Newspaper Page Text
1
PAGE 2—The Southern Cross, August 8, 1963
U. S. Ministers’
(Continued From Page 1)
Church in New York; and the
Rev. Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr
Professor Emeritus of the
Union Theological Seminary
in New York.
Erickson’s open letter an
swered the committee’s four
points one by one. A 1950 grad
uate of the U. S. Naval Aca
demy and a Catholic, he said
he has been in Vietnam for
four months as a "technical
writer on a private research
institute contract with the U. S.
Army whose function is to ob
serve, interpret and report on
military operations.’’ He added
that "military and political as
pects of the counterinsurgency
war being fought here cannot
be separated.’’
"Your first protest: ‘Our
country’s military aid to those
who denied him (the Buddhist
monk who set himself on fire)
religious freedom’’ indicates a
simple unawareness of the facts
of the case. The self-immola
tion of the Venerable Thich
Quang Due did indeed take place,
and photographs of the burning
monk had an electrifying ef
fect on world opinion.
"But the motives behind the
act are obscure. The tragedy
was heightened by the fact that
the sacrifice was needless.
There is not now, nor has there
ever been, any denial of reli
gious freedom to Buddhists in
Vietnam.
"The first demand by the
General Association of Budd
hists (the organization that sta
ged the recent Saigon demon
strations) was that the Budd
hists be permitted to fly their
own flag. In the first place, there
is no recognized flag of Budd
hism, as such; the flag in ques
tion is that of the General Asso
ciation of Buddhists, an organi
zation that by no means repre
sents Buddhism in general or
Vietnamese Buddhism in par
ticular.
"Since 1957 there has been
a government order with re
spect to the precedence of the
national flag over all other
flags (similar to the tra-
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ditional, formal treatment of the
American flag). This order was
first invoked against Catho
lics in Vietnam. At the dedi
cation of a new Catholic Church
in Hue early this year, papal
flags were flown. They were
ordered to be hauled down and
replaced by national flags. The
Catholics acquiesced.
"Another of the General As
sociation of Buddhists’demands
was "freedom of worship.’’
There has, in fact, been no
suppression of Buddhist ser
vices or observances, private
or public. It is also interesting
to note that one-fourth of all
the existing Buddhist pagodas
in Vietnam have been built since
the Diem government came to
power; another fourth have been
rehabiliated during this time;
and the Diem government has
granted nine million piastres
($125,000) for these projects.
The President himself donated
600,000 piastres ($8,300) to
ward construction of the XaLoi
pagoda in Saigon (the very pa
goda to which the charred body
of the Venerable Thich Quang
Due was taken). This is indeed
a strange way to ‘deny religious
freedom.’
Erickson’s open letter con
tinued:
"Your second protest: ‘The
immoral spraying of parts of
South Vietnam with crop-des
troying chemicals and the herd
ing of many of its people into
concentration camps called
"strategic hamlets’’ ’ shows a
callous disregard for the true
significance of these projects.
"The ‘crop-destroying’
chemicals are used for two pur
poses: 1) selective destruction
of crops in areas known to be oc
cupied only by Viet Cong (com
munist) guerrillas and 2), of
greater importance, as a means
of clearing dense vegetation
from either side of arterial
roads in Vietnam in order to
cut down the opportunities for
Viet Cong guerrillas to hide
and ambush highway traffic.
"I’m sure you are aware of
the high incidence and brutality
of these ambushes. Innocent
civilians (including Protestant
missionaries, Catholic priests
and nuns, and school children)
as well as military personnel
in convoys have been killed on
the roads leading to and from
Saigon. Thanks to the 'crop-
destroying chemicals, these
same roads are now relatively
safe. It is indeed unfortunate
that such a measure-must be
taken, but without any doubt it
has saved hundreds of lives, and
at the expense of a band of ve
getation 100 yards or so deep
on either side of some roads...
