The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-02
A COMING CHURCH CONVENTION.


The triennial General Convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. which is to
meet in Washington this week, beginning
on the 9Th inst, promises to be an event
OF considerable Importance in the annals of
that influential denomination. The organi-
cation of the convention makes it a pretty
large body numerically and very impress
sive one in its personnel. BY the constitution
or the church the General Convention con-
sists of House of Bishops and a House
of Deputies, the former composed exclu-
sively of bishops and the latter of four
clerical and four lay delegates from each
regular diocese and one clerical and one
lay delegate from each missionary diocese.
This will make the convention this year
consist of about 600 delegates, representing
every part of the United States, together
with delegates from the missionary dioceses
in Mexico, Brazil, Haiti japan. Liberia
and various parts of Europe BY the rules
of the church the presiding officer Of the
House of Bishops is the senior bishop in
the United States who at present is Right
Rev. John Williams. of Connecticut but as
he will be unable to attend the convention
the duty will fall on Bishop Whipple, of
Minnesota. The House of Deputies elects
its presiding officer, who is generally some
distinguished and popular rector The lay
delegates will embrace men of national
reputation or local prominence in all the
walks Of life.
Among the important questions that will
come before the convention for discussion
and action will be territorial extension, di-
vorce, missions, changing the name of the
church, the admission of Hawaii as a do
cese. etc. Of these perhaps the divorce
question is of the greatest popular interest,
since it relates to social evil which threat
ems to poison the springs of family life and
undermine the very foundations of society.
The present canon of the church on this
subject is as follows:
No minister, knowingly, after due inquiry.
shall solemnize the marriage of any person
who has a divorced husband or wife still
living, if such husband or wife has been
put away for any cause arising after mar
apply to the innocent party in divorce
for the cause adultery, or to parties once
divorced seeking to be united again.
The revision of this canon has been under
consideration for three years past by a
joint commission consisting of six bishops,
six rectors and seven laymen. A majority
of the commission will RECOMMEND the re-
peal of the present canon and the adoption
of one declaring that mo minister of this
church shall solemnize the marriage of
either party to asdivorce during life of the
other party There will. however, be two
or three minority reports, and a warm dis
cussion of the subject is expected.
Regarding the name of the church, high
churchmen hold that the present one does
not really indicate what the church pur-
ports to be. This name, they say, makes
it appear that the Protestant Episcopal
Church is a sect or denomination, like the
Presbyterians or Methodists, whereas they
claim it is really the Holy Catholic
Church, or a part of the Holy Catholic
Church in direct line, with continuity from
the Apostles Accordingly, they favor the
name American Catholic Church. or if the
word Catholic is liable to cause confusion,
simply the Church in America" This title
would undoubtedly be thought presumptu-
Gus by other denominations, but it would be
consistent with the claim of high church.
men that the Episcopal Church is the only
one, at least a part of the only one that
dates back in direct line to the Apostles.
The questions of territorial extension,
foreign and domestic mission work, the adj
mission Of Hawaii as a diocese, the support
of schools and colleges, the distribution of
the church building fund and others of
kindred nature will probably occupy the
convention al least two weeks