Newspaper Page Text
MAY 17, 1952
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMENS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
News Review of the Catholic World
Catholic Beliefs Explained Before
Methodist Congregation by Official
Of National Council of Catholic Men
RADIO AWARD FOR FATHER PEYTON—In Hollywood, screen
star Irene Dunne presents Father Patrick Peyton, founder and
producer of the Family^ Theatre Radio series, with the celebrated
John Lester Radio Award. Mr. Lester, prominent syndicated
radio columnist, proclaimed Family Theatre, “Radio’s foremost
dramatic series for the current 1951-1952 season,” and cited it
for the “high moral tone, wholesomeness, as well as superior
entertainment value.” The program is heard on 425 Mutual Net
work stations throughout the country, and by transcription, in
Canada and Australia.—(NC Photos).
NEW YORK STATE'S RELEASED TIME
PROGRAM UPHELD IN 6-3 RULING
BY UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
WASHINGTON, D. C. — “One
thing is sure: the Catholic Church
is not working for a union of
Church and State any more than
the Methodist church is, or the
Baptists or anyone else.”
This declaration was made by
John G. Bowen, assistant executive
secretary of the National Council
of Catholic Men, in an address be
fore the congregation of the First
Methodist Church in suburban
Hyattsville, Md.
Members of other faiths have
been appearing as guest speakers
before the Methodist congregation
in a series called “What Others
Believe.” The minister, Dr. Edgar
W. Beckett, invited the Chancery
Office of the Washington archdio
cese to send a Catholic speaker and
Mr. Bowen was selected. In a
similar series conducted by the
nearby Arlington (Va.) Methodist
church, Thomas J. McDermott, au
thor and attorney, gave an address
on Catholic beliefs before the Prot
estant congregation.
Mr. Bowen explained that up un
til the 16th century “for all prac
tical purposes.” there was just one
Christian religion and Church. He
said the split came in 1517, started
by Martin Luther and widened a
short time later by King Henry
VIII. Mr. Bowen recalled that the
Methodist Church was started in
1739 by John Wesley. Mr. Bowen
displayed to the congregation a
chart showing the dates of origin
and sizes of some 225 Christian
churches. He said:
“Catholics believe that the Cath
olic Church was founded by Jesus
Christ and is the one, true Church,
‘Thou art Peter and" upon this rock
I will build my church’—not
churches. We believe that all oth
er Christian churches split off from
her.”
Mr. Bowen said that the matter
of explaining what Catholics be
lieve is “in a large sense a ques
tion of pointing out what Catholic
doctrines or practices” were drop
ped by other Christian churches.
He explained the seven Sacraments
and said that generally, Baptism
was one of the doctrines not drop
ped by the “modern” churches.
“In the face of almost universal
ridicule and at tremendous tests
of their Faith,” Mr. Bowen said.
“Catholics steadfastly hold that no
man. no Church, no state, nobody
has either the power or the right
to make laws which permit divorce
VATICAN CITY.—(Radio, NO—
Almost half of the marriage cases
studied last year by the Sacred
Roman Ro’ta, supreme Church
tribunal regarding the validity of
a marriage, were handled without
charge.
This was revealed in the Rota’s
1951 report released here by the
Vatican Press Office.
The Rota heard 184 marriage
cases last year. Eighty-eight of
these were handled free, the Vati
can Press Office announcement
said. It added that this means all
the expenses involved were borne
by the Holy See.
(A Canon Law expert in Wash
ington indicated that such expenses
vary widely, but often range from
$100 to $500, depending on the
individual case and the time con
sumed in its decision.
(He listed among these expenses
the cost of making translations, the
clerical work involved in typing
and printing the briefs, the postage
costs of sending many documents
to Rome from the diocesan mar
riage court, the set court fees and
the honorarium for the “defensor
vinculi” (defender of the bond) who
tries to uphold the validity of the
marriage.
(When the case involves those
who cannot afford to pay for the
services of an advocate, or mar
riage law expert, the canonist said,
the Rota appoints one for the liti
gants and he serves without pay.
He is usually a priest and is ap
pointed from a group who have
been designated “advocati pau-
perum” (advocates of the poor.).
During 1951, the Rota declared
the marriages to be null and void
in 68 of the 184 marriages cases
submitted to the court, the an
nouncement state. The Rota upheld
and remarriage and that the Bible
says just that.”
He explained that Catholics be
lieve the Holy Eucharist is the
actual Presence of Jesus Christ un
der the appearance of bread and
wine—“not just a symbol, not just
a commemorative ceremony.”
Catholics not only believe that
the Bible is the inspired Word of -
God, but “the reason we have the
Bible we know today, your Bible
as well as mine, is because the
.Catholic Church loved it, revered
it and preserved it,” Mr. Bowen
asserted. In the field of religion,
he said, “Catholics believe that the
Church has the duty and right to
interpret the Bible'.”
