ANGLICAN CHURCH CONSTITUTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13812, 28 January 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

ANGLICAN CHURCH CONSTITUTION.

DISOUSSIOX BY THH GENERAL SYNOD.

At tho meeting-of tho Anglican General oynod on the 22nd the following rcsodution was moved by tho Bishop of Wellington. (Dγ Walks) :-"(l) That this Synod is favourable to finch modification of the sixth provision "of the Constitution of tho Church as will permit the General Synod, with the consent of iho Diocesan Synods, to make alterations in the tirst fivo provisions. Provided that Security be given: ja) lliat :io pKoperTy hold in trust for tlio General Synod-'be jeopardised thereby- (l>) that all ministers and amenta of'rhe Church who have already .signified their adhesion id the provisions of.the constitution ehitl be bound by such alterations as shall here, after be made in accordance with tho foregoing resolution. (2) That the bishops o( the province, k> requested to vommunioats the foregoing resolution to tlio Synods of their respective Oioccscs, and to cofnm'uiii-' (•ato any expression of opinion tvhioh may be made by those Synods to thv> General Synod at its next .session." The Bishop said he had to acknowledge his obligation to Archdeacon Harper, who had on a previous occasion presented a carefully thought out bill on this eubjcel, which had, however, been defeated at tho close of tins eiteion. The present motion asked , for power to alter one or morn of tho first, five clauses of their constitution which wm declared to bt> unalterable; but) was there any reason why they should not do ' this thing if they had a mind to. They were, not hampered in considering* this question by a sense that they wero under Ihu control of any other branch ot Christ's Church. No General Synod could bind the proceedings of any suteequunt General Synod. He was proposing they riiould <isk the various Diocesan Synods what they thought, of the proposal to alter one or other of the provisions referred to. He was not askini?: them ,to consent to any olauecs' being altered, but what they thought of the proposal. ■ No alteration of a clause could b<; operatic until it had received tho consent of the Diocesan Synods, but he wanted them<lo have power to make alterations. Ho would especially like to eeo an alteration made in the wording of. sorao of thtiir prayers, and when he (-aid that he was not talking of any change of doctrine. He repeated that he was not proposing any change, but was simply asking that Bioec'an Synods should give their opinion upon certain, alterations ho' propositi. Speaking of the provisos in the motion, he said ho was asking the Synods to give consent on tho understanding tlvat. Church property would not lw jeopardised. Whether they made any chango Would, of courts, depond upon tho importance of th<\ change. What they were asking , was that the Diocesan Synods should siy what they thought of this, and, of course, their opinions wouid conio before tihe next General .Synod He would not be in favour..of making any alterations unlo's they had tho consent of tho Church as ,a, whole. After a lengthy discussion the proposals wero rejected on a voto lioing taken. ' ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE. The Synod decided to expend £5000 on largo extensions to St. John's, College. Auckland.