no big

There'll be no big hand from the bishop

That ecclesiastical hot potato, women priests, has reached the South Pacific!

Miss Mary Belfry, 27-year-old American-born ex-secretary to the Anglican Bishop of Papua New Guinea, wants to be a priest in the Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican Church in the United States, And her former boss, the Rt.

Rev. David Hand, doesn’t approve.

He believes that the priesthood is an exclusively male preserve.

At present, women cannot become priests in the Episcopal Church, but many people think that very soon that church will vote to admit women priests. In anticipation of this, Mary is planning to enter an American theological college later this year, to take a Master’s degree in divinity.

She was bishop’s secretary in PNG in 1969 and 1970.

On hearing of her ambition, Bishop Hand commented: “Just as mother hood belongs exclusively to the femae sex, so priesthood belongs ex clusively to the male sex.”

To justify his stand, the bishop pointed out that Jesus chose men only to be His apostles and added that, until recently, the Anglican Church had always maintained the traditional position of the Western and Eastern churches in barring women from the priesthood.

He expressed fears that the intro duction of women priests might hinder the Anglican church’s rela tionship with the Roman Catholic church, though he recognised that such a move might actually im-

prove relationships with Protestant churches, many of which are in favour of women ministers, at least in principle.

The Congregational Church in England had at least one ordained woman minister, the Rev. Dorothy F. Wilson, more than 40 years ago.

Last year, Bishop Hand, in his capacity as chairman of the South Pacific Anglican Council, voted against a resolution at the Anglican Consultative Council in Kenya which, by a narrow margin, approved the ordination of women.

He said at the time that he believed that for cultural and social reasons, Pacific Islanders were not yet willing to accept women priests.

However, he has, subsequently, said that if the Anglican church as a whole approved the ordination of women as priests he would, in loyalty, abide by that decision.

And, he admits that “many women have pastoral and preaching gifts equal to those of men, which can and should be used in the service of the Church”.

Meanwhile, the rot has already set in, and not so far from home either. Two women were recently ordained as Anglican priests in Hong Kong.

Miss Mary Belfry already has experience of the Church in the Pacific and wants to serve in the office of priest. She is getting ready to face the job, but it's not at all sure that the job will be there.