In the House of Lords on Friday, March 3rd, Lord
Kinnaird asked for a return of churches in which confessional boxes had been put up. Lord Dudley on behalf of the Home Office refused to agree to the return on the ground of the extreme difficulty of getting the information. Lord North- brook, however, disputed this view and strongly supported the demand for the return. He was followed by the Bishop of Winchester, who showed how absurd was the allegation that the Bishops had used their veto unfairly, and so as to deprive any one of his rights. As to the return of confessional boxes, by all means let it be made, bat it would be very misleading,—because, no doubt, the vestries are generally used for hearing confessions. The growth of the use of the confessional was, he believed, a very real danger. "In his opinion no greater calamity could befall the English Church than that the practice of private confession should become general. He hoped he had made it clear that he did not want in any sort of way to keep things back or desired to foster or promote practices which he believed to be fraught with enormous peril."
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