Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, October 10, 1963—PAGE 3
But Need Time To Implement
Decrees Approved
By Pope Paul Have
Immediate Effect
VATICAN CITY, (NC)—De
crees enacted by the Second
Vatican Council and approved
by His Holiness Pope Paul VI
will automatically go into ef
fect.
However, there may be some
time lag before they can be
carried out in the individual
dioceses of the world.
This was explained at a press
conference (Oct, 1) by Arch
bishop Pietro Palazzini, secre
tary of the Sacred Congregation
of the Council.
He also said a distinction
should be made between dog
matic decrees and discipli
nary ones.
Dogmatic canons are auto
matically effective and need no
specific implementation. How
ever disciplinary measures or
other changes may be subject to
delay until they can be carried
out in individual nations, re
gions or dioceses.
Archbishop Palazzini spoke
of the way in which the Roman
Curia, the Holy See’s central
administrative staff, would as
sist in carrying out the deci
sions of the council in light of
the existing Church law. He
conceded that this process it-
Obituaries
Mrs. Wright
S A VANNAH — Funeral
services for Mrs. Wright were
held October 4th at Blessed Sa
crament Church. Survivors in
clude her father, William D.
Howe; four brothers, James W.
Howe, Lee 0. Howe and Char
les E. Howe, all of Savannah,'
and William D. Howe, Jr. of
Franklin, La.; two sisters, Mrs.
Irma H. Heirmann of Savannah
and Mrs. Thelma H. Barr as of
Port Arthur, Tex., and several
nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Ethel Downs
SAVANNAH—Funeral ser
vices for Mrs. Ethel K. Downs
were held October 8th at the
Little Sister of the Poor with
the Rev. Andrew Doris, O.S.B.
officiating. No immediate fami
ly known.
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self may be altered by the
council Fathers.
But speaking in terms of past
history, Archbishop Palazzini
said that the first step neces
sary in terms of disciplinary
changes would be their incor
poration into canon law.
This will be done, he said,
by the special commission for
revision of canon law appointed
by Pope John and confirmed by
Pope Paul.
The Archbishop said that once
the canon law commission has
finished revision of Church law
in the light of the general di
rectives laid down by the council
Fathers, it will be necessary
for this legislation to be applied
in every diocese around the
world.
"This will be done, at least
according to present Church
legislation, through particular
councils of a national or a pro
vincial level," he said.
"Once a national council ora
provincial council adapted the
legislation to local conditions,"
Archbishop Palazzini said,
"then it will be necessary to
submit the legislation to some
central and unified criteria.
"This is necessary so that
harmony may be preserved be
tween the local adaptations
made by the local councils, and
the general legislation voted in
to effect by the council Fathers
for the entire Church."
Archbishop Palazzini said, in
answer to questions, that there
could be changes voted by the
council Fathers in the rules now
governing national episcopal
conferences so that they might
have real jurisdiction in their
decisions. At present, decisions
of the conference have the force
of recommendations or sugges
tions, but perhaps in the future
the conferences could be given
judicial power to implement
their decisions.
Asked about the Pope’s pro
posals of curial reform, Arch
bishop Palazzini said the Holy
Father’s proposals were "ex
plicit and precise." He noted
that all human organisms have
good and bad aspects. Although
the Pope has said what is to be
done in terms of curial reform,
he hasn’t made it clear yet how
it is to be accomplished and that
we must wait for the sequence
of events to disclose, the Arch
bishop added.
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NON-CATHOLIC OBSERVERS AT COUNCIL—General
view of Council Hall during the second session of Vatican
The First Week
Council II. The non-Catholic observers occupied a place
close to the main altar, shown at the right and left lower
benches. — (NC Photos)
Vatican Council In Review
The following is a roundup
story of debates during the first
week of the ecumenical coun
cil’s second session.
VATICAN CITY (NC)—One
U. S. cardinal spoke out against
a proposal to bring back the
permanent diaconate and an
other urged that the Church in
crease its emphasis on preach
ing during the first week of de
bate at the ecumenical council’s
second session.
