Saturday, Mar. 03, 1923

A New Church

Under their Bishop-elect, Adrot, several thousand Roman Catholic priests have founded in France a new Church. The tradition of celibacy of the clergy is 1,000 years old, but they have decided to break with this tradition. Bishops of similar churches in Holland, Switzerland, Poland, Czecho-Slovakia and Hungary will be present at Adrot's consecration, which is scheduled for late in April. Two of these had been duly consecrated as bishops before their break with Rome. The new church therefore claims apostolic succession, and the same authoritative basis as the Church of England.

Catholic and Lutheran organizations appeared before the United States Supreme Court to contest the Nebraska school law. The law prohibits religious instruction for pupils below the eighth grade in public, private, and parochial schools, except after dark and on Sundays. Both churches protest that the statute is an invasion of their constitutional rights.

The Reverend Doctor R. S. MacArthur, 81, died on February 25 at Daytona Beach, Fla. He was President of the Baptist World Alliance, and pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, New York, for 41 years. He retired in 1911, and resigned as pastor emeritus of the church in 1922 when his successor, Dr. John Roach Stratton, held a debate with William A. Brady on stage and pulpit morals.