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SERVING 88 SOUTH - GEORGIA COUNTIES
The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
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Vol. 50 No. 1
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1969
$5 Per Year
CHRISTMAS WITH THE ARMED FORCES - Archbishop Terence J. Cooke of New York,
military vicar for Catholics in the U.S. armed forces, greets another New Yorker, Private Joe
Rodriquez, in Baumholder, Germany. The archbishop had just offered Mass (Dec. 17) at the
headquarters of the U.S. 8th Infantry. He was on the first leg of a journey to visit U.S. armed
forces personnel round the world. (NC Photos)
C-97S FOR BIAFRA FLIGHTS
American Gov t Will
Supply Relief Airplanes
WASHINGTON (NC) -
The United States
government will supply eight
military cargo planes to carry
food and medicine to Biafran
victims of the Nigerian civil
war.
A State Department
spokesman said four of the
planes will be given to the
International Committee of
the Red Cross, and four to
American religious relief
agencies which cooperate in
an international religious
airlift called Joint Church
Aid.
The Red Cross flies from
Fernando Po in Equatorial
Guinea. Joint Church Aid
operates out of Sao Tome, a
Portuguese island some 100
miles south of Fernando Po
off the West African coast.
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The planes are C-97
Stratofreighters, built by
Boeing for the Air Force
during the mid.-1950s. Once
the workhorses of the Air
Force, they have been
relegated in recent years to
National Guard duty. They
were due to be phased out of
even that duty within the
next few months.
With a cargo capacity of
18 to 20 tons, they are
capable of carrying twice the
load now handled by the
DC-7 now used in the airlift
operations.
The State Department’s
Robert J. McClosky said no
U. S. military personnel
would be used on the planes.
The relief agencies will be
responsible for hiring crews
Scientists Oppose
4 Humanae Vitae’
DALLAS (NC) -
Scientists attending the 135th
meeting of the American
Association for the
Advancement of Science here
have expressed strong
opposition to Pope Paul’s
encyclical condemning
artificial contraception.
The AAAS has not
endorsed the criticism, and
has not permitted sponsors of
a protest statement to the
Pope or supporters of an
economic boycott of the U.S.
Catholic Church to use AAAS
facilities for holding press
conferences or gathering
signatures. The scientific
organization also refused to
allow signs announcing the
protesters’ press conference
to be posted in the AAAS
press room.
Dr. Jeffrey J. W. Baker,-
professor of biology at the
University of Puerto Rico,
proposed a nationwide
economic boycott of the
Catholic Church to protest
the papal ban. Baker said the
money withheld from
collection plates should be
used to give birth control
information to “countries
where starvation is already a
way of life and death.”
Baker said the proposed
boycott will begin next July
27, because that it is “the
Sunday closest to the day
marking the first anniversary
of the papal encyclical on
birth control,” Humanae
Vitae.
In a separate effort, Baker
collaborated with Paul R.
Ehrlich, professor of biology
at Stanford University, and
Ernst Mayr, professor of
(Continued on Page 5)
and maintenance personnel.
“The planes are provided
with a clear understanding
that they are to be used
solely for humanitarian
purposes in transporting
urgently needed food and
medical supplies for
non-combatants,” he said.
“We are more than
gratified to have this
assistance, finally, from the
United States Government,”
said Rocco Sacci, spokesman
for CRS. “Any plans to
increase the amount of
supplies to the innocent
suffering hinged on this
assistance from the
government.
“In the light of more
ominous news from the area,
indicating a need for heavier
and bulkier staple foods, we
may now be able to provide
these products without
increasing the number of
flights,” he said.
The agreement to furnish
the planes for Biafra relief
capped almost four months
of pressure by CRS, Church
World Service, the National
Council of Churches
counterpart to CRS, and
several senators and
congressmen, among them
Sens. Edward Kennedy and
Eugene McCarthy and House
Speaker John McCormack.
The government was first
asked to loan C-130 Hercules
transports-the plane which
has taken the Stratofreigh-
ter’s place-but rejected the
offer outright. Instead, the U.
