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I
Vol. 44, No. 22
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Last Working Meeting
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1963
■In Israel Court Case-
Priest Protests
Child’s Testimony
JERUSALEM, Israel (NC) —
A Catholic spokesman has pro
tested against a judge’s accept
ing a child’s testimony of 3
a.m. wakings and forced
prayers in a case which led
a court to order that four Jew
ish children be taken out of a
Catholic orphanage.
Father M. J. Stiassny, press
officer for the Israel vicariate
of the Latin Rite Patriarchate
of Jerusalem, said that Church
authorities investigated the
case and found the child’s tes
timony false.
The Jerusalem district court
ordered that the children be
taken out of the orphanage,
where they were placed by their
widowed mother, after testi
mony by one of the four, a 12-
year-old girl.
The girl told the court; “They
force us to bow down to a sta
tue. . . They wake us up at
3 in the morning to do the
cleaning. We pray from 5 to 7.
The room we live in has no
stove. There are about 20
children in each room.
The girl also said that her
mother had left the four at the
orphanage three months earlier
and had not visited them since.
Father Stiassny said in his
communique:
* ‘After the wide publicity giv
en by the press to the case
of the Cohen children, who al
legedly were mistreated in the
Rosary Convent School, Jeru
salem, and subsequently with
drawn on the request of the Le
gal Adviser to the Ministry
for Social Affairs, a careful
investigation has been made
by the Church authorities, with
the following results:
“1. Mrs. Cohen placed four
of her children in the above
school, after all her efforts
to place them in a Jewish in
stitution had failed. She neither
disappeared nor abandoned her
children, as witnessed by the
fact that she visited them reg
ularly and settled each month
the tuition fees to the school.
4 ‘2. The children were quite
happy at the school, until their
uncle started to pay them visits
and create in their minds an
antagonistic attitude toward
the Sisters. He even tried to
take them out forcibly and was
prevented from doing so only by
prompt police action.
“3. After these unpleasant
incidents, the Sisters wrote to
Mrs. Cohen requesting the with
drawal of the children.
“4. The ‘evidence’ given by
the elder daughter before the
court is contrary to the truth
and must be attributed either
to her own imagination or to
careful briefing. Our investi
gation has shown that the chil
dren were treated with care and
love, like all the other child
ren of the same school; they
had nine full hours of sleep
they got up at a normal time
according to the season; they did
not work from 3 to 5 a.m
for the simple reason that they
were still in bed; no other work
was required of them than tidy
ing up the dormitory, the same
as in all boarding schools;there
is not a single dormitory of
11
HNS Award
For Cardinal
NEW YORK (NC) -- Richard
Cardinal Cushing has been nam
ed to receive the Shield of Bles
sed Gregory X — Crusader for
his efforts in behalf of the
Holy Name Society.
HNS national headquarters
here announced that the award
given to members of the hier
archy for' notably furthering
Holy Name Society work in
their dioceses, will be present
ed to the Archbishop of Boston
at his convenience.
20
beds, the largest one has
the children were never
taught, requested or compelled
do an act of Christian wor
ship, this being strictly for
bidden by the ecclesiastical au
thority. The spreading of horror
stories about the so-called mis
sion can only have one result
which nobody in his right mind
this country would welcome.' ’
Would Make
Thanksgiving
Holy Day
ROME (NC)—A U.S. bishop
has advocated making Thanks
giving a Catholic holy day of
obligation.
Auxiliary Bishop Charles R.
Mulrooney of Brooklyn, preach
ing at the annual Thanksgiving
Day Mass at Santa Susanna’s,
the parish church for Ameri
cans in Rome, recalled that it
was President Lincoln who in
augurated Thanksgiving Day
as a national day for acknow
ledging God’s blessings on the
United States.
To avoid adding an extra
religious obligation on Ameri
can Catholics, the Bishop pro
posed that if his idea is adop
ted, the present obligation to
attend Mass on New Year’s Day
or on Ascension Thursday be
lifted.
“In a foreign land,” he said,
"we are even more conscious
than the folks back home of the
religious patrimony of the Unit
ed States of America. And here
in the center of Christendom, we
are all the more conscious of the
good that could come from
bringing our American re
ligious traditions into the full
life of the church.’’
The Bishop said that Thanks
giving, of all holidays, is among
the "least exploited and least
tainted with the materialism of
our age.” He said it is impor
tant “in our day to treasure and
preserve such a religious tra
dition” when traditional relig
ious observances and customs
are “gradually being whittled
away . . . We American Catho
lics, by proclaiming Thanks
giving Day a holy day, will we
trust, strengthen and support
our brethren of other faiths in
their love and devotion for our
fine religious heritage.”
HONORED BY POPE -
Msgr. John J. Graham, (up
per photo) pastor of Holy An
gels Church, Philadelphia, has?
been named by Pope Paul VI
to be titular Bishop of Sabrata
and Auxiliary to Archbishop
John J. Krol of Philadelphia.
