our creed and of our country. The traditional English way is to trust a man. You cannot ap- 1 proach a man with an olive branch in one hand, and a weapon in the other. “IVe feel-that prayers for what has been done in our name by our Ministers in the cause of peace could only be offered with contrition ; and shame. To put vengeance before ’right* challenges tlie Christian point of view; We cannot ask our people to pray for the Ministers until the peace proposals are put forward in a Christian way.” ' .

Frayers to Continue. The Bishop of Liverpool, Dr David, mentioned the matter when he preached at the Church of St. Nicholas two days later.

“ '“To ask a congregation to pray for the success or defeat of a particular proposal is in any case wrong,” he said. “Every congregation must almost certainly include individuals' who dissent from the preacher’s views on some political step, and to ask them to pray for what at any moment he wants done would be highly improper. In the cathedral, and in every other church in the diocese, we shall continue, to pray that God will send a special gift of wisdom and courage to those, who, on our behalf, and. in the face of appalling difficulties,, are seeking His way of peace.” - ' - . ; “

The, congregation knelt and the bishop prayed for guidance to be given to those who took counsel -for the peacej of the world, reading a prayei printed in the revised Prayer Book.

“Barging in” on Politics.. .The Secretary for War,''Mr A.-Duff Cooper, had'something to say on the subject when he spoke at rthe annual political dinner, of the Birmingham Conservative'Club. . r :

“Who are these ignorant clergymen,” he asked, “who presume to give His Majesty’s Government' advice on foreign affairs? I am a devout and loyal member of the Church of England and in ordinary circumstances should hesitate to! give anjr clergyman my opinion upon a religious ■ subject. But since they''have burst in upon politics and made' their voice heard qnd expressed opinions in a way that lmi made I 'them the laughing stock of the country,-I would venture to advise them and say I always understood it was thq teaching of our religion tc pray even for our enemies, certainly for the people who had made, in our opinion,-a great mistake. “Beally the attitude of some of these clerics who barge in on the political arena makes me feel some sympathy with Henry 11., who in a moment of haste expressed vacancy at Canterbury.”

Mr Duff Cooper also spoke of the difficulties of recruiti g and pi'otested against a recent speech by Canon Raven in which he said that nine out of ten of the most virile men in, Cambridge would rather go to'prison than into the army. He described'this as a 1 ‘shameful'statement.” '