Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, October 21, 1965—PAGE 3
DOESN’T EXIST “SIMPLY TO DEFEND THE CHURCH”
Fearful Press Is Worthless, Editor Says
by Gerard E. Cherry
Editor, Georgia Bulletin
(Reprinted with Permission)
Our recent observations
on poverty and assistance to
the poor have drawn a large
correspondence. Some people
have suggested that we quit
worrying about the poor and
“stick to religion” in editorial
comment.
The basic function of the
Catholic Press is to in
form and instruct. Hence, the
editorial page plays an impor
tant role in exercising the
function. It should be the un
official but competent mouth
piece of Catholic thinking in
the Diocese. It should give
prudential judgement on the
affairs of the day without
claiming infallibility.
To me, the average editorial
page of our Catholic news
papers is as somber as the
funeral parlor. It lacks, how
ever, the background music
and glittering furnishings with
which today’s morticians bury
the dead. Sometimes we notice
the flippant spark of daring
similar to that exhibited at an
Irish wake, but too seldom is
Catholic vitality evident.
One of the basic weaknesses
is that most of the Catholic
Press is timid. There is too
much yearning for the safety
of the status quo and too
much fear of the possibility
of being wrong. So, too, there
is the fear of the many pres
sure groups within our midst.
Our own Catholic societies all
have axes to grind, and gripes
to make; hence, we fear their
reaction. We fear their ad
verse comments to what we
write and say.
Then there are the national
pressure groups endorsed by
some Catholics but whose mo
tives appear solely political.
So, too, there are anti-Com-
munist pressure groups with
in the Church and few editors
wish to court their disfavor.
We so often give the impres
sion that the one true Church
demands one track minds. We
cower behind our editorial de
fenses wishfully yearning for
the peace and quiet of ennui.
Many of us are so afraid of
controversy that we invoke
the virtue of prudence at the
expense of justice. In all these
things we seem to have lost
the heritage and tradition of
the Catholic Press. Where are
the crusading men of old who
entered the field of contro
versy with courage and
vitality?
What is the purpose of the
editorial page ? It is the same
as the secular newspaper edi
torial page — the encourage
ment of an articulate public
opinion. It is useless to ex
pect a vital lay apostolate if
the Catholic Press fails,
through neglect, to lead the
layman to his ultimate re
sponsibilities. The Catholic
Press does not exist simply
to defend the Church. It also
has to propagate the teachings
of the Church. Inasmuch as the
Diocesan community is also
our concern, the laity must
be made aware of this.
The Catholic editor must be
willing to learn about and form
opinions on local secular pro
blems, especially those which
affect the welfare of the com
munity. He will be interested
not only in zoing laws affect
ing the erection of Catholic
schools, but also those affect
ing public and Protestant and
jewish parochial schools. The
Catholic editor should be as
willing to defend the rights of
the non-Catholic as he nor
mally is willing to fight for
the rights of his co
religionists. We must show aU
men the breadth and vision,
the aged wisdom and the
perennial youth of the Church.
We should be as vocal about
racial injustice as we are
about Communism or smut.
We should be as firm in rela
tion to corruption in business
as we are in relation to cor
ruption in labor. We should
avoid aligning ourselves with
any group. This will give us
the freedom to denounce even
our friends if they’ve become
un-Catholic or anti-com
munity.
We must also avoid the dan
ger of accepting the counsel
and advice of those who say
you mustn’t attack this or that
evil because Mr. or Mrs.
Jones is a large contributor to
the Church. We must not be
afraid to speak out against
possible catholic injustice to
the community and injustice
by Catholics in the community.
We must at aH cost avoid the
cracking of the “Catholic
whip.” We must show our
neighbors the universality of
the Church, its love for all
men, and its concern for all
problems.
All this will require of edi
tors the avoidance of the so-
called middle of the road. We
must leave this island of in
action, with its hesitations and
its fears, and dare to speak
and act in defense of truth
and morality. I do not mean
to be trite. We have com
promised for much too long
with the rest of the world.
We must now stand up and be
counted in a very real way. If
it means being unpopular, even
among feUow Catholics, then
so be it. The times are too
serious for pussy-footing or
the pious mouthing of cliches.
It is my conviction that Ca
tholic editors have a special
role in these times — that
of striving for religious and
professional competence in
order that they may become
part of the new leadership,
promoting the new spirit of
adventure which has come
about through the emergence
of new nations and new forms
of government.
So many of us are afraid
of innovations, be they in
terms of spiritual formation
or temporal affairs. We are
always looking for precedents
to justify our actions. Some
times we might find ourselves
alone in a point of view. Yet, if
we believe we are right, then
we should follow our con
science. By all means let the
critics be heard, but they must
never be permitted to reduce
an editorial stand to merely
being all things to all men.
