Bishops v. Parliament

Last year the British House of Commons vetoed by a large majority a proposal to adopt a new Church of England Prayer Book./- Last week the convocations of Bishops and clergy of Canterbury and York reversed that decision, publicly approved of the new prayer book, delivered what was tantamount to a slap in the face of the British Parliament. At September's Church Assembly, the York and Canterbury resolutions will be submitted for further action, for the possible adoption of the new prayer book.

Members of Parliament were incensed at the Bishops' action. Laborite Holford George Wilfrid Knight promised to take up the matter at once with Prime Minister MacDonald, to make the Bishops "set an example to the nation of obedience to law and respect for the sanctity of a contract."

Sharp for the past several months has been antagonism between two Bishops who at last week's convocation inevitably met. One of these is the Rt. Rev. Ernest William Barnes, "liberal" Bishop of Birmingham, the other is the Rt. Rev. Michael Bolton Furse, Bishop of St. Albans, stormy conservative. Said Bishop Furse when he saw Bishop Barnes: ". . . He claims liberty for himself and others in freedom of belief and refuses to allow that freedom of belief to be expressed in certain ways by us who, he says, made concessions to religious barbarisms." Interjected the Most Rev. Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury: 'The Bishop of Birmingham so frequently uses language which is of the vehement kind that he must not be surprised if any of the brethren wish to call attention to its implications." Continued Bishop Furse: ". . . He is hurting the feelings ... of thousands of people throughout the world with language such as his reference to the statue of the Madonna as a 'female and child.' " Answered Bishop Barnes: "I stand as a prominent member of what is known as the Modernist Movement. That movement seeks to be loyal to the Church but it also seeks to be loyal to TRUTH." Said still another Bishop: "So do we all." Thereupon the Bishops returned their attentions to the business of the day. Unexpected and most disturbing was the point-blank question put to the Bishops by the Rev. Edward Lyttelton, onetime headmaster of Eton, who demanded to know immediately what they thought about birth control-- Said Dr. Lyttelton: "If contraception is not wrong in many cases it must be right. Will any pastor say this from his pulpit? Will any bishop put his name to a document commending the practice even to the dwellers of the city slums? Why not? Or will any ordained person avow in public he is himself a contraceptionist? If not, why not? The Roman Catholic church is very explicit in its attitude, and we ought to make our position equally clear."

/-The book now in use dates from 1611. * Great Britain has no restrictions against the teaching of birth control.