CHURCH UNION

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 62

CHURCH UNION

DELEGATION TO THE POPE. The Right Rev. Charles P. Anderson, Anglican Bishop of Chicago,, the Right Rev. Boyd Vincent, Bishop of Southern Ohio, and Bishop Reginald Heber Weller, of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, Wis, accompanied by the Rev. S. Talbot Rogers, of Racine College, and the Rev. Edward L. Parsons, of Berkeley, Cal., all prominent figures in the Protestant Episcopal Church in tho United States, were received by Pope Benedict on May 16. Monsignor Cerreti, Secretary for Extraordinary Affaire at the Vatican, acted as interpreter.. The Pontiff was most cordial to the visiting prelates, and thanked them for their call. Before seeing the Pope the Americans had a long talk with Cardinal Gasparri,- Papal Secretary of State. During the interview the Cardinal said :—' Rather than a union of the Christian churches, the Holy See aims at the. unity of »he church, which in the opinion of Rome, can only occur by all returning to the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict told the visiting clergymen that it was not possible for the Catholic Church to take part in the proposed world conference. The Pope explained that he in no wise wished to disapprove of the participation in the conference of those who were not united to the chair of St. Peter. After the visit to the Vatican the deputation issued this note: —" The deputation regrets that the Roman Catholic Church will not be represented in the world conference, £S. substantially all the rest of Christendom has promised to The preparations for the conference will proceed, and the deputation will continue its work until invitations are presented to those communions which have not yet been reached." . . •