An editor is human — he
therefore will at times lack
prudence and charity; he will
also be wrong, at times; but
this is the human trait, and
it should never be the excuse
for timidity or lack of con
cern for man’s problems. Yes,
it is true — through a firm
moral stand an editor “sticks
to religion.” What more can be
asked?
MILWAUKEE SCHOOL DISPUTE
Bishop’s Order Obeyed,
*
School Facilities Denied
MILWAUKEE (NC)—An or
der that Catholic facilities be
denied students taking part in
a public school boycott here
was obeyed, but with public
protests that it frustrated
Christian witness.
Priests at five inner city
parishes closed the doors of
their schools, scheduled to be
“Freedom Schools” during
the boycott protesting school
segregation, but did not with
draw from personal partici
pation in the protest demon
stration.
One of them, Father James
Groppi of St. Boniface parish,
led nearly 500 children who
turned up at the parish (Oct.
18) in songs and impromptu
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history lessons and then took
them to a “Freedom School”
at a nearby Baptist Church.
Five downtown Milwaukee
parishes with predominantly
Negro congregations had en
dorsed the scheduled week-
long boycott and pledged use
of their facilities.
But Auxiliary Bishop Ro
man R. Atkielski, vicar gen
eral, and Msgr. Edmund J.
Goebel, school superinten
dent, stepped in three days
before the start of the boy
cott to forbid the use of parish
facilities.
Both said they acted because
Dist. Atty. Hugh R. O’Connell
declared the boycott illegal
and threatened prosecution of
any persons who cooperated
in or promoted it.
Msgr. Goebel sent the five
pastors a special delivery let
ter containing his order and a
copy of an opinion on the lega
lity of the boycott he sought
from the district attorney’s
office.
Bishop Atkielski appeared
on television news programs
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to discuss his order. He said
“ecclesiastical conse
quences” would be invoked
on those disobeying.
The bishop said he sent a
letter to pastors forbidding the
use of facilities. He admitted
it did not deal with personal
participation, but told TV
newsmen it was meant to ex
clude this as well.
In response, pastors, as
sistant priests and Sistersat-
tached to the parishes held a
four-hour meeting (Oct. 16),
saying afterward in a state
ment they would obey the bi
shop’s order about use of fa
cilities “with sorrow and re
gret.” 1
“But we declare,” said
their statement, “we do not
think he understands the facts
of the situation as they are.”
“In our own consciences,
we do not see hi s direction
based on a legal opinion as
morally binding with the force
of Christ’s words.”
Four of the five parishes
took an advertisement (Oct.
18) in the Milwaukee Journal,
saying it was prompted by pro
tests to the parishes from
the Negro community. The ad
said in part:
“We have been informed
through inadequate communi
cation lines by our local curial
officials that we are forbid
den to allow parish property
and facilities to be used for
freedom schools.
“As priests and Sisters,
servants of our parishes, we
were faced with the choice
of obeying the bishop in which
case we feel that our Church
fails to give its full Chris
tian witness here.
“On the other hand, should
we disobey the bishop, we
feel that at this time in our
Church many would not be
able to understand our ac
tions because they are not
yet ready to receive the full
impact of Vatican II.
“With every protest short
of direct disobedience and with
the conviction that we are sub
stantially betraying our peo
ple, but with the hope that
we might be wrong, we revert
to the basic training we have
been given and reluctantly we
have closed our parish facili
ties to the use of freedom
schools.”
The five parishes, in addi
tion to St. Boniface, are: St.
Benedict the Moor, St. Eliza
beth, St. Francis of Assisi
and St. Gall.
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Spokesmen for the parishes
had said they considered the
boycott the only means “to
force the school board and the
people of the city of Milwaukee
to look at the children whose
right to be treated as human
beings are daily being
denied.”
CATHOLIC RECEPTION for Orthodox — Archbishop Philip M. Hannan of
New Orleans escorts Archbishop Iakovos, head of the Greek Orthodox Arch
diocese of North and South America at a reception for Greek Orthodox lead
ers. The reception was given by the New Orleans archdiocese as a major event
marking the centenary of the first Greek Orthodox church in t h e Western
Hemisphere. This was the Church of the Holy Trinity established in New
Orleans in 1864. Other ecumenical events also were held as a climax to the
two-year centennial observance. (RNS Photo)
RHODESIA* CRISIS
British Churches Oppose
S. Africa Minority Rule
LONDON (RNS) — British
Churches, through official
journals, are taking a firm
stand against the assumption
of independence by a white
minority in Rhodesia without
the promise of majority rule
later.
Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, Presby
terian, and Congregationalist
newspapers commented on the
issue.
This combination of com
ment stood out all the more
significantly in that it con
trasted with a substantial lack
of comment, except in the Ca
tholic press, on Pope Paul’s
speech to the United Nations.
This was ignored, editorially,
by Methodist and Baptist
newspapers, for instance.
