[Canadian Churchman Editorial on Unusual Faith Healing Practices]
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/official5351
- Date
- 1967 October 30
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Type
- Press Release
- Text of motion
- The Anglican Church of Canada's national newspaper says the church's hierarchy must decisively disassociate itself from unusual faith healing practices which border on exorcism.
- The Canadian Churchman, in an editorial to be published this week, is critical of diocesan officials for what it calls their inaction in handling unusual faith healing practices at St. Matthias Church in downtown Toronto.
- It is the responsibility of the church to speak now with a unified voice so that such practices are never again allowed to corrupt the faith and morals of anyone, the editorial says.
- It says that for more than two years officials of the Toronto diocese have been aware "all was not well" in the parish. It says church officials and a number of Canadian clergy knew of the unusual practices and meetings held in the church and elsewhere in Toronto.
- On October 4, a coroner's jury found Rev. Canon G. Moore Smith, rector of St. Matthias, and his wife, negligent for not summoning aid for their ward, Miss Katherine Globe. The 18-year old girl died in the St. Matthias' rectory of meningitis resulting from a ruptured brain abscess.
- Ontario's supervising coroner, Dr. H.B. Cotnam, called the inquest August 31 after receiving reports that a group within St. Matthias practiced exorcism of devils by prayer. Canon Smith, his wife and an assistant parish priest, Rev. Douglas Tisdall, denied the group exorcised evil spirits.
- The editorial says that other than "friendly chats" with Smith, prior to Miss Globe's death, Toronto's clergy did nothing to force the issue.
- "All dioceses in Canada have archdeacons and rural deans who are supposed to keep a watch on parishes and clergy in their designated areas. We wonder how often these reverend gentlemen check the parishes and how often they meet to discuss problems with their bishops," it states.
- The editorial also asked the church to make public the investigation into faith healing in the diocese so that people may know the church is not engaged in trying to "sweep an unhappy situation under the carpet."
- The church must be at least as honest as the secular inquest hearing which investigated Miss Globe's death in public, it says.
- "The church must air its mistakes and incompetence and heresies so that all may know it seeks to preserve the truth," the editorial concludes.
- Rt. Rev. George Snell, Bishop of Toronto, on October 27 named a seven-man commission to investigate the whole area of the healing ministry in Toronto diocese.
- Chairman of the commission is Rev. Maurice Flint, a doctor of pastoral psychology, and lecturer at Wycliffe College. He is also director of chaplaincy services for the Ontario Department of Reform Institutions.
- Subjects
- St. Matthias' Church (Toronto, Ont.)
- Exorcism - Anglican Church of Canada
- Smith, G. Moore (George Moore), 1911-2003
- Globe, Katherine, d. 1967
- Spiritual healing - Anglican Church of Canada
- Canadian Churchman
- Editorial independence