Waiapu Church Gazette. Wednesday, March 1st, 1922. THE PAPAL ELECTION.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XII, Issue 9, 1 March 1922, Page 354

Waiapu Church Gazette. Wednesday, March Ist, 1922. THE PAPAL ELECTION.

It is curious how warped some people's minds become through prejudice. We were subjected the other day to severe criticism for our suggestion that Churchmen should pray for the Divine guidance of the new Pope to enable him to help forward from his position of unique influence the unity of the Christian Church. Does it ever occur to such critics that we already pray m the most .solemn of all services for the ' ' whole state of Christ's Church" that is— for the whole organisation of. the Church of Christ, including the Roman and other branches? We pray that God will "inspire continually the Universal Church" (which surely includes Rome), and that He will give grace to "all bishops and curates."

We even pray on Good Friday for "all Jews, Turks, infidels and heretics" — why may we not pray for the Bishop of Rome? The more corrupt our friends believe the Church of Rome to be, surely the more it needs their prayers.

"We should not have considered the criticism of our paragraph of sufficient importance for comment, were it not that it is this si>irit of intolerant hatred of Rome on the part of some, and the same intolerant hatred of ultra Protestantism on the part of others that is one of the greatest hindrances to the spread of the spirit of Unity. It arises from pure unreasoning prejudice. It is a contradiction of the law of charity and is unfortunately widespread m the Church to-day. The "Church -News" (Christchurch) , says :— We regret to hear as we go to pr"ess the news of the death of Pope Benedict. The days are past when Englishmen had bitter and hosr

'tile"i^in^^ T about''lfi6' BisHbjf ~o£ Rome; indeed, the Roman Church and the Papacy itself have so changed since the great struggle of the Reformation that we wouljl be very unintelligent if our feelings were the same. We are still very far from agreeing with the doctrines and methods of Rome, but we can regard the Pope as the head of a very large body of Christian people, and the Bishop of the most ancient city of Western Europe. And we can sympathise with the loss sustained by millions' who are our fellow Christians. ' '

Bishop Eyle said m Westminster Abbey: "Although there exist great differences between the Church of England and the Church of Rome, we are all members of the great Church throughout the world. Therefore I ask you to kneel for a few moments m silent prayer, expressing prayerful sympathy with your fellow Roman Christians m the loss they have sustained." . .

In the days when peace and union and reconciliation are m the air, these words will find an echo m every Christian heart.

The Tasmanian "Church News" warmly approves of Bishop Ryle's action. We shall no. doubt find, when the English papers come to hand, that Bishop Ryle was by no means singular.

We must learn to regard the Universal Church as something much wider than the Anglican communion, and to make our prayers for all Christian people and especially those m authority, m the true spirit of charity. •

The "Church Standard" regards the election of the new Pope with profound disappointment and describes him as the leader of the "irreconcilable" element m the Sacred College. If this is so, he more than ever needs our prayers that he may be enlightened and enabled to see with broader vision the needs of the Universal Church and the great opportunities that are presented to-day for the reconciling of the sundered portions of the One Body of Christ.