Marriage of Prince Michael of Kent
The announcement that the Queen, after a meeting of the Privy Council, had granted permission to Prince Michael of Kent to marry Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, a Roman Catholic divorcee is a matter which will not gladden the hearts of Protestants throughout our land. The fact that the Baroness is not to renounce the Roman Catholic faith, and also that she has had her former marriage annulled by a Roman Catholic tribunal in order to open up the way for her to be married in a Roman Catholic Church, cannot but make Protestants fear increased Roman Catholic influence within the Royal family.
While recognising the fact that Prince Michael, through his marriage, is excluded from the succession to the throne, yet it would appear that this does not apply to any children of the marriage. Prince Michael, we understand, has stated that any children of the marriage will be brought up as Protestants. Yet while this is so, there is little doubt that any such children will be strongly influenced by their mother’s religion, and as a loyal and devoted Roman Catholic she will be expected by her Church to do all in her power to win them over to the Roman Catholic faith. Consequently, we hold that renunciation of the Roman Catholic faith by the Baroness ought to have been made a condition for permission for the marriage to be granted.
(Since the above note was written the Pope has refused permission for the marriage to take place in a Roman Catholic Church).
Church of Scotland Minister and Cremation
In the May issue of Imprint, the Moray and Inverness supplement to Life and Work, the editor, Rev. Robert J. V. Logan, Inverness, gives his support to a proposed Crematorium for the North, and expresses surprise that, at the end of the ‘Seventies, Aberdeen has still the only Crematorium in the whole of the North. In our view, it is most regrettable that a Minister of the Gospel would give any support whatsoever to the provision of a Crematorium, seeing that cremation is a pagan method of disposal of the dead. Rather would we expect a minister to express opposition to such a proposal. For our part, we would wish to state our abhorrence of the proposal and our hope that Moray District Council will abandon this project.
Sabbath Collection of Letters
The delegates at the annual conference of the Union of Post Office Workers voted almost unanimously against the re-introduction of a Sabbath collection of letters. It is gratifying to know that the postmen’s representative came to this decision though we know, of course, that it was not out of deference to the law of the Sabbath. The Glasgow Herald in an editorial entitled “Posties’ Sabbath” criticised the postmen for their decision and then, after acknowledging that they were perfectly entitled to take that attitude, went on to lecture them that having established their right to ‘Sunday’ off that they should now respect the rights of others and make no demands on ‘Sunday’ workers. “This means,” the editorial went on, “no family expeditions in the car, which would involve traffic policemen and petrol pump attendants; no telephone calls, no radio or TV, no golfing; and certainly no popping down to the local for a pint.”
This is just how it should be, and we are glad of the Glasgow Herald’s conversion to an outlook which our Church has advocated for over eighty years. Were this course followed, and the worship of God restored to its rightful place, what a different place Scotland would be.
Death of Rev. D. M. MacLeod, Auckland
It is with deep sorrow that we record the death of Rev. D. M. MacLeod, Auckland, New Zealand, after a serious and trying illness. His death is a great loss to the Church at home and abroad. He has now entered, we believe, into the joy of His Lord. To his widow and family, and to his large circle of relatives, as well as to the congregation in Auckland, we would extend our sincere sympathy at this time.