Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-05-01
BY CASPAR NAMES
Star Stan Writer

Star Stan Writer
DENVER, April 80. Meth
odistS today SHE'D from ex-
pressing an opinion on the
question of voting for a Roman
Catholic for President.
Delegates to the Methodist
Church's quadrennial General
Conference overwhelmingly re-
fused further action on a reso-
luton recommending that
church members read an arti-
Gle on this issue in a current
national magazine.
The article was written by
Methodist Bishop G. Bromley
Oman Of Washington and DR..
Eugene Carson Blake, stated
clerk of the United Presby-
terrain Church, U. S. A. 1t an
swers questions on the issue
submitted to the two ProteS-
tant leaders by editors of Look
Magazine.
The Rev. L. E. Crowson of
Logan, w. Va, in his motion
said the article wisely, accu-
rately and dispassionately" ex-
pressed the Protestant view
relative to Senator Kennedy's
presidential candidacy" and
urged that Methodists through
out the country read it.
Motion Overruled
The Democratic primary in
Mr.. Crowson's home State, with
Senator Kennedy and Senator
Humphrey Of Minneso seeking
West Virginia votes at the Ma
tional Democratic Convention,
will be held May 10.
The Rev. G. Alfred Brown of
Fort Worth, Tex, opposed the
resolution, declaring the de-
nominations top legislative
policy-making body should adj
here to the church's traditional
view of separation of church
and state.
The nearly 800 delegates rep
resenting the 1O-million-mem-
Der Methodist Church then
overwhelmingly turned down
the motion and refused to send
1t to a committee for consid-
Grafton.
Transfer Plan Offered
Meanwhile another Kennedy
figured in hallway discussions
by delegates. Bishop Gerald H.
Kennedy of Los Angeles, re-
Gently elected president of the
Methodist Council of Bishops,
is favored by many to succeed
Bishop Oman, who retires in
June from the Washington
position.
The fact that it is almost i'm
possible for a bishop in one of
the church's five geographical
jurisdictions to be appointed to
a vacancy in another juriSdic-
ton may influence the actions
OF the delegates in this matter.
Bishop Kennedy is in the west
ern jurisdiction and Bishop
Oman in the northeastern
jurisdiction.
There is a strong move to
make the jurisdictional struc-
ture OF the church more f1ex-
IDLE in this respect. This move
received impetus today when
the delegates approved a COM
mission report studying the
jurisdictional system recon-
mendation that would permit
a bishop from one Jurisdiction
to be called to a vacancy in
another.
Conditions Outlined
Emphasizing there would be
no change in the present setup
safeguarding the right of each
jurisdiction to elect its bishops
and to assign them within the
area. the report would amend
the constitution in three ways
to make crossing these lines
easier.
A transfer would be made
by approval of two-thirdS of
the Committee on Episcopacy
OF the jurisdiction to which
the transfer is to be made. The
jurisdiction of the bishop
transferring must not diSap-
prove by a two-thirds vote, and
the bishop himself must con-
sent to the transfer.
Among those in the north
eastern jurisdiction prominent
~ mentioned as possible sue
cessorS to Bishop Oman are
Bishops Fred Pierce Corson of
Philadelphia, John Wesley Lord
of Boston and Lloyd C. Wicke
OF Pittsburgh. The naming of
a successor to Bishop Oman,