Discussion was on the schema
—or draft constitution—"On
the Nature of the Church." De
bate was concluded on the sche
ma’s first chapter, "On the
Mystery of the Church,” and
begun on the second chapter,
"On the Hierarchical Constitu
tion of the Church, particularly
on the Episcopacy."
Francis Cardinal Spellman,
Archbishop of New York, open
ed discussion of the second
chapter. He objected to a pro
vision to abolish the present
Church law that the diaconate
may be conferred only on as
pirants to the priesthood.
In the early Church the dia
conate—which allows a man to
preach and distribute Holy
Communion — could be held’
permanently by those who did
not become priests. In recent
years bishops in diocese with a
shortage of priests have urged
the return of the permanent
diaconate.
Cardinal Spellman argued
that such a return is a disci
plinary matter that has no place
in a draft constitution on a dog
matic matter. He also noted
several practical difficulties,
pointing out that vocations to the
priesthood might decline, es
pecially if permanent deacons
were allowed to marry.
Antonio Cardinal Bacci of the
Vatican administrative staff
joined Cardinal Spellman in
opposing the permanent diacon
ate.
In discussions on the first
chapter, Joseph Cardinal Rit
ter, Archbishop of St. Louis,
said the schema does not give
enough emphasis to the need for
restoring preaching to its pro
per place in the Church. He said
that such an emphasis is an in
dispensable condition for the
success of all other reforms.
During debate on the first
chapter, the majority of critics
made two points:
The text should be clearer
about the fact that through Bap
tism all Christians are included
in the Church.
The place of Our Lady in the
Church should be treated in the
schema on the Church and not
separately.
Ciacomo Cardinal Lercaro,
Archbishop of Bologna, Italy,
and one of the four moderators
who direct council sessions,
said that separated Christians
are incorporated into the
Church by Baptism, even though
some heresy or other obstacle
may interfere with their shar
ing in the spiritual and social
benefits deriving from the
Church.
Bishop Joseph Marling,
C.PP.S., of Jefferson City, Mo.,
complained that the schema
fails to reflect the proper ecu
menical spirit. He said no men
tion is made of separated Chris
tians even as imperfect mem
bers of the Mystical Body of
Christ.
Bishop William Brasseur,
C.I.C.M., Apostolic Vicar of
Mountain Province, the Philip
pines, said the schema should
use some expression to stress
that the Church opens its heart,
to all men.
Valerian Cardinal Gracias,
Archbishop of Bombay, India,
said care should be taken not to
present the Church as a com
munity closed in on itself, but
as a community open to the
world.
Abbot Christopher Butler,
O.S.B., president of the English
Benedictine Congregation, said
the schema should clarify the
position of the separated
churches within the scope of
the Church understood as the
Kingdom of God.
Archbishop Maurice Baudoux
of Saint Boniface, Canada,
objected that theschemapasses
over relations of the Church
with separated Christians.
Archbishop John Heenan of
Westminster, England, empha
sized the Church’s obligation to
work for the conversion of sep
arated Christians.
Bishop Franjo Franic of Split,
Yugoslavia, said the schema
should make special mention of
the Jews because of their close
ties with the Church and their
possession of the Old Testa
ment. He also suggested the
establishment of a special of
fice in the Roman curia to deal
with the problem of atheism.
Benjamin Cardinal de Arriba
y Castro, Archbishop of Tarra
gona, Spain, who spoke in the
name of "60 bishops, mainly
from Spain," proposed that the
role of Our Lady in the Church
be considered in a separate
schema. He spoke in opposition
to Raul Cardinal Silva Henri-
quez, Archbishop of Santiago,
Chile, who earlier had urged on
behalf of 44 Latin American
bishops that Our Lady’s role
should be incorporated into the
schema on the Church. Cardi
nal Silva and Bishop Sergio
Mendez Arceo of Cuernavaca,
Mexico, made their appeal, they
said, in order to give devotion
to the Mother of God a proper
perspective and to avoid remov
ing it from theproperdevotion
al life of the Church.
