controversy within the Anglican Church.

And again a critical finger has been pointed at The Anglican Bishop of Bermuda, the Rt. Rev. William Down.

This time, concern has arisen over the Archdeacon Ratteray's attendance at a conference on Afro-Anglicanism in South Africa.

Chairman of the Concerned Anglicans, Mr. McNeil Warner, questioned Archdeacon Ratteray's record on fighting apartheid.

"It would be of interest to know how he was selected to attend the conference,'' said Mr. Warner, whose group is opposed to the current direction of the Anglican Church.

"Again it would appear that the senior canons were not considered. Perhaps only Bishop Down can reply to that.

"Certainly Bermuda would have been well served had Canon Thomas Nisbett, OBE, been asked to attend this conference particularly since it is in South Africa and he has been in the forefront of the fight against apartheid.'' Mr. Warner's comments came in a letter to The Royal Gazette .

In it, he stated apartheid would undoubtedly be on the conference agenda.

"To the best of my knowledge never, in the history of the local organisation's fight against apartheid, has the name of the Ven. Ewen Ratteray been heard, neither has his name been associated with any black issues in Bermuda.'' Yesterday, however, Bishop Down defended Archdeacon Ratteray's attendance at the conference.

He believed the chance to attend came through an advertisement in Anglican publications.

"The Ven. Ratteray saw the ad and asked if he could go. It was as simple as that.'' Bishop Down said no other clergyman had expressed interest in going.

He added the week-long conference -- thought to have been organised by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, had been held in Cape Town. Clergymen from all over the world were believed to have attended.

After the conference, clergymen would visit and preach in various churches, said Bishop Down.

He added Archdeacon Ratteray would be back in Bermuda on February 1.

It is the second time Archdeacon Ratteray has found himself swept up in controversy.

Last year, senior members of the Anglican clergy were said to be furious over his appointment as Archdeacon.

Bishop Down was accused of failing to consult senior members of the Anglican clergy over the appointment.

One critic was Canon Nisbett who said there was concern that the "least senior member'' of the Anglican clergy had been chosen.

Yesterday, however, Canon Nisbett stayed on the sidelines over the latest controversy.

"I did not know anything about the conference,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the Concerned Anglicans meet tonight at Somerset to discuss another issue at the forefront of their minds -- Bermudianisation within the Church.

The group is upset Bermudian priests are losing out to foreign ones in the hunt for work.

Shadow Labour Minister Mr. Alex Scott recently attacked Government for failing local clergymen.

He accused Government of approving the work permits of two foreign priests without advertising their positions.

Mr. Scott is expected to attend tonight's meeting.