"As for the strategic ham
lets, your statement that they
are ‘concentration camps’ is
absurd. The strategic hamlet
program is a truly inspiring
patriotic effort on the part of
all who are involved in their
construction, and they may well
be the deciding factor in this
very real war against commun
ism. For the first time, the
people of rural Vietnam have
some security against the Viet
Cong terrorists who, before
the strategic hamlets came into
being, roamed the countryside
at will, living off the defense
less farmers. The hamlets deny
the Viet Cong access to one of
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Savannah
IMPORTANT
NOTICE
NANCY HANKS, Tr. 107, now de
parts Savannah 6:40 A. M., instead
7:00 A. M., arrives Macon 10:25
A. M. instead 10:45 A. M., arrives
Atlanta 12:40 P. M. instead 1:00
P. M. Corresponding changes in
termediate stations.
Central Of Georgia
Railway
8000 MILES FOR A LESSON IN ENGLISH—Some Yankee hints on teaching English as a
second language will be taken back to Baghdad’s Al-Hakma University from St. Michael’s
College, Winooski Park, Vermont, by Comille Tebshirary, (left) and Father Robert J.
Sullivan, S. J., of the Jesuit school. They are learning techniques of the language labora
tory St. Michael’s uses for its students from 32 countries. Seated is Prof. Ernest A.
Boulay, founder and director of St. Michael’s program of English for Foreign Students.
Standing is his assistant director, Eugene O’Neill.—(NC Photos)
Archbishop Tells Methodists
Catholics Of Louisiana
New Spirit Evident
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N. C.,
(NC)—A new Catholic spirit
linked with ecumenism is in
evidence today, Archbishop
Paul J. Hallinan of Atlanta told
the meeting here of the World
Methodist Council.
‘‘For an Archbishop of the
Catholic Church to come before
a distinguished assembly of
Methodists is surely a sign of
our times, of this brave new
world of the ecumenical im
pulse," the; Archbishop said.
‘‘Yet it is a blessed sign of this
age that the bravery no longer
lies in your inviting me, nor in
my willingness to accept, but
rather in our mutual courage to
face the future."
The World Methodist Council
has 19,272,185 members
throughout the world, 15 mil
lion of them in North America.
‘‘We are witnesses of a great
historic shift from what might
be termed the ‘post-Reforma-
tion centuries’ to a new period
of Church history," the Arch
bishop said. ‘‘It is marked, on
the Catholic side, by a series of
remarkable popes from Leo XIII
to Paul VI; by a resurgence of
Biblical and patristic studies,
new pastoral methods, reform
of the liturgy, and increased
ecumenical concern and effort;
and dramatically by a single
momentous single event, the Se
cond Vatican Council."
The Archbishop stressed that
this renovation and renewal is
in no sense a turning back by
the Church upon the past, ‘‘be
cause the past is her inheri
tance."
"Yet," he said, "a new Ca
tholic spirit is evident today—
enkindled, under God, by our
popes and bishops, preached and
encouraged by our priests and
teachers, put into practice by
our people. . .It is not a spirit
of disruption nor rejection.
Much less is it one of compro
mise with other beliefs, or of
easy accommodation to the
pressures of the world.
“Certainly it is not merely
a program of change for the
sources of food
its primary
supply.""" 1 o.t — 'n't
"Apparently it must be point
ed out that the strategic hamlets
are built and fortified by the
people who live in them; no one
is forced to move into these
villages; and the inhabitants
are free to come and go as they
please. Typically, the farmers
who live in the hamlets tend
their fields or rice paddies out
side the hamlets in the daytime,
and retire at night to the ham
lets, with their harvested crops,
for security.
"Other benefits accrue: Be
cause of the community life to
which some of these agrarian
people have, for the first time,
been exposed, a real grass
roots democracy is being form
ed. The residents of the ham
lets are electing their own offi
cials and making their own
laws. Public welfare projects
are being given a practical focus
formerly impossible for the
scattered rural population. With
American material aid and
technical assistance, wells are
being dug, bridges built, and
dispensaries and schools con
structed. These are ‘concen
tration camps’ ?