During the first week of de
bate, Augustin Cardinal Bea,
S.J., President of the Secre
tariat for Promoting Christian
Unity and a council moderator,
said that some of the Biblical
passages cited in the schema’s
text do not prove what they are
supposed to prove. He urged
they be re-examined.
Bishop Ernest J. Primeau of
Manchester, N.H., thefirstU. S.
prelate to speak during the
council’s second session, noted
the schema does not include a
passage on Church-state re
lations.
Jaime Cardinal de Barros
Camara, Archbishop of Rio de
Janeiro, urged that the schema
contain a declaration of the
Church’s concern for the great
masses of the poor. A similar
recommendation was made by
Pierre Cardinal Gerlier, Arch
bishop of Lyons, France.
Bernard Cardinal Alfrink,
Archbishop of Utrecht, the Ne
therlands, took exception to the
schema’s use of the phrase
"Peter and the Apostles" on the
ground that it implies that Pe
ter is not one of the Apostles.
He suggested that it be changed
to a phrase such as"Peterwith
the other Apostles."
St. Peter is prince of the
apostles, the Cardinal explain
ed, because he is one of the
apostles. To associate him with
the other members of the apos
tolic college does not weaken
his position. Scripture makes it
clear, said Cardinal Alfrink,
that Peter alone is the rock on
which the Church is founded,
but at the same time the Church
is in some way founded on all
12 Apostles—each In his own
way having a part in the founda
tion of the Church without pre
judice to the special position of
Peter.
Slightly opposed to the Dutch
man’s position was the speech
of Bishop Luigi Carli of Segni,
Italy, whose turn followed the
Cardinal’s by seven speeches.
He too objected to the expres
sion "Peter and the Apostles,"
and for the same reasons as
Cardinal Alfrink. But then he
added that the Scriptural texts
which refer to the apostolic
college as the foundation of the
Church are not to be understood
as referring to its historical
VATICAN CITY (NC)—His
Holiness Pope Paul VI urged
those at his Wednesday general
audience to "try to understand
the loftiness and sacredness of
what is being discussed" in the
ecumenical council.
‘‘You have come to meet us
while the ecumenical council is
going on," he said (Oct. 2),
"that is, while the hierarchy of
the Church is gathered here to
discuss those great religious
questions which concern the
very life of the Church and its
mission in the world.
"This is an extraordinary
event which can have great con
sequences for the future of the
Church and of society.
"What is your interest in the
council? You have heard much
about it. Today, it is the Pope
himself who invites you to med
itate on it.
"First, then, do not be indif
ferent to the council. Be in
formed, try to understand the
loftiness and sacredness of what
is being discussed; namely, the
Church, which concerns each
one of you, your Faith and your
Christian life.
"Then observe the scene of
the council, not merely the vis
ible spectacle of the great as
sembly in St. Peter’s basilica,
but especially the spiritual vis-
VATICAN CITY, (NC) —
Bishop Ernest J. Primeau of
Manchester, N. H., has resta
ted his belief that the ecumeni
cal council should issue a state
ment on Church-State relations.
Bishop Primeau said on the
council floor, and later repeat
ed at an interview given to the
Divine Word News Service,
that there is nothing regarding
Church-State relations in the
draft constitution "On the Na
ture of the Church" now being
debated by council Fathers. He
added at the interview that "I
myself think that the council
should say something" on the
matter. The Bishop continued.
"I do not not think the coun
cil should go into particulars,
nor into the particular relation
ships that exist between the
Church and State. But some gen
eral principles should be laid
down."
Bishop Primeau said matters
such as freedom of carrying
out its mission are examples
of what could be treated by the
council. Acknowledging that
such a statement might be more
important for some countries
than for others, he saiditwould
be useful for the Church in
America.
"I n our country, the Pro
testant intelligentsia are always
asking for a definite statement
on Church and State," he said.
foundation. This question, he
said, was discussed in the First
Vatican Council and should not
be raised again.