S. later offered to donate part
of the cost of leasing a
Hercules-price: $1.5 million
for three months-if the Joint
Church Aid groups would
accept Red Cross control of
their operation. They turned
that down.
Finally, in early
December, CRS and Church
World Service officials
located the C-97s, learned
they were about to be
scrapped, and asked for them.
And at Christmas time they
were told, “yes.”
SURVEYS 1968
Pope Optimistic
Despite Growing
Crises In Church
BY JAMES C. O’NEILL
VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope VI in adding up the balance of the past year in the
Church’s life said he is optimistic rather than pessimistic despite a number of crises
of faith and discipline.
The Pope also indicated he plans to give further guidance at some future time on
the subject of family regulation.
He announced that he had
summoned the second Synod
of Bishops, to be held in
Rome starting Oct. 11, 1969.
The Pope’s announce
ments were part of a long and
wide-reaching survey of the
past year which he submitted
(Dec. 23) to the cardinals
living in Rome and officials
of the Roman Curia-the
Church’s central
administrative offices-his
traditional pre-Christmas
audience. Among the matters
he touched on were:
A feeling of general
optimism in evaluating the
Church’s present situation.
Reaffirmation of his
teaching on family regulation
with the possibility of further
elaboration later.
The announcement of the
opening of a second Synod of
Bishops.
An analysis of his efforts
for peace in Vietnam, the
Middle East and Nigeria.
A tribute to the American
astronauts.
Speaking of th ree
spacemen who were on their
way to circling the moon
while he was addressing the
cardinals and others in the
elegant marble surroundings
of the Consistorial Hall, Pope
Paul asked:
“And how can we forget
that while we are quietly
sitting here reviewing the past
and the future, a feat beyond
every ordinary limit of
human fantasy and activity is
occurring in cosmic space-the
fabulous trip of three
astronauts flying to the moon
to spin around it in marvelous
exploratory orbits?
“Let us pay tribute to the
ingenuity, laboriousness and
courage of men bent on such
conquests. Let us pray for a
successful and fruitful
outcome of their daring
scientific enterprises and let
us invoke the help of God for
the astronauts, for all those
connected with them, for the
human race that is watching
and thinking and which must
draw from the wonderful
conquests achieved and
hoped for the logical
conclusion of a new hymn to
the God of the universe: ‘Let
us sing to him a new song.’ ”
The day before he had
expressed similar praise at his
regular Sunday noon blessing
in St. Peter’s.
The Pope took note of the
fact that developments in the
Church’s life in the past year
have been regarded by some
with an optimistic view as
INSIDE STORY
Year In Review Pg. 2
Attendance Down Pg. 3
Readers’ Reply Pg. 5
Youth Meeting Pg. 6
working for the renewal of
the Church and adapting it to
the needs of the present day.
Others, he said, are
pessimistic. “Well then,” he
asked, “is our estimate of the
present situation of the
Church and its life in the year
now passed optimistic or
pessimistic?”
Answering his question, he
declared: “We can say thanks
be to God that we are able to
discern in them a measure of
good and of hope which is
much greater than that which
can be considered negative,
and that even for the latter it
is permitted to have real trust
for a recovery.”
As his reason for
optimism, Pope Paul said:
“What above all leads up to
this opinion is the awareness,
as well as the experience, of
the resolute, knowing and
irremovable faithfulness of
the entirety--we can say
almost without exception--of
our brothers of the
episcopate, to the Church and
to the humble successor of
Peter and the Vicar of Christ
the Lord. This is faithfulness
which, as demonstrated and
reaffirmed in not easy
situations and moments, gives
the Church the tranquil
security which comes from
the union of the college of
the bishops with its head.”
