SERVICE IN WAR-TIME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24737, 14 October 1941, Page 8

SERVICE IN WAR-TIME

THE CLERGY'S OBLIGATIONS AN ANSWER TO CRITICISM STATEMENT BY BISHOP FITCHETT The attitude of the Church and of himself towards the and combatant service was made "the subject of an explanation by Eishop Fitchett in the course of his pres jdential address at the opening of tl|e Anglican Synod in St. Paul's SchO'OJroom last night. "For two reasons it is desirable that I should say something on the question of the clergy and combatant service." Bishop Fitchett said. " The first is that letters have appeaiied in the public press expressing dissatisfaction that the National Servicie Appeal Board should grant exemption to clergymen as such. The f.&ct is that exemption is not appealed for on the ground that a clergyman is a clergyman, but on the ground, of public interest, and the appeal on the ground of public interest is justified, and therefore granted, because the Government considers that it is contrail to the public interest that the wo»k of the religious bodies should not Ibe main-

tained efficiently, and because the religious bodies have to supply •military chaplains for the army. Our. own communion has to supply 50 per cent, of the total number of chapjlains required, and it should be abundantly clear that if clergy were taken; for combatant service the supply of <{haplains could not be maintained.

"In this matter the clergy thems'fives have no option and their wishes, are not considered. If a clergyman is called up in a ballot, I appeal for. his exemption purely on the ground of public interest and without in any way consulting him. Fairness to the clergy demands that I leave no dpobt that the whole responsibility rests me. for they have been subjected} to unfair and ill-mannered adverse citrticism. < Temptation to Bear Arms "My second reason for speaking: of the clergy, in relation to combatant service, has to do. not with criticilsm from without, but with a possible temptation from within," Bishop I»itchett said. "A priest, by his ordination, is not divested of his manhood, or his citizenship, and every decent man feels the urge to be doing sonjeing of a very practical nature, to brftig about the defeat and destruction of t|ie evil forces that are creating such havtoc and distress in the world to-day, aipd the most apparently practical thing lis combatant service. Sometimes trijs urge is so strong as to constitute a serious temptation to the priest to belie\*e> combatant service to be his duty, anjj, to act accordingly. "In my judgment such a belief is entirely wrong, and a priest should re-« member that one of his ordination. vows was that with a glad mind and. will he would follow the Godly ad-* 1 monitions and submit himself to the Godly judgments of his ordinary (viz., the bishop) and other chief ministers!, unto whom is committed the charge}; and government over him. It is well' known to the priests under my jurisdiction that I do not hold that in no circumstances may a priest bear arms; but I must admonish them that it is the judgment of the ordinary, and other 'chief ministers of this diocese, that at the present time there is for priests in New Zealand a higher and. more exacting duty than that of meeting the enemy in the field of battle, namely, the duty of building up tho spiritual morale of the nation, and the being available and prepared to minister to the spiritual needs of the fighting forces, when required, for that service.

" I have the greatest sympathy with the priest who is Restless and itching to get at the enemy personally, but he should not make the error of imagining that that condition is peculiar to himself, for there are few from whom it is absent. To subordinate the feelings to sound judgment is difficult and reauires much sacrifice, but undoubtedly it is the priest's supreme duty. Conscientious Objectors "Thoughts of those whose duty it is to resist the impulse to face the enemy, naturally lead to a contemplation of those queer people known as conscientious objectors and pacifists; but as my views have been freely expressed in the past, and must be well known, I need sav. little." Bishop Fitchett added. "As is the case with others of questionable mentality, these unfortunates merit pity, rather than abuse and persecution.

" I imagine that those whose consciences are so distorted and illogical as to make their owners believe it reasonable to claim the right to use and enjoy the advantages, and to refuse to perform the responsibilities of community life, would make poor soldiers, and would probably be more troublesome than useful at the front, and therefore should not be sent there. If called up. however, they Fhould not be allowed to continue in their present occupations or professions, but should be eiven community work, as far as possible as. strenuous as, and centainly not more lucrative than, that of our soldiers, and they should be compelled to do that work."