"Your third protest: ‘The
loss of American lives and
billions of dollars to bolster a
regime universally regarded as
unjust, undemocratic, and un
stable’ is fatuous. What, pre
cisely, does the term ‘univer
sally regarded’ mean?Obvious-
ly, there is opposition in Viet
nam to the Diem government.
But my experience and obser
vations have been that this op
position is by no means univer
sal here, where it matters most.
"And what of the attitude of
our own government? If opposi
tion to the government of Viet
nam were truly universal, it
seems illogical that the repre
sentative government of the
United States would ‘bolster’
it. And certainly your com
mittee would be the first to
admit that the Diem government
is at least tolerated by the
Catholic Church, the most nu
merous of Christian denomina
tions.
"Then we should examine the
words ‘unjust,’ ‘undemocratic,’
and ‘unstable.’
"Most certainly wecouldfind
examples of gross injustice in
the Diem government—or any
other government, or any other
human institution, for that mat
ter. We can also find examples
of justice and wisdom and a
dozen other virtues. It is
useless to debate the point here.
"As for ‘undemocratic,’ the
government of Vietnam is quite
definitely not a democratic form
of government as we know it,
but it does not pretend to be.
It is known as ‘personalism’ —
a term little known or under
stood by Americans. A per-
sonalistic government is to the
right of center politically and to
the left of center economically.
It might well be the most effec
tive and most desirable form of
government for this new nation
at this particular stage of its
development. In any event, per
sonalism is compatible with the
basic tenents of democracy, of
Christianity, of Buddhism, and
of Judaism. It is not compati
ble, however, with atheistic
communism.
" ‘Unstable?’ The Diem gov
ernment has been in power for
nine years—since Vietnam was
divided by the Geneva Accords
in 1954. There is no sign, in
Vietnam at least, that the gov
ernment is on the verge of col
lapse. Describing a government
as unstable, when it has been in
power the equivalent of more
than two of our own presidential
terms, seems irrational.
"It might be of interest to
point out here that early this,
year (February) the Diem gov
ernment proclaimed a national
policy of ‘open arms’ (chieu
hoi) to induce defections from
the ranks of the Viet Cong.In
less than five months more than
7,300 people have returned from
the communist fold. Defections
in the opposite direction during
the same period have been neg
ligible. Quite an accomplish
ment for a tottering govern
ment.
“Your fourth protest: ‘The
fiction that this is "fighting for
freedom’’ ’ is morally repre
hensible. If the fight against
communism—and therefore for
freedom is going on any place
in the world today, that place
is Vietnam.
"Mr. Roger Hilsman, Assis
tant Secretary of State for Far
Eastern Affairs, has said’Viet
nam is the testing ground for
communist guerilla strategy...
Vietnam’s twilight war may
rank as one of the decisive
battles of world history. . .And
effective counter against these
guerilla tactics could be quite
decisive to Western strategy
in southeast Asia and eventually
Africa and Latin America.’
"It is apparent to those of us
living in Vietnam that the
American troops who are risk
ing their lives in support of
this counterinsurgency war
realize, quite literally, that they
are ‘fighting for freedom.’ ”
sake of change. It is essentially
a transition in manner. ‘The
substance of the ancient doc
trine is one thing,’ said Pope
John, ‘the way it is presented
is another.’ This change in
manner can flow only from a
change in attitude; once this is
done it can further issue into a
change in approach."
Referring to the Second Vati
can Council, the Archbishop
said that ‘'statistically the re
sults seem rather meager,"
but "in the familiar language of
‘opening doors and windows,’
. . .the eight weeks of the first
session were unforgettable for
all of us who participated, un
forgettable too for the Church,
and it may well be unforgetta
ble for the Christian society and
the world at large."
He added that it was probably
the wide open debate at the
council "that best caught the
imagination of the world,” and
that as a result of it "the popu
lar picture of the Catholic
Church as a vast monolith is
badly shattered."
But Officer.