Ernesto Cardinal Ruffini,
Archbishop of Palermo, Italy,
said that Scriptural proofs for
the collegiality of the bishops
are not convincing.
ion of the Church, showing forth
here its four distinguished
marks.
"Founded by Our Lord, it
received from Him its nature
as a society which is one in
unity of Faith, worship and
supreme authority; holy in
its sacraments, laws and
government; catholic in its
hierarchy which goes back in
an unbroken line to Peter and
the Apostles.
"Pray for the Church which
shows forth these marks in the
council. You have been urged
to do so many times, but now is
the moment to pray fervently
and with your whole heart and
soul. Confident of the help of
your prayers. We shall recite
the Creed with you and then
give you all Our apostolic bless
ing."
"Among the 1,000 in the au
dience hall was a group of mem
bers of the United auto Work
ers from the U.S. More than
2,000 who could not be admit
ted to the packed Hall of Ben
edictions gatherd in the Vati
can’s San Damasco courtyard
where they heard the Pope’s
talk over loudspeakers. The
Pope appeared briefly at a
window overlooking the court
yard.
"In our pluralistic societies we
have to have some kind of ba
sic principles."
"The Bishop said that some
council Fathers do not want such
a statement because "they feel
it is a controversial topic."
However, he said, "we have
not come here just to rubber
stamp the status, quo, there
are knots to be cut.
Bible Renewal
Program At
Statesboro
STATESBORO—St. Mat
thew’s Church has begun a Bi
ble Duscussion Club. This group
meets every Sunday evening at
7:30 p.m. in the new Parish
Center. Father John F. Loftus
and Sister Mary Magdalen,
Glenmary Home Missioners are
the moderators of this program.
The first meeting was held in
the Parish Center a week ago
last Sunday.
At the first meeting there
were just a few parishioners in
attendance, however last Sun
day, after an inspiring talk
given by Fr. Loftus on the im
portance of knowledge and in
terest in the Bible more than
25 people from the area were
in attendance.
Pope Urges Pilgrims:
Try To Understand
Loftiness Of
CounciVs Work
Of Church State Statement
‘Knots To Be Cut’
Says U.S. Bishop
Second Week-
(Continued from Page 1)
of Munich and Freising, Ger
many, turned to the question of
the permanent diaconate. He
took just the opposite position
from that expressed by Fran
cis Cardinal Spellman, Arch
bishop of New York, and An
tonio Cardinal Bacci of the
Vatican administrative staff at
the previous assembly.
The schema cannot pass
over the question of the place
of deacons in the Church in
silence, Cardinal Doepfner
said, because the schema treats
of the hierarchial struc
ture of the Church in which dea
cons have a necessary place.
"One can speak of the epis
copate and the priesthood," he
said, "without also speaking of
the diaconate."
Countering Cardinal Spell
man’s objection that a perma
nent diaconate would raise the
difficulty of special seminaries,
Cardinal Doepfner said that the
present text gives only the dog
matic foundations for a possi
ble change in Church practice,
but does not enter into any dis
ciplinary considerations. All it
does, he said, is to make it
possible for competent autho
rity, under the guidance of the
Holy See, to make provisions
for special regions where the
presence of deacons could in
many ways make up for the pro
longed scarcity of priests.
Instituting the order of dea
con as a permanent rank, he
said, could possibly entail dan
ger for the tradition of cleri
cal celibacy, but only if the
choice of such deacons were
made indiscriminately. The re
storation of a permanent dia
conate necessarily involves
many questions, he added, but
the schema only opens the way
to the necessary solutions.
Albert Cardinal Meyer,
Archbishop of Chicago, brought
back to the floor the considera
tion of the collegiality of the
bishops.
The idea of collegiality is a
juridical one, he said, and the
New Testament is not a code of
law, and thus "does not provide
juridical explanations." But it
is a fact, he added, that the
unity of the new people of God
was reflected in the Apostles,
not as individuals, but as a
group.
Cardinal Meyer, a recognized
Scripture scholar, noted that all
of Christ’s mandates to the
Apostles were expressed in the
plural. The Apostles, further
more, acted as a college in the
choice of a successor to Judas.
