Evening star., 1943-10-05
Episcopa|ians
ToAct Today
On Bishopriic
Convention May Get
Report on Proposal
From Committee
BY HAROLD b. ROGERS,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT

dDly Will aCC To-Day on the proposal
to establish the residence of the pre-
siding bishop in Washington, but
there was no indication as to what
that action would be.
Bishop Frank McElwain of Min
nesota, chairman of the Committee
on Constitution and Canons, to
which the matter was referred yes
terday, said his committee would try
to have a report ready for the
House as soon as possible. He could
not predict when that would be.
The issue, which means much to
the Washington diocese, and prob
ably to the future of the Washing
ton Cathedral. is complicated by
several factors. Proponents of the
plan have been working hard
against a certain indifference
among the deputies and bishops,
and also against some real opposi-
ton.
If the House of Bishops takes
some kind of favorable action their
report would go to the House of
Deputies for concurrence. But if
the bishops should drop or kill the
matter, the deputies still could take
1T up, but without much hope of
final enactment.
Prospects Studied.
Meantime while the WASHINGTON
delegation continued to scan the
prospects for Bishop of Washington.
to succeed the late Bishop James E.
Freeman. The general convention
Railways and hotel lobbies were
buzzlng with talk with election of
presiding bishop. There is much
sentiment in favor of re-electing the
Right Rev. Henry st. George Tucker
OF Virginia, but he now is 50 years
old, and under present church
canons would retire January l, un-
less the convention made special ar
rangements through change in
canons.
Others whose names are being
mentioned as possible presiding
bishops include Bishops Henry K.
Sheriff., of Massachusetts: Robert
E. L. Strider. of West Virginia; w.
Bertrand Stevens, Of Los Angeles.
and Frank w Creighton, of Michi-
gan. A motion in the House of
Deputies to make the presiding
bishops retiring age 70 instead of
So was referred to the committee on
canons.
The project known as approach
to Unity with the Presbyterian
Church which went through the
House of Bishops yesterday was on
the house calendar today.
DIR. Wedel Optimistic.
DR.. Theodore o. Wedel, canon of
Washington Cathedral. who has
looked forward to more discussion
Of the merits of a report of the COM
mission on unity, OF which he Is a
member, said today he had hopes of
the House of Deputies acting favor
ably on the matter The bishops
action yesterday was commended
by Bishop James De Wolf Perry of
Rhode Island, former presiding
bishop, as an advance in the long
road which the proposal for unity
already has travelled. Bishop Perry,
a leader in the movement since
1910, and delegate to several world
conferences, said the revised reso-
luton adopted by the bishops res
cued the original intention" of
proposal for unity made in 1887,
which might have been defeated
by an acrimonious debate"
Tho IocicjNr olco 1oo,oe o,as
added, the controversial points for
further study, such as the priesthood
and the Episcopate. Discussion of
recent weeks. he warned. had ap-
peared to endanger split in the
convention on the issues that had
been drawn" The proposal as it
stands now would continue the COM
mission on unity. and authorize ap-
proaches to "other Christian bodies"
Remarriage Studied.
The controversial subject of re-
marritge after divorce was in the
hands of the committee on canons
today, as this body wrestled with
the lengthy majority and shorter
minority reports characterized as
liberalizing the attitude of the Epis-
copal Church on the matter. A large
majority of Episcopalians, according
to one authority, favor some liberal
lzatlon of the present canons which
forbid remarriage after divorce ex-
cept in the case of an innocent party
in case of adultery.
The present canons have elaborate
rules for remarriage after annul-
ment. The report on holy matrimony
is expected to be so controversial
that Anson T. McCook, chairman
of the committee on dispatch of
business, said he planned to insist
that no matter what time the re-
port came out of the committee on
canons, the subject should rest over
night, to give deputies time to con-
slider it carefully.
T. E. Robertson of Washington,
member of the committee on canons,
said the committee had spent many
hours on the matrimony report, and
might have it ready Tuesday, but
more likely later.
Peace Delegates Urged.
A proposal that representatives of
the entire Christian church of the
world be assembled at the peace
conference was advanced in the
House of Bishops by Bishop Stires
OF Long Island. His resolution, re-
ferred to the Committee on Inter-
DI~I