HL Deb 10 December 1970 vol 313 cc1034-7
LORD MERTHYR

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will now take the necessary steps to bring into force the Easter Act 1928; and, if not, why not.]

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, it would be neither right nor practicable to implement the. Easter Act 1928 except with the approval of the Churches in this country, which is dependent upon that of other major Christian denominations. Progress continues to be made towards this goal but any final agreement is unlikely before the Pan-Orthodox Holy Synod meets in 1972.

LORD MERTHYR

My Lords, does the noble Lord not think it a little odd that we, having had a different Easter from the Orthodox Church ever since anybody can remember, must now wait until we get agreement with that Church?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, I have done my background reading, and I see that this subject has been raised in this House on many occasions by the noble Lord. He will therefore know that the reason why the agreement of the Eastern Orthodox Churches is required is that the agreement of the Roman Catholic Church is conditional on it.

LORD BLYTON

My Lords, is it not possible for the noble Lord to try to bring some light on this subject before Easter? Can he get the electricity dispute settled, so that we may get some light?

LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that a fixed Easter would be of immense benefit to the tourist industry of this country, which is producing such an immense amount of overseas revenue?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, there are advantages in a fixed date for Easter. There are a number of possibilities—there are, in fact, four—which are being discussed with the Churches at the moment.

LORD MERTHYR

My Lords, will the noble Lord tell me when I may next put my Question on the same subject?

SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS

Easter!

LORD WINDLESHAM

I wondered about that, my Lords. I saw that the noble Lord's practice was usually to put down a Question every two or three years, but the last occasion was in April of this year, and I can therefore only assume that the reason why we have had a second discussion on the subject so quickly is the change of Government.

LORD STONHAM

My Lords, the noble Lord mentioned that he had done a lot of research on the subject. Has that not proved to him that it is not the Churches in this country which are creating the difficulty over this issue?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, there has been a certain amount of progress in recent years. I know that the noble Lord was himself answering in similar terms on this subject not so long ago. But this year there was a meeting in Geneva in March, when the Faith and Order Secretariat of the World Council prepared a report on the subject; there was a meeting in August of the Faith and Order Working Committee; and there was a meeting of the Executive of the World Council of Churches in September, all on this point.

THE LORD BISHOP OF LEICESTER

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that it would be quite impossible for the Roman Catholic Church in this country to act without agreement with the Roman Catholic Church on the Continent?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, I think that point is very relevant, in the light of one of the earlier supplementaries from the noble Lord, Lord Merthyr.

LORD GARDINER

My Lords, may I ask what the World Council of Churches decided in August?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, the August meeting was of the Faith and Order Working Committee, and it decided to send the report which had been produced in March to the Executive of the World Council of Churches which met from September 1 to 7.

THE EARL OF SWINTON

My Lords, I have the greatest possible sympathy with the Question, and may I ask the Minister whether there is anything to stop us, by agreement or convention, from giving a lead in this matter and setting up an Easter for ourselves?

LORD WINDLESHAM

My Lords, I think the objection to it is that we should end up with a different secular public holiday from the dates which were still adhered to by at any rate some major religious denominations.

LORD PLATT

My Lords, may I ask why that did not prevent us from having a fixed Whitsuntide holiday?

LORD WINDLESHAM

Partly, my Lords, because Good Friday is a weekday and not a weekend.