Here and elsewhere, he said,
the collegiality of the bishops
is stated as clearly as is the
foundation of the Church on
Peter.
Joseph Cardinal Lefebvre,
Archbishop of Bourges, France,
added his voice to that of his
colleagues in favor of the col
legiality of the bishops. He
urged that "the council should
inquire into truth without fear
and seek what Christ wants of
us: closer union among the
bishops of the Church in union
with the Vicar of Christ."
Bernard Cardinal Alfrink,
Archbishop of Utrecht, the Ne
therlands, then took the floor to
say that a clear statement of
the collegiality of the episco
pate is absolutely necessary.
The chief burden of his re
marks, however, seemed to be
to correct a misinterpretation
of a statement he had made ear
lier in the council which made
him appear opposed to the con
cept of collegiality.
Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa,
Bishop of Bukoba, gave the no
tion of the collegiality of the
bishops a missionary applica
tion when he rose next in turn
to speak. "When individual bi
shops become members of the
episcopal college, they acquire
some power over the Universal
Church," he said. "No bishop
can say that he is not interested
in the salvation of the entire
world."
Melkite Rite Patriarch Maxi -
mos IV Saigh of Antioch pla
ced the same concept in the
light of Intended unity between
the Eastern and Western
churches. The First Vatican
Council defined the papal pri
macy, he remarked, speaking in
French, but abusive interpre
tations have deformed this nec
essary concept. The obstacle to
unity is not the doctrine of the
primacy itself but excesses of
interpretation and concrete
practice. He urged that this
council, which proposed to pave
the way to union, should not
simply repeat the First Vati
can Council statement on
the primacy but should clarify
and complete that doctrine in
the light of the "unquestioned
rights of the episcopate.”
Patriarch Maximos followed
this with several points which
he wanted to underline, the
most challenging of which was
that "the appointment of bi
shops is not restricted by di
vine right to the Roman pontiff."
What has been a contingent fact
of the Western Church, he said,
should not be made a rule of
law for the entire world.
Actually, the appointment of
bishops in the Eastern Catholic
Churches is done by synods
of bishops. Their elections are
then simply confirmed by the
Pope.
Not all in this assembly fa
vored the restoration of the per
manent diaconate. Bishop Pie
tro Massa, exiled Bishop of
Nanyang, China, who now re
sides in Genoa, expressed op
position. It is said that deacons
could distribute Holy Commu
nion, he noted. But he said this
useful function would be
seriously hampered by the fact
that they could not hear con
fessions. If deacons were bound
to celibacy, most of them would
want to become priests, he
claimed. If celibacy were not
required, then the number of
vocations to the priesthood
might drop. There would be the
question of financial burden, he
said, since married deacons
would have families to support.
Bishop John Abasolo y Le-
cue of Vijayapuram, India, ask
ed that the text of the schema
emphasize the fact that Christ
instituted various ministries of
the Church.
Archbishop Ermenegildo
Florit of Florence and Bishop
Emile De Smedt of Bruges,
Belgium, both favored the
teaching of the collegiality of
the bishops. Both submitted
amendments to the text.
Auxiliary Bishop Carmelo
Zazinovic of Krk, Yugoslavia,
on the contrary rose as the first
dissenting voice. The bishops
as a body are unequal to the
task of governing the Church,
he said. Insistence on collegia
lity could weaken the primacy.
It would be better to make no
change in the traditional prac
tice, according to Bishop Za
zinovic.
Bishop George Beck, A. A.,
of Salford, England, asked for
a clear definition of the "Chris
tian priesthood" in the text.
He had particularly in mind fu
ture discussion of the "uni
versal priesthood of the laity."
Bishop Jan van Dodewaard of
Haarlem, Holland, the last to
speak in the day’s assembly,
stated that when one speaks of
the pope and the college of
bishops, there is no intention of
disjoining one from the other.
The power enjoyed by the bi
shops in the council, he said,
is not theirs merely by dele
gation from the pope, but theirs
by virtue of their position in
the Church.
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