Regarding the Church-State is
sue, Mr. Bowen declared: “Any or
ganization as old and as big and as
widespread and as powerful as the
Catholic Church is bound to be ac
cused of all sorts of things; of
wanting to grab political power; of
wanting to grab great wealth; of
wanting to take over the govern
ment; of wanting to unite Church
and State, and a lot of other un
pleasant things. But charges don’t
make facts; and the facts are that
the Church is out to do one thing
and one thing only—preach Christ
and Him crucified.”
Catholics believe that “anybody
can get to heaven who wants to
and makes a sincere effort to please
God,” Mr. Bowen said. They be
lieve that every man must have an
“informed conscience,” and must
inform himself of the best means
to attain his goal. Mr. Bowen said.
To Catholics, religion is the most
important business of life. Mr. Bo
wen continued, and that is why
there are Catholic schools all over
the country. He added: “Catholics
believe that one reason there is so
much sin and immorality and
crookedness in public and private
life is because God and religion
have been banned from our public
schools.”
Catholics believe in the Declara
tion of Independence and the Con
stitution of the United States, Mr.
Bowen said. He said the “talk you
sometimes hear about Catholics be
ing subjects of a foreign potentate,
the Pope of Rome, and of not be
ing good, loyal American citizens
is just simply not true,” Mr. Bo
wen concluded: “I believe like
Commander Shea who was killed in
World War II and who wrote to his
little boy Jackie: ‘Be a good Cath
olic and you are bound to be a
good American’.”
the validity of the marriage in the
other 116 cases.
It is pointed out here that these
declarations of the nullity of a
marriage are hot divorces. A di
vorce means the dissolution of a
valid marriage. A declaration of
nullity means a judgment that a
valid marriage never existed, it was
pointed out.
In addition to the 184 marriage
cases, the Rota last year dealt with
four cases of a different nature, the
Vatican Press Office said. The
court is also the court of appeal
from the civil and criminal tribu
nals of Vatican City.
The Rota is composed of a dean
and 15 judges. The dean is Mon
signor Andre Julien, a Frenchman.
Among the judges are two Ameri
cans: Monsignor Francis J. Bren
nan of the Philadelphia arch
diocese and Monsignor William J.
Doheny, C.S.C., formerly a faculty
member of Notre Dame university.
Portrait of Priest
Hangs in White House
WASHINGTON, D. C.—(RNS)—
The portrait of a Catholic priest,
known as the father of Mexican
Independence, has been hung in
the newly redecorated White
House.
, Ambassador Rafael De La Colina
presented to President Truman the
portrait of Father Miguel Hidalgoy
Costualla at a ceremony here.
Father Hidalgo initiated the re
volt against Spanish misrule, in
1810. At that time he was a parish
priest in Dolores, Guanajuato Pro
vince, Mexico. The campaign he
led to oust the Spanish had its
culmination on September 16, 1810,
which is now celebrated as a na
tional holiday in Mexico.
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
WASHINGTON, D. C.—“We are
a religious people, whose institu
tions presuppose a Supreme Be
ing.”
With these words the New York
released time program for giving
religious instruction to public
school students was upheld by the
United States Supreme Court in a
6-to-3 decision.
“It takes obtuse reasoning to in
ject any issue of the ‘free exercise’
of religion into the present case,”
the court held. “No one is forced
to go to the religious classroom,
and no religious exercise of in
struction is brought to the class
rooms of the public schools. A stu
dent need not take religious in
structions. He is left to his own
desires as to the manner or time of
his religious devotions, if any.”
The majority opinion of the court
was written by Associate Justice
William O. Douglas. He was join
ed by Chief Justice Fred M. Vin
son and Associate Justices Stanley
F. Reed, Harold H. Burton. Tom C.
Clark and Sherman Minton.
Dissenting were Associate Jus
tices Hugo L. Black. Felix Frank
furter and Robert H. Jackson.
The case originated in New
York several years ago when two
taxpayers. Tessim Zorach and Esta
Gluck, filed suit against the New
York Board of Education, contend
ing that the released time program
was in violation of the first amend
ment of the Constitution—the sep
aration of Church and State clause.
The New York released time pro
gram has been used as a model for
similar programs in a number of
States. Under its operation, pupils
are released from classes for a
specified time each week and per
mitted to take religious instructions
according to each individual’s pref
erence at places off school proper
ty. The consent of parents is a
prerequisite before students are
released for the religious instruc
tions.
It has been estimated that some
2,000,000 students are freed from
public school classes to take part
in religious instruction released
time programs now in operation
throughout the country.
The New York released time pro
gram was upheld in all the courts
in New York before the case was
taken to the U. S. Supreme Court.
In the majority opinion, Justice
Douglas pointed out that the Con
stitution “does not say in every
and all respects there shall be a
separation of Church and Slate.”
He added: “Rather, it studiously
defines- the manner, the specific
ways in which there shall be no
concert or union or dependency
one on the other. That is the com
mon sense of the matter.”
Justice Douglas pointed out that
the decision does not disturb the
1948 ruling in the McCollum case,
in which a released time program
in Champaign. 111., was held un
constitutional because the religious
instructions were given on public
school property.
