THE NE TIMERE DECREE

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 6

THE NE TIMERE DECREE

CHRISTCHURCH PRESBYTERY'S OBJECTIONS. CHRISTCHURCH, October 10. At to-day's meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery the Rev. R. Wood moved an overture to the General Assembly on the subject of the Ne Temere decree on mixed marriages, of which he gave notice a month ago. After dealing with the matter from an historical point of view, ' Mr Wood said that a very clever, siibtle, and long-winded pamphlet had been written by Dr Cleary, in which the writer tried to make out that the decree had been made more liberal than it was. But as a matter of fact the decree simply declared that no marriage was valid unless it was solemnised by a Roman Catholic priest. That legislation took place at Easter, 1908. This clerical meddling with marriage laws had created a reaction against clericalism in countries where the latter had been dominant. In Italy the Government had gone to the length of declaring that no marriage was legal un- . less solemnised before the civil authorities. That was an extraordinary reaction. Mr Gladstone had described the situation well when he said that it was revolting and dangerous to society. Mr Wood said that mixed marriages had been valid for 300 years, but now they were absolutely null and void. Dr Fleming raised this .question : Was the will of the Almighty in the hands of a weak, erring man like the head of the Vatican? A peculiar thing about the policy of the Church of Rome was that the whole of Germany was exempted from this decree. Why so? It was because the German people would not have it. An outrageous encyclical was -published by the Pope, attacking the Reformation and vilifying the reformers. Germany was up in arms, and a diplomatic note was sent to the secretary of the Vatican. The result was that the Pope ordered the encyclical note to be ' published in Germany, and it was for fear of a. similar outcry that the Ne Temere decree was not published there. The result of this state of affairs was that what the decree declared to be concubinage in Christchurch was a legal marriage in Germany. Mr Wood said he wished to point out that this legislation had already worked its way into the penny and twopenny catechism used by the Roman Catholic Church in New Zealand. He quoted;from" "Catechism of Christ Doctrine" to showthat this was so. On the other hand it was not included in the New York nor in the British catechism. There was thus a foul stigma attached to those mixed marriages solemnised in New Zealand since Easter, 1908. He said that recently a heart-breaking letter was published in a Christchurch daily paper written by a woman, whose marriage had thus been declared null and void. In conclusion Mr Wood said that the closing words of his overture calling on the Government to take such measures as were necessary to deal with the position were copied from a deliverance passed by the United Free Church of Scotland. The story of the notorious M'Cann mixed marriage case showed the harshness, wickedness, and cruelty of the operation of the decree. It cut right across New Zealand legislation, and brought unhappiness into the homes of those who contracted mixed marriages. He moved that the overture be transmitted to the General Assmbly. The Rev. S. E. Hill, in seconding the motion, said the Church owed a debt to Mr Wood for the work he had given to the subject. There was a deplorable lack : of knowledge concerning Reformation : principles among young people in New

Zealand. The decree was playing into the hands of the Roman Catholic Church, and giving it a power of proselytising that it did r not formerly possess. He did not wish to encourage mixed marriages, but these did take place, and since the enactment of this, iniquitous decree what hope had they of keeping Presbyterians so situated true to their Church 7 Very few such would care to adhere to their Protestant faith under the influence of the decree.

At this stage the Presbytery went into committee to hear Mr Hill's account of a young woman of his acquaintance who married a Roman Catholic.

On resuming in open Presbytery the motion was carried unanimously, and the Revs. R. Wood and S. E., Hill were appointed to support the overture before the General Assembly.