CHURCH LEADER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25036, 28 October 1944, Page 8

CHURCH LEADER

DB TEMPLE'S DEATH' ! A NOTABLE CAREER The death of Dr William Team*# Archbishop of Canterbury, at the coS paratively early age of 63, wiU' teMpl garded as a serious loss, not' Oolj-H I the Anglican Communion but also PSI ] the cause of world-wide Christian fir ! lowship and the Churches' part in ij&Pi® ! war reconstruction. When he was trwtw iated from York to Canterbury two a-haif years ago, it was recognised u all parties, including those who dirt , not share his political views, that - one had qualifications even his a leader ot' the national Church ifea time of crisis. T ;;gp€ In 13 years as Archbishop of Yorft'l Dr Temple had established his reput-f ' I tion for practical wisdom, wide . pat hies and views that were bold ; generous. He steadily refused to regard % ' the Church as anything resembling l i ! place of retreat from worldly concerns 1 and cares, but on the contrary as an' ? organisation whose members, as Chris tians, were under a special obligation to concern themselves with the welfare , of their fellow men and of societv as 1 a whole. He himself, as Bishop of Xiao; ' chester, had joined the Labour Party" ■■ he had been for 16 years president of i the Workers' Educational Association and he had written much on social S ; questions The Social Order Early in 1941 Dr Temple called a conference of clergy and laity at Malvern College "to consider, from the j Anglican point of view, what fundi, i mental facts were directly related to a new social order after tie war, and how Christian thought could be mobilised to play a leading part to ensure the vietory of the spirit." The conclusions I reached were tentative, but their general tendency was toward profound changes in some aspects of the social■.;s order. Just before lip hocame Archbishop of CatiU't-hury. L)r Temulp published a sixpenny "Penguin" book entitled "Chris•iaui'tv and Social Order," which had an il enormous sale. In this he urged a return - to Christian first principles. It was an old tradition, he declared, that the|| faith should find expression in regard to economic questions, and an increasing number of Christians must take their full share of responsibility for the social and economic system of which they were a part. Treatment of Germany After his enthronement in St. Augustine's Chair, the new Archbishop had ' more opportunities than ever of speak- ' ing on current affairs, and the public found that his words had freshness and a consistent purpose. He took every opportunity of discussing the mora! * problems of the war, and especially that of dealing with Germany after her defeat. He strongly advocated the. £ punishment of German war criminals, as an act of retributive justice, which he distinguished from vengeance-* "naked evil." He advocated an armistice of two or three years, and a peace conference lasting 20 years if necessary ! and perhaps developing into the federal body which was the only solution of post-war European problems. 1 All through his term of office, Dr Temple collaborated closely with the leaders of other Christian bodies, in the spirit of the 1920 and 1930 Lambeth Conferences on Christian reunion, in which lie had had an important share. One of his early acts was to organise a united service in St ; Paul s Cathedral to mark the formation of a Bnhsh Council of Churches, in which three non-episcopal ministers took part. In January. 1943. with the Rev. J. S, Whale. Moderator of the Federal Free, Church Council, he issued a joint statement of Christian belief in modern terms as a basis for inter-church cooperation and Christian education. Land and Wealth The Archbishop's views _on such matters as the profit motive, State planning, control of credit, land utilisation and the distribution of wealth wm regarded as tending markedly to tne left, but Ills exposition of them ™ such as to provoke little criticism.,ln the foreign field he maintained close relations with religious movements; in the United States and with Continental churches, including the Russian, Greek and Scandinavian. As the son of an Arch bishop-of Canterbury and a successful headmaster of a public school, he was a most capable administrator. He married «i l»lo Miss Frances Anson, who survives nun. There are no children. : VERY WIDE KNOWLEDGE LOSS TO COMMUNITY M (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON., Oct. 2T Dr Temple died yesterday mormngat a hotel at Westgate-on-Sea, where he had been resting for the past ifiOntli. He had previously been confined to nw home in Canterbury for several vreess. The funeral service will be held <>» . Tuesday in Canterbury Cathedr&ljJpSfcfJ A tribute to Dr Temple was paiajp the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan- v caster and former Secretary for Scotland, Mr Ernest BrOwn, states a British official wireless message. "His deattt. was a great loss —great not only to ms Church but to the whole community, said Mr Brown. "Dr Temple had ft vew wide theological knowledge. He too, a passion for social reconstruction and all those who worked ■ operation between the Church of J®!* land and the Free Churches will wis him sadly, for he did not merely tW perfunctory interest in the movement, out a very living and formative one. "Many of Dr Temple's opinions, expressed with characteristic force; lea to controversy. Some had direct beano? on polities and economies, but, ww * manv people expressed disapproval of the IPrimr te's 'intrusion, few disputea his courage." [ memorial service AUCKLAND TRIBUTES A memorial service for the late Arch* bishop Temple, in the form of a requiem celebration of the Holy Commmuon, will he held at St. Mary's Cathedral at 10 a.m. on Monday. The Bishop Auckland, the Rt. Rev. W. J. will be the celebrant, and the preacne will be Dean W, Fancourt. The bishop yesterday cabled to W commissary in England, Canon Pereiv James, asking him to convey the; syui« patliy of the diocese of Auckland to tno appropriate quarter. ... The standing committee of the a lt >j cese, at its meeting yesterday, passea a resolution expressing sympathy wn" the Church in the Homeland on tM sudden death of Archbishop Temp' 6) and with Mrs Temple in her loss. IB® resolution also offered gratitude W Alnighty God for the signal which the late archbishop had rendered, not only to the Church of England, but also to the nation and Empire and to mankind in general, with the pray er that in the good providence of God a worthy leader would be called to tftKfl his place and carry on his work m tne present critical juncture in the histor. ; of the world.