SYDNEY ARCHBISHOP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21462, 8 April 1933, Page 11

SYDNEY ARCHBISHOP

APPOINTMENT MADE DR. H. W. K. MOWLL , SYDNEY, April 7 The Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney to-day elected, by a substantial majority, Dr. Howard W. K. Mowll, Bishop of Western China, as Archbishop of Sydney in succession to the late Dr. J. C. Wright. Dr. H. W. K. Mowll accepted the position of assistant bishop of Western China in 1922 and was appointed bishop in 1926. He was educated at King's College, Canterbury, and King's College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Ho was vice-president of the inter-Univer-sity Evangelical Fellowship of Britain. In 1913 he went to Wyeliffe University, Toronto, as tutor and professor of theology and was dean of the University before he left for the East. Ho was

born in Dover, England, on February 2, 1890. • The Sydney correspondent of tho Nkw ZealanV Hkiiaui writing on March 30 on the subject of tho choice of a successor to the late Dr. Wright, said: " There is every indication at present that tho final choice will fall on Dr. Mowll, of Western China. Two hundred

churchmen attended a special meeting and decided unanimously to give their support to his nomination. It is regarded as of the utmost significance that such a large section has agreed to give its support to Dr. Mowll, of whom it is said: ' He is a splendid man of great physique and .outstanding mental qualities, and would be. widely popular.' His selection would be intensely popular with the missionary section of the Church, and also with the very powerful evangelical section. " After a meeting of the Sydney Diocesan Reform Association the spokesman of that body said: —' Wo have come to the unanimous decision that our new chief should be evangelical.' The whole diocese, it was said, possessed an evangelical tone and tradition; it was not their purpose to change that tone, and it would be wrong to change it. The meeting made a demand for a" full and free discussion of all the nominations, so that they could be certain of securing a pastor who would be able to give a lead on the great public questions of the day, who would help to solve the many intellectual problems, and would wisely guide the young people's movement, so that the Church could take her true position in the spiritual leadership of the life of the nation." . . , Dr. Mowll and his wife visited Auckland in July, 1931. After a short stay in Rotorua they proceeded to the South Island. Thev were accompanied by the Rev. W. Cash, secretary of the Church Missionary Society. Dr. Mowll will be the tallest Archbishop in Australia. Ho is 6ft 4in m height. He has a striking personality. He has been called one of the missionary heroes, for his life has been frequently threatened and his home raided by Chinese bandits. In the last letter written by the late Archbishop Wright to his diocese, and in the last paragraph, he said: "In a recent letter Bishop Mowll, the heroic Bishop of Western China, whose recent visit we Tcmemher, asked for our prayers to sustain him in the difficult work and for peace for the distracted country of China." Not long ago his own garden was the centre of a desperate battle, and for the third time ho sustained the spoiling of his goods. He has had 10 years' pastoral and episcopal experience as a bishop of a diocese with a population of 14 millions, including 10,000 Christians. He has 150 churches in the diocese, 22 Chinese, and 17 European clergy, with 55 Chinese and 58 European lay missionaries.