Referring to the “crises in
the Church, crises of faith
and crises of discipline,” the
Pope said:
“We are always open to
sincere understanding of
problems, aspirations and
impatience, which can
sometimes assume tones and
aspects almost of rebellion
and challenge. And we are
desirous of responding to
them in the best way
possible. But at the same time
(Continued on Page 5)
POPE CALLS SYNOD — Pope Paul VI announced (Dec. 23) a
new synod of bishops to convene next Oct. 11 to help him deal
with current problems of the Church. The synod, the second to
be held since Vatican Council II, will open on the seventh
anniversary of the Council’s beginning. (NC Photos)
“GUIDELINE
5?
New Name For
Catholic Hour
NEW YORK (NC) - The
“Catholic Hour,” the Sunday
religious program aired by the
NBC radio and television
networks, will change its
name to “Guideline” on Jan.
5.
The newly named
television series will feature
interviews with four leading
American prelates during
January. On Jan. 5
Archbishop John F. Dearden
of Detroit, president of the
National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, will discuss
the workings of the bishops’
organization with Bob Teague
of NBC News, Harold
Schackern of the Detroit
News and Arthur North of
the New York News.
On Jan. 12 John Cardinal
Cody of Chicago will discuss
Catholic education with
William Ryan of NBC News,
Ben Bolton of the Associated
Press and Floyd Anderson of
NC News Service.
Bishop John Wright of
Pittsburgh will be interviewed
on the papal encyclical on
birth control and the
American reaction on Jan.
19, and on Jan. 26 John
Cardinal Krol of Philadelphia
will discuss authority in the
Church.
The TV series, moderated
by Father Donald F. X.,
Connolly of the National
Catholic Office for Radio and
Television (NCORT), will be
shown at 1:30 p.m. in New
York, but other local times
will vary.
HEADLINE /
HOPSCOTCH \
NATION
Newman Executive
WASHINGTON (NC) - William F. Tonne, a 44-year-old
expert in university development and public relations, has been
named executive director of the National Newman loundation.
Tonne succeeds Jerry Burns, the Foundation’s executive since
1963, who resigned Jan. 1, 1969, to work in development and
public affairs for the National Council of Catholic Men. Tonne s
appointment was announced (Dec. 27) by Dr. John J. Meng,
executive vice president of Fordham University and president of
the Newman Foundation’s board of trustees.
Inauguration Prayers
WASHINGTON (NC) — The 1969 Inaugural Committee has
called upon the nation’s citizenry to join in a nationwide prayer
observance on Inauguaration Day, Jan. 20. Recommended by
the interfaith religious observance unit of the group, the
committee asked that on the established days of worship
immediately preceding Inauguration Day, Americans across the
nation hold in places of worship appropriate services of prayers
for the new President and his cabinet, of thanksgiving to
Almighty God for His mercy and blessings on America and of
rededication “of our people to the ideals of responsible
freedom, human dignity and the brotherhood of all men.”
FAR EAST
( SRO’ Congregation
ROMAN CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX MEETING - Members of the Joint Roman
Catholic-Orthodox Consultation, including Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan of Worcester, Mass., and
Archbishop Iakavos, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America,
met recently at Maryknoll Seminary for the consultation's semi-annual meeting. Among members
attending were (from left, clockwise): Bishop Flanagan; Father Edward F. Malone, dean of
Maryknoll Seminary; Prof. Veselin Kesich, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Tuckahoe, N.Y.; Prof. Thomas
E. Bird, of Queens College; the Rev. Paul Schneirla, professor at St. Vladimir’s and secretary of the
Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops; Archbishop Iakavos; and Msgr. Myles M. Bourke, New
York City pastor and member of the Catholic Subcommittee for Dialogue. (NC Photos)
SAIGON (NC) — Archbishop Terence «J. Cooke, military
vicar of the United States armed forces, concelebrated
Christmas Mass at Tan Son Nhut Airbase here before a
standing-room-only congregation. Scene of the Mass was one of
the base’s theaters because the chapel was destroyed in a rocket
attack last February by the Viet Cong. Of the 1,200 present at
the English-language Mass, 1,000 received Holy Communicfn. A
group of chaplains assisted Archbishop Cooke in the
distribution of Communion.
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