HONG KONG, (NC)—Whe
ther in Hartford, Helsinki or
Hong Kong, motorists the
world over suffer the same
pains.
After completing his driv
ing test in the British Crown
Colony, Father John A. Ciop-
pa, M. M., of Latham, N. Y.,
was ushered into the motor
vehicle office. When the
Maryknoll priests protested
that his car was parked il
legally in the street, the in
spector pointed out that he
couldn’t move it since he
didn’t have a license yet.
When Father Cioppa came
out with his driver’s license,
he was greeted with his first
parking ticket.
Signal well in advance of
changes in direction to give
other motorists a better change
of avoiding an accident, advis
es the Allstate Motor Club.
Diocese Urged To Help
Fight Racial Injustice
ALEXANDRIA, La., (NC)—
Bishop Charles P. Greco has
urged Catholics of the Alexan
dria diocese to help put an end to
racial and other forms of dis
crimination in this country.
In doing so, the Bishop of
Alexandria gave an answer to a
question often asked: Why has
the Church not taken upon it
self the job of removing segre
gation from the South?
The Bishop said that if "the
Church had undertaken to re
move segregation from the Sou
thern scene her effectiveness in
carrying out her fundamental
spiritual mission would have
been seriously hampered. . .’’
Bishop Greco made the state
ments in a pastoral letter read
in all churches of the diocese
(Aug. 4). He also said that "de
segregation is inevitable" and
that the Church has never ap
proved of segregation as a
matter of principle.
The letter made no mention of
desegregation of Catholic
schools in the diocese, but Bi
shop Greco said in a separate
statement that integration of
diocesan schools is not con
templated until after public
schools in the diocese are de
segregated.
"Certainly there can belittle
room for doubt at this time that
desegregation is inevitable,"
Bishop Greco said in his pas
toral letter. "The Supreme
Court has declared it to be the
law of the land and has reaf
firmed this decision at every
challenge.
"It will gradually be enforced
in every part of our country.
We earnestly appeal to our
people to accept the inevitable
with understanding and re
straint, with true Christian
charity and an awakened sense
of justice, with good grace and
characteristic American fair
ness."
Bishop Greco stated that in
the quest for racial justice, the
Negro, too, has obligations and
responsibilities.
"Education is needed on the
part of the Negro to elevate
himself so that he can merit
acceptance as did other people
and nationalities, in the course
of the development of our
American nation," the Bishop
continued. “An example in this
regard should be taken from
those immigrants of the last
century who, when they first
came to our shores, were given
worse than segregated treat
ment.
"Through hard work and edu
cation, however, these people
and their children of the next
two generations carved a high
place for themselves in the
American culture and won the
esteem and approbation of their
fellow citizens.
"In like manner, our Negroes
must work conscientiously to
prepare themselves to exercise
adequately not only their rights
but the obligations and respon
sibilities that are theirs as
children of God, and as loyal,
respectable and law abiding
citizens.’’
In recalling the pattern of
segregation in the South, the
Bishop said the white people
"observed various denomina
tions building churches, schools
and universities for the Negro
and were often asked to contri
bute to them.”
"This they frequently did,”
he continues, "and in the pro
cess of it all received the deep
er conviction that segregation
had the blessing of the churches,
and hence that of God.
“Furthermore, our Catholic
people, particularly in the
South, witnessed archbishops,
bishops, clergy and Religious
—and I myself was among them
—building separate churches,
schools and a university for
Negroes. They were also aware
that during the past decades
there were no Negro students
in our better known Catholic
colleges and. universities
Savannah
Training Institute
Planned By Deanery
SAVANNAH—Plans for a one
day training institute were an
nounced by the Savannah Dean
ery Council of Catholic Women
at their first executive board
meeting of the 1963-1964 sea
son . The details of the insti
tute, to be held in September,
will be announced in the near
future.
