HEADMASTER’S RESIGNATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22612, 2 July 1935, Page 6

HEADMASTER’S RESIGNATION

"LACK OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY” POSITION OF REV, H. K. ARCHDALL “ There is a distinct lack of religious liberty in certain parts of the Anglican communion,” said the Rev. Canon Charles Perry when preaching at St. Michael’s Church, Christchurch, on Sunday night, on the text “ Stand fast therefore in tin liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.” He criticised the attitude of the Auckland diocese towards the Rev. H. K. Archdall, who has resigned from the headmastership of King’s College, Auck land. Canon Perry said that the many Governments of the British Empire had plainly adopted the enlightened policy of a fair field and no favour for all religions. The axe and the faggot bad long ago been laid aside, and persuasion was recognised as the only legitimate force in religion, the rights of conscience were considered, and no one was punished for his thoughts. For example, nowhere throughout the Empire were the Jews oppressed. The people of Quebec, who were intensely French and papal, lived in peace within the Empire, and a British Government had even been known to build a mosque for Mohammedans. In England itself the connection between State and Church, known as the establishment, had caused some embarrassment, as in the matter of the revision of the Prayer Book, but in the dominions the policy of religious liberty was unhampered everywhere, and Governments aimed at treating all religions and denominations £)like. ANGLICAN SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT. "Within the border of the Anglican communion, however, this policy of religious liberty is not yet adopted in some dioceses,” said Canon Perry. “It is \Ycll known that there are two schools of thought amongst Anglicans, the evangelical and the Anglo-Catholic. Both have a history and a tradition, noble and honourable, but they differ in their interpretation of the Prayer Book. A wise and enlightened policy is to give them both a fair field and no favour. It is not an impossible policy. Of late years it has been pursued, for example, in the diocese of Christchurch, where such parishes as Addington, Avonside, Brighton, Linwood. Merivale and Spreydon have been allowed to develop, some slowly, some not so slowly, in an AngloCatholic direction; while other parishes also without hindrance have been permitted to adhere to their traditional evangelicalism. INTOLERANCE IN AUCKLAND. “But there are dioceses where this policy has not been adopted, and A.ngloCatholics have been oppressed. Such a diocese is Auckland, where instance after instance of religious persecution has occurred. Every loyal churchman, of whatever diocese, is interested in the welfare of the whole church of New Zealand; and up and down the country many Anglicans are disturbed at the appearance in the papers of announcements that the Rev. H. K. Archdall, headmaster of King’s College, Auckland, is leaving for England in a few days. He is a Fellow of his college in Cambridge. He has done extraordinarily valuable work for the church. There are few among the clergy who can compare with him for ability or accomplishment. But h» is an Anglo-Catholic. After all the benefits he has brought to the church have been accepted, his services are no longer required. The Auckland diocese is becoming notorious. All who love the Church of-England should work and pray for the spread of religious liberty in her midst. Religious persecution has caused the church more shame in the past than anything else. It is possible to abolish it everywhere and allow persuasion to have free play in every diocese.” ALLEGATION REFUTED STATEMENT BY MR ARCHDALL. (Peb United Press association) AUCKLAND, July 1. The citing of the resignation of the Rev. H. K. Archdall from the headmastership of King’s College by Canon Charles Perry, of Christchurch, in a sermon on Sunday on religious liberty was the subject of comment by both Mr Archdall and Archbishop Averill. Canon Perry’s contention was that Mr Archdall had been asked for his resignation because he was an Anglo-Catholic. Discussing the position, Mr Archdall said that Canon Perry’s sermon copipelled him to break his self-imposed silence on the whole subject of his resignation. Canon Perry has neither a knowledge of the facts nor authority from me to warrant the statement he made,” Mr Archdall said. “My resignation was in no way caused by anything to do with the religion of the college and still less with the parties in the Church of England. I have never myself been a party man generally speaking. “‘Labels are libels,’ and I for one refuse to accept the antithesis Canon Perry sets up between Catholicism and evangelicalism. If this were true any attempt at the reunion of Christendom would be so much waste of time.” Archbishop Averill said that the views expressed in Canon Perry’s sermon were hardly worth consideration. The whole argument was absurd, and it was the first that he had heard of any suggested difference over religious matters.