Bishops in Judgement The Bishop of Chichester has aroused considerable
public interest by his action in refusing admission to Holy Communion to Mr. Bunting. Such a punishment is rarely applied. It is capable of inflicting great spiritual pain. If it were always applied as swiftly as by Bishop Bell, there would be few who could present them- selves at the Communion service. Mr. Bunting, before Bishop Bell's condemnation, had been severely rebuked for callousness by a coroner, in one of those accesses of moral indignation which are, unfortunately, so common in coroner's courts. Even if the rebuke had been just, one might still have expected the Church to temper it with the charity which is still officially the greatest of Christian virtues, though rarely practised. But Bishop Bell seems to have been as anxious as a coroner to con- demn ; those who are conscious of error will hope that punishment is not always in the hands of such stern judges. The Bishop of Birmingham has described Bishop Bell's action with the New Testament expression for those who find condemnation easier than under- standing.
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