ANGLICAN SYNOD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18545, 4 May 1922, Page 8

ANGLICAN SYNOD

. YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS. j’fPiMt United Prmn Association.) ,/ ” 5 ' AUCKLAND. Mav 3. The -Synod resumed the debate on Bishop Averill’s motion regarding divorce. Bishop Stenard (Melanesia) drew attention tq the difficulty of introducing a more lax'; marriage bond among the primitive' people of his diocese. Dean Fitehett (Dunedin) said marriage bcloogetfcfio the race not to the church. He deprecated the attempt made to dispute the < authority of particular passages of the Gospel. Mr N. Burton said there was a tendency : on the part of the State to treat ministers as -servants of the State as far as the administration of the marriage law was concerned.. If the State allowed for the re- ’ 'marriage, of divorced persons it was sheer ; rebellion to refuse to officiate at such mari riages. He had been told that if .legislation, ■' legislating marriage, was strictly enforced it would be an offence for ministers to read iiv public those portions of the Bible referring to the Lord’s teaching. He ; strongly, denounced the ignorant and reckless tinkering with the nfbrriage institution v on the part of the State. t ' '' ’ The ipotion was carried unanimously. The Synod passed a resolution commemoV: rating the life and work of the late Primate t (Bishop Nevill), who sustained, to an advanced ajje, with self-sacrificing New Zea- ?;■ land energy, the duties of his high office. The Synod recorded an appreciation of ; the'"life, character, and work of the late Archdeacon Harper. , T6‘e_ Military Affairs Committee reported • that its peripd of usefulness was drawing v' to a close, its activities being chiefly for ;; - the benefit of patients in military hospitals ~, mnd:- sanatoria. TEe committee was arrang- , 'tPg: with the War Funds Office to be re* t. leased-from Government control, and thus t be -enabled to wind up its affaire. Mr C. A. De Lautor moved that a coni- ; mission representative of all the orders of s'-T the church be appointed by the Primate and bishops to inquire into and' report on the'following:—‘‘As a branch of the An-’ glicah community hag the church of the ' New Zealand developed its oonkstitutibnal government so as to make the . : fullest use of the capacities of its members for sen-ice? If not what development is possible: (a) within the constitution as it stands, or (b) by permissible amendment of the constitution.” The motion was defeated. Archdeacon Williams moved the second ■■> reading -of a bill to permit clergymen in v- deaOOns’; orders, or clergymen holding permission : to officiate, to have a seat f on the 1 Diocesan Synod without the right,to vote. ;■ Rejected by 29 to 20. te - -Mr ‘'S. - B.- Robertson moved the second H ipading of a bill to enpower Jhe diocesan . trustees, with the consent of. the Diocesan , Synod, to transfer any property or funds helj. for, parochial purposes, to narochial k. trustees, to be held by them on the same ■; 1 trusts, and for the same purposes, and to give such-trustees power, subiect to the coni'. sent- of the- Diocesan Synod, toi’ mortgage bv way of security the whole or any part of any property held by them for the purposes of raising money for making per- * - roanent. improvement to same, or , other parochial property. - ■: - A second clause in the bill sought an amendment of a clause in the canon deter- ;- mining the conditions - upon which trujt s moneys .'should be invested. The first portion of the bill was rejected f• in committee, and the second amended as follows: ‘‘No .trustee shall -invest trust moneys" upon leasehold security, unless -at- •' the time of making the advance at least 40 v years', of the term shall have expired, or ?-■ unless lease is a renewable lease, granted in .terms of the Public Bodies Leasing Act, vm.--- ' 1 , k -Mr C. Hudson moved the second reading of, a bill to settle question of the cdntrol - of parish halls, providing that in the event of a dispute between the vicar and the - vestry an appeal could be made to the B ; Standing Committee of the Diocese.— \ Carried. -