A native of Philadelphia, he
has been superintendent of
special education in the arch
diocese since 1959. Father
Bernard M. Kelly, (lower
photo) spiritual director of
Our Lady of Providence Semi
nary, Warwick Neck, R. I.,
since 1956, and a canon law
expert, has been named titular
Bishop of Tegea and Auxiliary
to Bishop RussellMcVinney of
Providence.—(NC Photos)
First On Agenda
Of Third Session
By Msgr. James I. Tucek j Cardinal Bea, the last of the
(NCWC NEWS SERVICE) day’s speakers, thanked theas-
VATICAN CITY-The second sembly for its interest in dis-
session of the council closed
its last working meeting with
the assurance that the chap
ters of the schema on ecume
nism on relations with the Jews
and freedom of conscience are
still live issues and will be
agenda for next fall.
The second session still had
two days to go before its solemn
cussing the schema on ecumen
ism and for casting the votes
which passed its first three
chapters by a wide margin.
Then he said:
“There have remained, how
ever, the two final chapters of
among the first items on the the draft. We all regret that it
was not permitted to us to have
at least a foretaste of a dis
cussion concerning these chap-
closing ceremonies on Dec. 4.1 ters too. For in this way our
But the assembly of Dec. 2 ! secretariat would have received
greater illumination toward
making a definitive edition of
each chapter. However, as
things have turned out, I am
sincerely persuaded that even
this fact offers us not a few
was its last working session,
a session which witnessed four
important acts: ;.
—It was announced that Pope
Paul VI would issue on his
own behalf on Dec. 3 a docu
ment extending the faculties i useful things,
of residential and titular I “At first sight, indeed, one
bishops throughout the world. ! could ask: Could not a vote
—Instructions were given for ! have been taken at least to ad-
the interim period between the ■ rnit these chapters as a basis
second and third sessions of the | for discussion? To this one
council. ■%] might perhaps answer intheaf-
— Augustin Cardinal Bea, | firmative. Nevertheless, I think
president of the Secretariat for ! we should be grateful to the
Promoting Christian Unity, ad-1 venerable Fathers, the mod-
dressed the assmebly assuring i erators, because they wished to
the council Fathers that the last j give ample opportunity for
two chapters of the schema on ! speaking on the three fundamen-
ecumenism are still very much
alive.
—The opening Mass of the as
sembly honored the memory of
the late President Ngo dinh
Diem of Vietnam and his bro
ther, Ngo dinh Nhu.
j tal chapters in order to prevent
I creating the danger that some-
! one might say that a hasty vote
was taken on these three chap-
! ters and on the two others which
j treat matters that are suffi-
j ciently difficult, present some-
The Mass was celebrated by - thing new, and are of the great
est importance for the life and
Archbishop Pierrre Ngo dinh !
Thuc of Hue for the repose of j activity of the Church in our
the souls of his two brothers time,
who met their death Nov. 2
in the overthrow of the Deim
government. It was the
“It is fitting, therefore,
Cardinal Bea continued, “to
meditate and ponder everything
Pray For Our
Deceased Priests
REV. RICHARD
JOHN O’BRIEN
Dec. 12, 1894
Oh God, Who didst give to
thy servants by their sacredotal
office, a share in the priest
hood of the Apostles, grant,
u’e implore, that they may
also be one of their company
forever in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.
month’s mind” Mass of their | carefully over and over again,
tragic deaths, and the council without haste and with a serene
Fathers were invited to join in j and tranquil spirit, so that in
praying for their eternal re 4 the next session of the council
pose. Nhu’s six-year-old son,
Jean Marc, was present in the
council hall and received Com
munion at the Mass.
There was nothing in the
announcement of the forth
coming papal decree—a motu
proprio bearing the title “Pas
torale Munus” — to indicate
what it would contain, but it
had been long rumored that the
Pope was ready to return to
bishops a number of powers
which in the present century
have been reserved to himself
or to the Vatican congregations.
The secretary general, Arch
bishop Pericle Felici, in the
Pope’s name, outlined broadly
what would be the work of the
interim period between the se
cond and third sessions. He
said that the council commis
sions will hold frequent meet
ings. All the council Fathers
were urged to send, before Jan.
31, their observations on the
schemas still remaining to be
studied. He said further that
the results of the commissions’
work will be communicated to
the council Fathers in due time
along with instructions for the
third session which is to open
next Sept. 14.
they (the two chapters) may be
treated and judged with mature
consideration. The ancient say
ing applies here: 'What is put
off is not put away.’
“Therefore, the questions
treated in these two last chap
ters remain entrusted to your
study and examination, vener
able Fathers, during the months
to come. The discussion which
it was not permitted to accom
plish here will be held in the
next session of the council
and will be properly prepared
during the coming months.
