Newspaper Page Text
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia
nlUtin
“To Brhig About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
Vol. XXVI. No. 8.
FORTY-EIGHT PAGES
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, AUGUST 25, 1945
ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia
to Hold 30th Annual Convention in Albany
To Participate in Convention of Georgia Laymen \/~> •• r\
TO PRESIDE TO OFFER MASS HOST TO CONVENTION COIlVCTltlOTi L)(Xt€ 9 CjctOOCT 28,
Concides With Celebration of
Albany 9 s Catholic Centennial
BERNARD S. FAHY
Completing his second term as
president of the Catholic Lay
men's Association of Georgia,
Bernard S. Faliy, of Rome, will
preside at the Association's 30th
annual convention which will be
held in Albany on October 28.
This year’s convention will be
strictly a business session with a
limited number of delegates at
tending.
BISHOP O’HAltA
The Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara,
D. D.. J. U. D., Bishop of Savan-
nah-At lanta, who will celebrate a
Pontifical Mass to mark the cen
tennial of Catholicity in Albany on
October 28. and v/ho will attend
the 30tli annual convention of the
Catholic Laymen’s Association
which will be held in Albany on
that date.
FRET WIGGINS
As president of the Albany
Branch of 1 he Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia, Fred Wig
gins will extend a welcome to the
30th annual convention of the As
sociation on behalf of its local
branch in the convention city.
Mr. Wiggins, one of the. organis
ers of the Association, and always
active in its work, is a member of
its executive committee.
Theologians Review Moral Aspects of
Using Atomic Power in Conduct of War
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
W ASHINGTON.—The immense
moral problems arising from the
use of atomic energy as a weapon
of modern warfare have been in
formally discussed by a number
ol leading Catholic theologians
and scientists in this country.
While one of them expressed the
view that use of the atomic bomb
is "just and moral insofar as the
war itself is jus’t and moral,’’ two
other theologians draw a clearer
distinction between the use of the
weapon as a ‘’lawful” means of
destroying “strictly military ob
jectives” and as an “immoral”
means of terrorizing civilians and
breaking down civilian morale.
Another opinion sees in the mili
tary use of atomic energy a per
version of science "to the cause
ol slaughter and destruction,”
while a fifth one regards it as
evidence of “desperate moral
cynicism.”
If in some cases there was a
certain reticence in expressing
definitive opinions on the moral
aspects of the startling develop
ments, it is held to be mainly at
tributable to the lack of complete
information on circumstances and
the methods used by the Ameri
can armed forces in bringing the
power of th! new weapon to bear
upon the enemy.
It also was observed that the
Holy See during the .first few
days after announcement of the
atomic bomb has abstained from
i mmenting in any way on the
moral issues involved in the ex
ploitation of a new scientific dis
covery for military purposes. Re
ports in the American secular
Press, quoting “an authoritative
Vatican source” to the effect that
“the use of atomic bombs in Ja
pan has created an unfavorable
impression on the Vatican” have
been revealed to emanate from
unauthorized sources.
According to a report in the
Washington Star of August 8, His
Holiness Pope Pius XII, in an au
dience granted to Newbold
Noyes, Jr., that newspaper’s Roirtb
correspondent, permitted himself
to be quoted to the effect that the
circulated, allegedly, “official" re
port on Vatican views “was an un
authorized statement.”
The view that the atomic weap-1
on is legal in a just war, because
in modern total war “the old dis
tinction between combatant and
non-combatant has lost much of
its significance,” was expressed
by the Rev. James B. Macelwane,
S. J.. professor of geophysics and
director of the department. Dean
ol the Institute of Geophysical
Technology, St. Louis, University.
“Modern warfare is an armed
struggle between nations,” Father
Macelwane said. “The object of
each side is to win the war, that
is, to force the opposite side to
surrender by making it difficult
or impossible for it to wage fur
ther warfare. Provided the war be
a just war, the choice of weapon
is immaterial as far as morality is
concerned.
“The quicker an attacking en
emy is brought to his -knees and
lorced to surrender, the better it
is for all concerned.” the priest-
scientist declared. “The atomic
bomb is a weapon, and apparent
ly a very effective one. When a
modern nation goes to war it en
ters the war totally, that is, the
entire nation is engaged either in
providing or in using the im
mensely complicated material
that is required to wage a modern
war.