The Right Rev. JohnD. Toom-
ey, Diocesan Moderator, open
ed the meeting with a prayer to
Our Lady of Good Council, Pa
troness of the National Council
of Catholic Women. Mrs. Ed
mund Anderson, President of
the Savannah Council, presided
over the meeting where the var
ious Committee Chairmen pre
sented their plans for the com
ing year covering all phases of
Catholic Action. Mrs. Anderson
also introduced Mrs. W. P.
Schneider, Chairman for the
forthcoming 25th Annual Dio
cesan Convention to be held in
HIS CAUSE ADVANCED—The Sacred Congregation of
Rites has examined the heroic nature of the virtues of
Father Gaspare Bertoni, founder of the Stigmatine Fathers.
He was born at Verona, Italy, October 9, 1777, and was
ordained June 17, 1800. He founded the Congregation of
Pirests of the Holy Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ in
1816 and died at Verona June 12, 1853. His beatification
cause was introduced in 1906.—(NC Photos)
Savannah in April of 1964.
The Notre Dame Book Shop
will be featured at the first fall
Deanery meeting, to be held at
Hunter Air Force Base on Sep
tember 26, 1963, on the oc
casion of their 10th anniver
sary. Hunter’s Society of Our
Lady of the Air will be hosts
to the Deanery.
The new Deanery Board of
Directors are as follows: Pres
ident, Mrs. Anderson; 1st Vice
President, Mrs. A. K. Gannam;
2nd Vice President, Mrs. Ira
Smith; 3rd Vice President, Mrs.
Edward Prieto; Recording Sec
retary, Mrs. Leon Blackburn;
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs.
A. J. Schano; Treasurer, Mrs.
W. P. Schneider; Parliamen
tarian, Mrs. Lee Howard, Sr.;
Catholic Charities, Mrs. J. J.
Miller and Mrs. F. R. Mac-
Cauley; Civil Defense, Mrs.
Harold Markowitz; Confrater
nity of Christian Doctrine, Mrs.
Edward Prieto; Family and
Parent Education.
(Continued On Page 6)
throughout the country until
recently; they were also aware
that there were no Negro
priests in the diocesan and reli
gious clergy until recent
times. . ."
"Thus, from what they saw,
our Southern Catholics formed
their conscience as to the moral
lawfulness of segregation. They
concluded that if the Church
practiced it, it must be right
and therefore had the approval
of God."
Bishop Greco, said, however,
"it must be made clear that the
Church did not approve segre
gation as a matter of principle,
as though the color of a man’s
skin should determine his value
in the eyes of God or his equality
before the law of the land.”
"No, the Church worked with
in the framework of an existing
segregated society,” he said,
"because, true to her nature,
she considered the care of indi
vidual souls, the administration
of the sacraments and Chris
tian education her primary and
essential task.
"The initiation of social re
forms could not be allowed to
take precedence over the all-
important work of sanctifying
souls. Had the Church under
taken to remove segregation
from the Southern scene, her
effectiveness in carrying out
her fundamental spiritual mis
sion would have been seriously
hampered, and many souls
would have gone without the su
pernatural graces that could
come to them only from having
the Church active in their
midst."
Warning that "we must not
rush to eliminate one evil if it
means creating another and an
even worse one in its place,"
the Bishop added: "There are,
therefore, and indeed always
have been certain regrettable
situations which the Church
could not approve of in theory
or in principle, but to which she
could adapt herself in practice
in order to carry on her spiri
tual work with the greatest pos
sible effectiveness."
“Thus , the Church adapted
herself to the caste system-in
India," he said, "not in approval
of it but in order to be of great
er service to souls, hoping' th'St J
in time the teaching of Christ
and His way of life would pre
vail and solve the difficult social
problem.”
"We pray God," Bishop
Greco concluded, "to help us
put an end to discrimination
based merely on race, color,
creed or national background—
and to do this out of love for
God, as more in keeping with the
law of brotherly love proclaim
ed by Christ, in adherence to the
appeals of our supreme pontiffs,
and out of consideration for the
best interests and prestige of
our country."
MASON
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