The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-13
The Church Of England and Marriage
with "A Deceased WlRe's sister.

with "a WIGS Shster'
When the British statute ~forbidding
marriage with a deceased wife's sister
was repealed there was widespread ap-
~prehension of a conflict between Church
and State. As the n~inety-ninth canon
Of the Church of England. which pro-
hibits such a marriage, is still u~nrepealed
and must remain so until Convocation
meets In February the question has been
asked: Would the Anglican clergy obey
the ecclesiastical or civil law? Some
clergymen have answered the question
not only by refusing to celebrate a
marriage with deceased wife's sister but
by declaring the parties to such a union
from the communion table. Deep inter
est is felt in the opinions recently ex-
pressed with reference to the duty Of
the clergy by the Archbishop of Canter-
bury and the Bishops of Hereford, Lich-
field, Wakefield and Southwelt.
The Primate of All England, who OPP
posed in the House Of Lords the bill per-
hitting the marriages in question, does
not address the whole body of the AnRli-
can Church, but only the clergy and laity
Of his own diocese. Recognizing that the
matter has been settled once for all by
the supreme authority of Parliament, the
Archbishop gives but little time to a
~vindication OF the position which he took
In the House Of Lords. He points out,
however, that by the new statute the
State has reversed its previous declara-
ton that a marriage with a deceased
wife's sister is contrary TO GODS laws, "
and that thereby, as regards a point in
the marriage code, a long standing part
nsrship between the Church of England
and the State has been dissolved.
Passing to tho practical question Of
the conduct of the clergy he holds that a
marriage Of the kind named must, so long
rs the ninetY-ninth canon remains un-
repealed by ConvOcation, be looked upon
as at least enthusiastically irregular. y
He declines owever, to countenance the
exclusion o. he parties to such a union
from the communion, and warns the
clergy who have pursued such a course
that they are obliged to give an account
Of the same to the Ordinary within four
teen days thereafter. As with the Eu-
charist so Il is with Christian burial.
~ResponAible men, he says, will not look
upon such marriages as sufficient reason
why the parties can be rightly cut OF from
che unity Of the Church."
There is by no means a consensus
mon other Bishops who have lately
presided In diocesan conferences. The
Bishop of Southwell declared that IL was
not the Church's duty TO alter her canon
law just because the state had seen ft
20 alter its statute law. Tho Bishop Of
Wakefield asked his clergy II case should
occur 10 refer it 10 him, but he deprecated
any general statement at the present time
"a 20 whether persons contracting the
marriage in question should be excluded
from the holy communion. He person.
ally would not counsel clergymen to at
tempt 10 shut them out on that ground
merely.
The Bishop Of Lichield, speaking at
Shrewsbury, pronounced il clearly neces-
sary for the Anglican clergy and lalty TO
exercise restraint over the language used
concerning marriage with a deceased
wife's sister. That such marriages do
not offend the conscience Of many good
Christian men and women the Bishop
could not doubt: that they r certainly
contraryto the laws Of COP and incestu-
DIS he darednOt affirm that the authority
which made the canons OF 1903 can alter
those canons in matters which are not
certainly contrary 10 GODS law he could
hardly deny. Yet. unless and until such
alteration OF the canon law should be
made the communion table stands for
che Anglican clergy az it stood before,
and every parish priest who feels himself
hound ~ conscience to abide by the
order o. the canon is left free by the Law
of the realm TO observe what no recog-
nizes a the law Of tho Church and %
guard his Parishioners against being