“For this reason, the pre
sident of the secretariat ear
nestly asks all, even though
there are very many tasks
which will almost smother each
one as he returns to his dio
cese, to give attentive consid
eration to these chapters and,
please, to indicate their pro
posals and corrections to the
general secretariat of the coun
cil before the middle of Feb
ruary
In the course of his speech
although it was not contained
in the written text, Cardinal
Bea explained that the two chap
ters had not been brought to a
(Continued on Page 6)
AS NATION MOURNED PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY—From high overhead, a photographer posed this symbolic
picture from the Capitol Dome as the casket of the slain president was removed from the rotunda of the Capitol to the
funeral Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington. Some of the thousands who watched the horse-drawn caisson carry
the remains in the procession are in the background. (NC Photos)
THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION of the Blessed Virgin Mary will
be observed on December 8, a holyday of obligation. The Gospel (Luke 1:26-28) relates
the Annunciation when Mary was called “full of grace” by the Archangel Gabriel. In
1846 the American hierarchy declared Mary the patroness of the United States, under the
title of her Immaculate Conception. This picture was taken at the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America, in Washing
ton. The largest Catholic church in the U. S., it was dedicated in 1959.—(NC Photos)
General Accord Is
Council Highlight
By James C. O’Neill
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
ROME—The overall agree
ment among the great majority
of the council Fathers was sin
gled out here as perhaps the
most significant development of
the second council session.
Experts on the American bi
shops’ press panel were asked
to give a summary of the second
session of the council by Ameri
can journalists Dec. 2. Mem
Pope Grants
40 Faculties
To Bishops
VATICAN CITY (NC) -
Pope Paul VI granted Bi
shops forty faculties in his
Motu Proprio, “Pastorale
Munus,” dated November
30th and promulgated on De
cember 3rd.
Most of the faculties per
tain to extraordinary cir
cumstances in the adminis
tration of Sacraments and of
Diocesan goods and proper
ties.
Those immediately affect
ing parish life concern the
Mass. Bishops may permit
priests to offer Mass twice
on weekdays and thrice on
Sundays and Holydays. They
may allow priests with poor
eyesight or other infirmity
to offer the votive Mass of
Our Lady or the Mass of the
Dead daily. Bishops may al
so allow confessors to ab
solve from reserved sins and
censures with few excep
tions.
Most faculties granted Bi
shops were regularly inclu
ded in faculties that many
Bishops renewed every five
years. Now they don’t have to
renew them.
Pope Paul also granted
the Bishops a number of
privileges, including that of
preaching and hearing con
fessions anywhere in the
world. This was formerly
granted only to Cardinals.
bers of the panel expressed
various views, but the common
denominator seemed to be the
question of the unanimity de
monstrated during the course
of the second session.
Father Eugene H. Maly,
scripture professor at the arch
diocesan seminary of Cincin
nati, pointed to the actual vot
ings that had been taken during
the session and said they indi
cate there has been “ a loud
voice” in the hall. He said the
size of the majorities reached
was significant, reflecting the
thinking and tendencies pre
dominating in this session.
Father Gregory Baum, Ber
lin-born Augustinian teaching
in Canada, said he thought the
“growing unanimity” among the
bishops was the most important
development of the session. He
said that the council was not
split between two camps, fifty-
fifty, but rather that there was
demonstrated a tremendous and
unexpected unanimity which
constantly grew, so that majo
rities of 80% and larger were
reached on almost all matters.
Father Gustave Weigel, S. J.,
of Woodstock (Md.) College dis
tinguished between formulation
of doctrine and between the im
pact that the council will have
in the future of the catholic life
of the Church. In terms of for
mulation little was done at the
second session, he noted. Most
of the work on liturgy was done
at the first session; there still
must be written a chapter on
the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be
inserted in the project on the
Church; the communications
media project was not discuss
ed but it does constitute a for
mulation of teaching; the pro
ject on bishops still needs work,
and only three sections of the
ecumenical schema have been
reviewed.
In terms of the effect the
council will have on the future
of the Church’s life, however,
Father Weigel said, there have
been developments of real sig
nificance. “During the first
session, the conservative minds
were like persons holding a hill;
they were the kings of the
mountain. But during that ses
sion the kings of the mountain
found themselves in a very
precarious position.”
In the second session, he said,
the conservative minds were
“not anxious' to take to the
battle field. Rather they re
tired to strong, previously pre
pared positions, leaving the bat
tleground to others.”
As a result there will be
more action, more freedom in
the Church in the future, ac
cording to the Jesuit theologian.
“This session has opened the
windows wider.” What can be
expected, he added, is an evo
lution both greater and more
rapid in its progress in the
future.
Both Archbishop Joseph J.
McGucken of San Francisco and
Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste of
Belleville, Ill., who are in
charge of the panel—paid tri
bute to the American Bishops’
panel of experts and to the level
of reporting that had been done
by the American press.
NEW AUXILIARY—Father
Joseph T. Daley, (above) vice
rector of St. Charles Broro-
meo Seminary, Philadelphia,
since 1960, has been named
titular Bishop of Barca and
Auxiliary to Bishop George
L. Leech of Harrisburg. Born
in Connerton, Pa., he was or
dained in 1941 and served as
an army chaplain from 1953
to 1956.—(NC Photos)
Council Statements On Jews,
Religious Freedom Deferred