The released time program. Jus
tice Douglas said, may be unwise
“from an education or a communi
ty viewpoint.” but the individual
preferences of the Justices may not
be taken as “the Constitutional
standard.”
In his dissenting opinion. Justice
Jackson said he believed the New
York program was unconstitutional
because it was based on the State’s
power of coercion—-an apparent
reference to the State’s compulsory
school attendance law. He was
joined in this view by Justice
Frankfurter.
Justice Black contended that the
State should be isolated wholly
from the religious sphere, as a
means of keeping the State com
pletely neutral and allowing the
maintenance of freedom for all de
nominations and for non-believers.
Justice Black asserted that the first
amendment "has lost much if the
religious follower and the atheist
are no longer to be judicially re
garded as entitled to equal justice
under law.”
Television Film on
Life of Blessed Mother
Released on Mothers' Day
LOS ANGELES. — (NC) — The
Family Theatre’s fifth television
presentation, “The World’s Great
est Mother,” a half-hour film, was
released for showing on Mother’s
Day.
The film based on memorable
events in the life of the Blessed
Mother, has Ethel Barrymore as
the narrator, reading from the
Scriptures, Gene Lockhart as mas
ter of ceremonies; solos by Ann
Blyth, Nan Merriman and Ann Ja
mison. Loretta Young introduces
Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.,
founder and director of the Family
Theatre.
Father Peyton, who is also
founder and director of the Fami
ly Rosary Crusade, said the film
will be offered free of charge to
all television stations in the coun
try.
Missouri Court Ruling
Puts Ban on Sisters as
Public School Teachers
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (NC)—The
Circuit Court in Missouri today
ruled generally against nuns teach
ing in public schools.
The ruling was made in the case
of Berghorn v. Reorganized School
District No. 8. The Sisters involv
ed taught no religion during the
school week, but confined their
teachings to prescribed secular
subjects. There were .o religious
emblems or insignia in the schools.
Regardless of these facts, the
court ruled that the vows of the
nuns and their garb disqualified
them as public school teachers.
The Sisters were not parties de
fendant but only the school board
and the school officials.
While the ruling has been made,
the opinion in the case has not yet
been written.
A second suit, similar to the one
decided in St. Joseph today, is
pending in the Cole County Circuit
Court in Jefferson City.
Meanwhile, prior to the Berg
horn case ruling, school officials
in some other Missouri areas have
been notified that the contracts
under which their nuns have taught
in public schools would not be re
newed for the next school year.
Eleven nuns in Osage County
gave notive they will be unavail
able as public school teachers next
fall. In two Cole County school
districts Sisters of Notre Dame will
not return to teach next year. In
one district contracts will not be
renewed by Sisters of the Most
Precious Blood, although it was
said no general withdrawal was
planned.
THE FIRST NEGRO ever named
Catholic Mother of the Year for
North Carolina was presenled with
a illuminated plaque by Bishop
Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh, at a
Pontifical Mass which concluded
the convention of the North Caro
lina Catholic Laymen’s Association
and the regional congress of the
Confranternity of Christian Doc-
‘rine, held in Durham. She is Mrs.
Stephen V. Bonner, of Washing
ton. N. C., a convert, whose seven
children include a son studying for
the priesthood and a daughter who
is a member of the Oblate Sisters
of Providence.
HIS HOLINESS Pope Pius XII
has named Archbishop Maximilian!
de Fuerstenberg, Apostolic Dele
gate to Japan, as first Papal In
ternuncio to that country. Japan
will be represented at the Vatican
by Augustin Kanayama. who will
act as charge d’affaires until a
regular minister is named. Japan
will be the 45th nation to have
diplomatic representation at the
Vatican.
FATHER BARTOLOMEW DO-
RANDO, now residing in Carmi
chael, California, has been called
upon by Warner Brothers studio
for technical advice in the film
ing of “The Miracle of Our Lady
of Fatima.” Father Durando has
made an extensive study of the
Fatima events and is a personal
friend of Sister Dorothy, the Car
melite Nun and the survivor of the
three children to whom ! Our Lady
of Fatima appeared in 1917.
COMMUNIST AGENTS in Li
thuania nave gone so far as to dis
guise themselves as priests and
and hear “Confessions” in order to
obtain information on people and
the genera- situation in that coun
try, it was revealed by a Lituanian
delegate, who escaped from her
homeland two years rgo. in an ad
dress at the recent congress of the
World Federation of Catholic
Young women held at Vatican City.
PROTESTANT GROUP
DEFENDS PAROCHIAL,
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
CHICAGO. —(RNSi— The Na
tional Association of Evangelicals,
at its annual convention here,
sprang to the defense of private
and parochial schools. An adopted
resolution said that “an exclusive
policy of compulsory education for
all American youth has been ad
vocated, to the exclusion of non
public or independent schools.”
The convention urged its con
stituency of conservative Protestant
churches and leaders to “protest
this tendency toward statism which
would threaten the God-given
parental right to educate our chil
dren in accord with individual reli
gious convictions.”
Almost Half of Marriaqe Cases in
1951 Handled Free by Roman Rota