Evening star., 1954-08-11
40 Million AngIicans
In World, Archbishop
OF Canterbury Says
BY cospor Names
SioF Staff Correspondent

MINNEAPOLIS. Aug. 11.-Ap-
proximately 40 million of the
worlds estimated 800 million
Christians are Anglicans, the
Most Rev. Geoffrey Francis
Fisher, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, announced today.
The communion's IA branches,
Of which the Protestant Episco-
pal Church in the U. S. A. is one.
look to the Church of England
as their mother church. Arch
bishop Fisher is regarded as head
Of the English church. The
American Episcopal Church has
81 million members.
423 Million Catholics.
Figures released by the Arch
bishop at the Anglican Congress
here revealed that there are
about 423 million Roman Cath
olic church members and 160
million members of the various
Orthodox churches.
Protestant bodies have an es-
timated 224 million members.
The largest number, 68i5 million,
belong to Lutheran denornina-
tions. The Presbyterian and Re-
formed churches have ALL mil
liam adherents: the BaptistS, 40
million: the Methodists, 80 mil
lion. and the Congregationalists,
8 million members.
African Racial Issue.
The racial situation In South
Africa is so explosive that there
is q strong possibility it will end
in "bloodshed and violence" the
Right Rev. Richard A. Reeves,
Bishop of johannesburg, South
Africa, warned a luncheon meet
ing yesterday.
Bishop Reeves declared that.
some leaders of South Africa's
present policies say they will re-
quire "a century in which to
carry them out. It is diff1cult to-
imagine that they will be, given
SO, let alone 100 years, and the
chances are that they won 'thave
another 10 years. What then? /
dare not pretend to have: any
answer to that question MY
growing fear is the end will be.
bloodshed and violence"
The speaker castigated recent
legislation on education, labor
and outlawing of communism as
being used to further "the racial;
theology of the present govern.
ment in South Africa" -
The Bantu (native) Education
Act, Bishop contended, is de-
signed "to help keep the African
in his place and to see that he.
develops along his own lines,
whatever may be meant by this
ambiguous phrase"
According to the Bishop. the
recent Native Labor Act. is so
restrictive on trade unions that
cit is difficult for me to see how
racial friction and industrial un-
rest will be avoided, and it may
well be that the long period of
relative industrial peace in South
Africa is ending"
Trade Unions Issue.
Bishop Reeves explained that
while African trade unions are
not prohibited. they have no Of
fetal recognition. The unions.
he added, are not allowed to
have mixed European and Afri-
can membership; direct bargain
ing between the employers and
African employees is prohibited
and strikes and lockouts are for
hidden. and the unions are ex-
cluded from participation in in
dustrial council and wage board
proceedings"
The 670 delegates to the Angli-
can Congress today will consider
the Communion's message to the
world. This is the third topic
related to the Congresses theme
of THE Call of God and the
Mission Of the Anglican Com
munion." The others are the
church's vocation, worship and
work.
Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati,
brother of the late Senator
Robert A. Taft, will speak to-
night on '"The Role of the
Laity" in church affairs.