“The , old distinction between
combatant and non-combatant
has lost much of its significance.
War is no longer simply a strug
gle between armed men, it is pri
marily a clash of mechanism.
Therefore, to win the war the
enemy's production must be
stopped and his ability to wage
mechanized warfare thereby must
be destroyed. The atomic bomb
is a means to that end.
“The use of the atomic bomb,”
Father Macelwane concluded, “to
(Continued on page twenty-four)
Envoy Myron Taylor
Confers With President
(By Religious News Service)
W ASHINGTON, D. C.—Myron
C. Taylor, the President's special
envoy to the Vatican, conferred
with President Truman at the
White House on what he called
“many subjects", but would not
make any comment indicating
whether or not he will return to
Rome.
Taylor, who returned to the
United States last month, refused
to divulge his future plans to re
porters.
“Ask the President,” he suggest
ed. '
Churchill Says Dictatorial Regimes
Are Set Up by Reds in East Europe
(By N. C. W.'C. News Service)
LONDON. The declaration that
communist forces in the Balkans
and in Eastern Europe have, al
most everywhere, “obtained, or are
in the process of obtaining, dicta
torial powers,” was made by for
mer Prime Minister Winston
Churchill in his first address as a
private member of the House of
Commons. -
“That does not mean,” Mr.
Churchill said, “that everywhere
has communism been established
nor that it will be established.”
“Nevertheless,” lie said, “we must
know where we stand, and we must
make clear where . we stand in
these affairs of the Balkans and
Eastern Europe.”
Regarding the provisional west
ern frontier agreed upon for Po
land." comprising as it does one-
quarter of the arable land of Ger
many,” the former Premier said
it "is not a good augury for the
future of Europe.”
“Here, I think.” Mr. Churchill
said, “a mistake has been made in
which the Provisional Government
of Poland has ben an ardent partner
far beyond what necessity or
equity requires.”
Referring again to the Balkans,
he said: “1 cannot conceive that
any element of new conflict exists
in the Balkans today. Neverthe
less, not many members of the new
House of Commons will be content
with the situation prevailing in
those mountainous, turbulent, ill-
organized, warlike legions.” i
AUGUSTA. Ga.—With the ap
proval of Ilis Excellency the Most
Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D„ J.
U. D... Bishop of Savannah-Atlan-
ta, Bernard S. Faliy,’ president of
the Catholic Laymen’s Association
of Georgia, has announced that
the thirtieth annual convention of
the Laymen’s Association will be
held in Albany on October 28, the
Feast of Christ the King.
On that date, the members of
St. Theresa’s parish in Albany will
observe the one hundredth anni
versary of the first celebration of
Mass in Dougherty County, and
I he convention of the Laymen’s As
sociation is being held in conjunc
tion with the observance of the
centennial of Catholicity in Al
bany, at the invitation of the Very
Rev. Daniel J. Bourke, pastor
of St Theresa’s Church in Albany,
and of Fred Wiggins, president of
the Albany Branch of the Lay
men's Association.
Present plans indicate that this
year's convention will be rather in
the nature of a meeting of the of
ficers and members of the cxecu-
tixe committee of the Laymen's
Association, with members of the
local branch in Albany, in order to
comply with government regula
tions in regard to gatherings and
travel, and the attendance of out-
of-town delegates will be restrict
ed unless the ODT ban on conven
tions has been relaxed by the last
of October.
Preliminary outline of the con
vention program provides merely
for a business session in the after
noon. at which the officers of the
Association will submit their an
nual reports, and matters in con
nection with the operation of the
Association for the coming year
will be discussed.
Departing from a long establish
ed custom, no guest speaker will
be invited to address the conven
tion this year. However, the Most
Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D„ J.
U. D.. Bishop of Savannah-Atlan-
ta. will, as usual, deliver his annual
message to the officers and mem
bers of the Association.
