LATE BISHOP GRIMES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16808, 18 March 1915, Page 7

LATE BISHOP GRIMES.

MESSAGES OF REGRET

THE BISHOP'S SUCCESSOR. [F»OM OTTE CoBRESrOSDENT.J WELLINGTON, March 17

Numerous messages, expressing sorrow at the death of Bishop Grimes have been received by Archbishop O'Shea. Among them is tho following from tho-BjgbtHonourable W. F. Masnoy:_"l regret ,exceedingly to hear of the death of the Right Rev Bishop Grimes. Kindly accept on behalf of your Church in New Zealand my sincere sympathy in the loss of puch a distinguished prelate." The Rev H. Van Staveren, Jewish rabbi,. Sent the following:—"Accept sincere condolence and sympathy in your sad bereavement and kindly convey tho same to your ~ people, hero and in Christchurch for the loss of their reverend and beloved prelate." The appointment of a successor to the bishopric is not undertaken immediatelv. The procedure in New Zealand' hitherto has been that the priests of the diocese meet and select at least three persons whom they deem suitable for the oftce. Their selection is forwarded to the Bench of Bishops, and it makes its selection, which may be different to that of the priests. Finally the names selected are forwarded to Rome, and it is with his Holiness the Pope and his council that the final decision rests. The Holy Seo may select one who has not been selected by either tho Bench of Bishops or by the priests of the diocese. In the case of the recent appointment to the bishopric of Wellington, neither of the selecting bodies had selected his Lordship Bishop O'Shea; and it is on record that on the death of Cardinal Wiseman, though, the names of two others were higher on the list as forwarded to Rome ■by the selecting bod.**.*, the Holy See selected Cardinal Manning as Cardinal Wiseman's successor in the See of Westminster. The assembly of the priests of. the diocese to select a suitable successor to a de-ceased-bishop is held one month after the bishop's death.

Speaking at- the St Patrick's Day concert given in the Colosseum last night in aid of fho funds of the Nursing Sisters Dean Hills thanked the City Council, the Anglican Bishop and the host of others who had sent .messages of 'sympathy in connection with the death of Bishop Grimes. Telegrams had been forwarded in such numbers from all parts of the Dominion that many had not yet been opened and the task of counting them had not been undertaken. .It was generally recognised that "the ono place where the late bishop should be buried was in the Cathedral which he had built. To do this it was necessary to obtain the permission of the« Government and an application had already been forwarded. No reply had' yet been received but one should come to band very soon.