The Methodist Recorder
concentrated a double-column
editorial on a resolution of the
General Committee of the Me
thodist Missionary Society a
few days ago which declared
that if all attempts to nego
tiate with the Thodesian
government for uninterrupted
progress to majority (that is,
African) rule should fail, and
there is a unilateral decla
ration of independenee by Pre
mier Smith’s white govern
ment, then the British govern
ment should take over admin
istration of the territory.
The Baptist Times said
“The British government has
repeatedly made it clear that
it cannot agree to inde
pendence until there is a re
vised and progressive consti
tution that would give the Afri
cans an equal voice in govern
ment and a majority control
within a few years. . .
“Mr. Smith should be as
sured that the British people
want to see Rhodesia develop
peacefully and quickly towards
independence as a prosperous
multi-racial society with a
multi-racial government, and
that Britian is ready to help
him achieve these ends. But
he must also be left in no
doubt that a rebellious de
claration of independence
would be disastrous for him
self, his party and those who
are trying to push him too
far too quickly.”
The British Weekly, repre
senting Congregationalist and
Presbyterian views, published
the full text of a statement by
the Presbyterian Church of
Scotland. That statement said:
“Aware that African lea
ders are now under restraint
and in face of the apparently
imminent danger of a unila
teral declaration of indepen
dence, the Committee (thatis,
the Church and Nation Com
mittee of the Church of Scot
land) expresses its dismay at
the deterioration of the situa
tion and draws attention to the
incalculable and potentially
disastrous consequences of
such a declaration. In the in
creasingly grave situation the
Committee feels compelled to
reaffirm the plea of the
General Assembly in the hope
that moderate councils may
still prevail.”
The Catholic Herald wrote
editorially: “In Rhodesia no
one but a fool or rogue can
hope for a settlement which
gives the power to the white
minority permanently to fet
ter the aspirations of the black
majority to self-determina
tion.
“Sinilarly, it would be je
june of the rather more star
ry-eyed left to allow a politi
cally immature majority to
dominate , at this stage, the
fate of the white minority.
Compromise is the only ans
wer.”
The Church Times, reflect
ing Anglican viewpoints, did
not publish an editorial on
Rhodesia but a columnist’s
commentary said all reason
able people must hope that
some fair settlement of the is
sue of Rhodesian independence
may be reached but “it is
very difficult to see how this
is to be done.”
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BISHOP SAYS
Seek Vocations
Where They Are
PITTSBURGH (NC) - Stop
relying on “ ready-made voca
tions from a ready-made
school system” and seek vo
cations “where they are and
as they are,” Bishop John J.
W right of Pittsburgh told vo
cation directors here.
In the keynote address to
the second national conven
tion (Oct. 11-14) of diocesan
vocation directors, Bishop
Wright urged “moreintensive
efforts to find precisely in
the so- called secularized
areas of the world men and
women disposed to serve the
Church in priestly and reli
gious life.”
“This means, ” he con
tinued, “seeking them in pub
lic schools and secular uni
versities. It may weU mean
seeking vocations among old
er people than we have tra
ditionally considered likely
candidates, people who have
been themselves deeply invol
ved in the battle of secular
society and who have, in fact,
remained or even become
Christians as a result.”
Vocations should not be
sought among those “disen
chanted with the world,” he
said, but “amongpeople whose
intellects have been sharpened
in the battles of civilization
and whose hearts still love,
even passionately, its essen
tial values, but love God and
His kingdom more.”
And, he stressed, no matter
how many vocations are ob
tained “from our own schools,
clubs and carefully protected
preserves of influence, you
must abandon any reliance on
ready-made vocations from a
ready-made school system or
other seed-bed for providing
sure-bet vocations.”
The bishop said those res
ponsible for fostering voca
tions must be as ruthlessly ob
jective in our analysis of the
problems confronting us in
spreading vocations as would
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be the campaign researchers
for United States Steel or any
other equally mystical organ
ization.”
He warned that the task will
be “a tough one,” and said
American civilization tends to
hand over problem-solving to
machines and buries the in
dividual in mass patterns and
standardized activities.
“Such a civilization is af
fective, not cerebral,” he
said. “Our culture, even,
tends to be anti-intellectual.
“It does not provide an easy
generation to whom to preach
vocations to a prophetic,
teaching priesthood such as
that which the Gospels and
St. Paul present to us.
“One sometimes wonders
if even among some Catho
lics, a current concept of the
priest does not see him as
a kind of praying mantis, de
corating a subdued, imper
sonal sanctuary, prophetically
striving to expound the dog
mas which provide intellec
tual foundations and strong su
perstructure to the saving
Christian faith and life, li
turgical life included.”
v These present crises will
pass e\entually, he said. “But
what of the long ‘meanwhile*
before nature and grace do
their work of ordering a new
culture—the emerging culture
which is presently chaotic but,
for all that, is destined to be
great with good for man and
glory for God? The answer to
that ‘what’ is your tough bus
iness.”
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