Church and State in Malta.—Reference has been made already in these Notes to the friction between the Roman Catholic Church and the civil authorities in Malta. It is evident that the high claims of Hildebrandianism are still unblushingly asserted by the Church of Rome where she imagines she has sufficient power. “The Glasgow Herald,” commenting on the situation in a leading article says—”A situation which must be nearly without parallel in modern times and is certainly unique in the British Empire has been created in Malta through the action of the Archbishop of Malta and the Bishop of Gozo in interfering actively in the General Election now in progress by means of a pastoral letter forbidding Catholics to support the Constitutional or Government Party and threatening them with refusal of sacraments should they disobey. Polling takes place in the Colony in a few days; but so great has been the agitation caused by the publication of the Bishops’ letter that Lord Strickland, the Prime Minister, has judged it advisable in the interests of the public peace to prohibit all meetings in support of his own party and thus virtually to hold up the election campaign.”
A later development of the controversy is indicated in a Press despatch announcing that the Archbishop of Malta condemns the “Daily Malta Chronicle” and the “Ix-Venix,” “The Sun,” Lord Stricklands’ paper, and prohibits their reading and sale under the penalty of mortal sin.
Kitty Smith.—In an interesting letter which we have received from Mr. Malcolm Matheson, Govan, in which he mentions the fact that Kitty Smith was his grand-aunt, he points out that her birth place was the island of Pabay, Lewis, and not Skye, as stated in the biographical sketch in our April issue.
The Wider Union.—Speaking at the Congregational Union of Scotland at Aberdeen yesterday, according to a Press report, the Rev. Dr. T. Templeton, Coatbridge, said he thought the need of the present ecclesiastical situation was that they should form a federation of non-established Church in Scotland. They should have a drawing together of various types willing to join the U.F. Church (Continuing), the Free Church, the Baptists, and the Methodists might and should draw together and find out how far they fitted together, and then later something of a comprehensive union might come. But it must be prepared for, not engineered. It should grow up naturally.