The Solemn Pontifical Mass
which will commemorate the one
hundredth anniversary of the first
i celebration of Mass in.Albany will
take the place of the Mass which
; opened the convention program in
■ other years.
| Officers of the Association who
j arc expected to attend are: Ber-
| nard S. Faliy, Rome, president;
j Martin J. Callaghan, Macon, vice-
president: John B. McCallum. At
lanta. secretary: Hugh II. Grady,
Savannah, treasurer; Hugh Kinch-
ley, Augusta, executive secretary;
Miss Cecile Ferry, Augusta, finan
cial secretary, and Alvin M. Me-
Auliffe, Augusta, auditor.
Members of the executive com
mittee, who also are expected to
attend, arc: Bernard J. Kane, At
lanta: T. H. McHatton, Athens; C.
A. McCarthy, Savannah; Fred Wig
gins, Albany: Charles Southerland.
LaGrange; Mrs. Edward A. Sheri
dan. Macon f Mrs. J. Mark Mote.
Columbus, Mrs. Lee Annis Sim
mons, Atlanta, and Miss Anna
Rice, Augusta.
In addition to the annual reports
of the president, secretary, treas
urer. executive secretary and audi
tor, the convention will also hear
reports from the presidents of the
various local branch associations,
Fred Wiggins. Albany; Felix J.
Commagere, Atlanta; Charles V.
Walsh, Savannah; Henry J. Mur
phy, Columbus: Martin J. Callag
han, Macon: Marshall Wellbovn,
Rome; John T Buckley, Augusta,
E. M. Heagarty, Waycross; R. E.
McTigue. LaGrange.
According to the by-laws of the
Laymen s Association, each parish
in the Diocese of Savannah-Atlan
ta entitled to appoint two dele
gates to the convention, and every
Catholic organization in Georgia is
entitled to one convention dele
gate.
Whether it will be possible to
invite these representatives to ,tlie
convention in Albany this year
depends upon what relaxation
may be made in government re
strictions on travel after peace
negotiations have been completed
with Japan.
Under present plans for the
convention, it is not anticipated
that there will be more than forty-
nine delegates from outside of the
city of Albany in attendance.
Bulletins
A STATEMENT in the general
press concerning the possibility of
the American Military Govern
ment's insisting upon having an
observer present at the forthcom
ing annual meeting of the Ger
man Hierarchy at I’ulda brought
a clarifying statement from the
War Department to the effect that
the policy established of having an
observer present at meetings of
five or more persons within the
occupied zone, is capable of
amendment by officials “within the
theatre” according to the nature
of the meeting. The general pol
icy was aimed at preventing the
assembling of groups with “Nazi
tendencies”, the War Department
explained.
A NAVY CHAPLAIN, Lieut.
Thomas M. ( onway, has been de
clared “missing in action” since
his ship, the U. S. S. Indianapolis,
was torpedoed and sunk by an en
emy submarine on July 30. Be
fore entering the service, Father
Conway was assistant pastor of
St. Bridget’s Church Buffalo, N, Y.
PRAYER THAT GOD may
“guide and strengthen our states
men to dedicate the might which
has brought us victory to the res
toration of the nations.on the firm
foundations of truth and ordered
liberty and to the achievement of
a just and lasting peace” was
urged by the Most Rev. Edward
Mooney, Archbishop of Detroit
and Chairman of the Administra
tive Board. National Catholic Wel
fare Conference, in a statement
issued following the official an
nouncement of the end of war
with Japan.
VERY REV.'m. EDMUND FUT-
TERER, O. C. S. O., has been elect-
Abbot of Our Lady of the Val
ley Monastery in Cumberland, R
I., where he has served as Super
ior for the lust 18 months, and the
Monastery lias been elevated to
the status of an Abbey, the only
one of its kind in New England.
Born in Albany. N. Y„ Father Ed
mund joined the Trappist Order
in 1.927.
DAMAGE to (he Apostolic Dele
gation in Tokyo during aerial
bombardments of Japan is regard
ed by the Holy See as an unfortu
nate accident of war, it is stated
in Vatican circles.
THE CHINESE PEOPLE will
not forget the . manifestations of
sympathy extended to them by
His Holiness Pope Pius XII in
their time of darkest trial. Cheou
Kang Sie. Minister of China to
the Holy See, declared in a state
ment issued in Rome to mark the
surrender of Japan.