ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21251, 3 August 1932, Page 14

ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD

VERY ACTIVE ITINERARY A REMARKABLE TRAVELLER [from our own correspondent] LOXDON", June 30 Archbishop Redwood is. returning to New Zealand by the Rangitata, leaving to-day, thus departing "a "month ea'rfie'r than he had originally intended. Bnt, rearrangements in the shipping programme, he decided to leave this week and get home comfortably, rather than have a stay much longer than he had thought of. lie is in excellent health and is taking hack with him many new impressions and memories that will be lasting. The ease and expedition with which the archbishop has covered so much travel in so brief a time have amazed his friends, while his independence has astonished them even more. After only threo days in London with Mr. and Mrs. V. C. Redwood he left for Rome, where he had an early audience with the Pope and where he renewed happy acquaintance with Vatican officials, with oue of whom lie had travelled through Australia. Lyons and Paris were visited on the return journey, then, after a few days, in London, the archbishop left for Dublin, arriving there comfortably in advance of the immense number of other delegates to the Eucharistic Congress. Ho attended all the functions in connection with the congress and, after the very impressive celebrations of Sunday, he left again for London next mornTng, arriving in the evening without showing fatigue, and joining his relatives at Brook Green. There, on Tuesday morning, he was playing his Stradivarius at intervals and telling of his impressions. In the afternoon he had a fare-

well chat with his old friend Mr. Moss Davis. To-day Archbishop Redwood had a new thrill, lunching with Sir Henry F. Dickens, Common Sergeant of the City of London, youngest and only surviving son of Charles Dickens, the novelist. Sir Henry and Lady Dickens live at Chelsea, one room in their house there being devoted to relics of the famous author. In these the archbishop fairly revelled, being a Dickens lover. Mrs. V. C. Redwood was also present. She had met Lady Dickens some years ago in Italy and became very friendly with her. Mr. Vernon Redwood arrived yesterday from the North of England to see his' uncle off. He is chief organiser for the Agricultural Party. "Peter Simple," who conducts "The Way of the World" section of the Morning Post says:-* "I have seen it stated in several papers that. Archbishop Redwood, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in New Zealand, is the oldest bishop in the world. This is not the case.. The record for episcopal longevity is, I believe, held by Monsignor Simeon, the Bulgarian Archbishop of Varna and Preslav, who is 93. "Whereas Archbishop Redwood has been a bishop for 50 years, Monsignor Simeon has been one for 60. He took an active part in preparing the ground for the Bulgarian Libert ion in 1878, and he is the only living Bulgarian ecclesiastic to have been a bishop under the Turkish domination. As far as I ; fknow, no other instance of a bishop holding office for 60 years has been recorded in the religious history of the world." "Peter Simple" is not quite accurate. Archbishop Redwood is well within two years of attaining his diamond jubilee* (60 years) in the bishopric. Archbishop Redwood was consecrated to the Roman Catholic bishopric of Wellington on March 17, 1874.