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CARDINAL CODY INTERVIEWED
The Southern Cross, January 16, 1969 — PAGE 3
T.V. Program Discusses Church Schools
NEW YORK (NC) -
Catholic schools, what they
are and some of their
problems, were discussed by
John Cardinal Cody of
Chicago in a televised
interview originating here
(Jan. 12).
In response to
wide-ranging questions from
three newsmen, he also
touched upon religious
vocations, ferment in
the Church and the world
today, and other topics.
The cardinal appeared on
Guideline, a program
produced by the National
Broadcasting Company in
association with the National
Catholic Office for Radio and
Television. Father Donald
Connolly, coordinator of
NCORT, served as moderator.
“A school is a school, not
a church, nor a civic center,
nor a fraternal club, nor a job
training office/ 4 Cardinal
Cody said at the outset.
“A Catholic school is
conducted by the Catholic
Church, to give its pupils high
quality education, and to
teach them God’s eternal
truths and the consequences
thereof for their personal
lives and for society.”
He added that,
“Functionally, you find the
Catholic school is an
expression of what is meant
by being a Christian m
today’s world. Therefore, the
Catholic Church operates
schools wherever they are
needed or useful-in suburbs
with talented youngsters and
in slums seething with
tensions .... The Church has
dedicated its schools to giving
witness to the truth. And, for
this reason, the Church has
insisted upon academic
excellence in its schools.”
With the growing number
of problems in great
metropolitan centers today,
the cardinal added, the
Church is “taking a hard look
at the type of education we
can give today, and which we
hope to continue in the
future.”
Cardinal Cody said much
is being written about the
future of Catholic education,
and commented: “But the
Church, I think, is intent on
trying to keep its system of
education.”
The cardinal said the
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problems facing Catholic
schools involve not only
finances but also personnel.
He said that, “With the
lessening of the number of
religious teachers in the
schools, we have grave
financial problems. For
example, in the archdiocese
of Chicago, we have 325,000
children in our parochial
schools. It is costing us about
$90 million a year to operate
these schools. It would cost
the state about $225 million
to operate the same schools.”
Asked if he felt it was
“reasonable and justified” for
the bishops of Illinois to send
a letter to state legislators,
asking their support for
legislation giving state aid to
certain educational expenses
in Catholic schools, the
cardinal replied:
“Well, our Catholic
people, as everyone knows,
are paying to support their
own Catholic schools and are
also paying taxes to take care
of the public school system.
And in that they are doing
their patriotic duty. However,
we feel now that, with the
problems facing the public
school systems, particularly
in the large urban areas, the
Church could be of great
assistance in providing some
of the teachers that we have
who could perhaps teach our
children, at the same time,
under the direction of the
state system of education.
“We have found our
legislators very, very
agreeable to this. They know
they cannot find sufficient
teachers, and the colossal
amount of money that would
be necessary to build schools
for the ever-incresing number
of children prompts them to
look favorably upon this.
“We feel that our Catholic
people should share in the
benefits of the state system
of education, as indeed they
have been sharing in the
program for Head Start and
in many other programs that
are giving services-health
services, special therapy,
special psychological services,
to the children in these
private schools. Not only in
the Catholic schools, but the
Protestant and Jewish schools
as well.”
A newsman noted that it is
necessary to have the
Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine because all Catholic
children are not in Catholic
schools, and asked if it might
not be worthwhile to “drop
the whole system.”
The cardinal said the
newsman had touched upon a
subject to which study has
been given, but added that
“with all of the wonderful
system of education we have
been able to promote in the
Catholic schools, I don’t
think the public school
authorities would look with
favor on us discontinuing our
schools. To begin with, they
couldn’t begin to take care of
them.
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JOHN CARDINAL CODY of Chicago, appearing on the nationally televised program, Guideline,
Sunday, Jan. 12, discussed Catholic schools and their problems. Guideline is produced by the
National Broadcasting Company in association with the National Catholic Office for Radio and
Television. (NC Photos)
“Take for example the
City of Chicago, where we
have 245,000 children in our
parochial schools. We
couldn’t begin to take care of
these children in the public
schools. The public schools
are terribly inadequate for
the problems of today. And
although the legislature and
the public school system are
proposing many methods to
solve this problem, it will
take 10 to 15 years before
they would ever be able to
take care of them.
“So as a consequence,
something must be done
immediately if we are to be
able to continue our schools,
because we are running at a
terrible deficit in the
operational costs.”
The cardinal said the
Church is constantly seeking
how its schools can best serve
the inner-city areas, and that
“we are planning new
educational complexes that
will take care of adult
education, recreation and
even the elementary school.
We are planning these
together with the urban
renewal program. So the
Church is in there now, and
functioning very well, and
REJECTS REASONING
Dutch Pastoral Council
Scores ‘Humane Vitae’
NOORDWIJKERHOUT,
The Netherlands (NC) — The
Dutch National Pastoral
Council has declared (Jan. 8)
that the argumentation given
for the ban on contraception
in Pope Paul’s encyclical
Humanae Vitae is “not
convincing.”
Written by the Dutch
bishops, the statement was
adopted overwhelmingly by
the third session of the
pastoral council, with only a
few traditionalist Catholics
dissenting.
The statement also said
that the “well-considered
personal decision of
conscience of married people
should be respected,” and
called for further
consultation on a “Christian
outlook on marriage” by the
world’s bishops, the Pope,
married people and experts.
The statement, which was
adopted after a heated
discussion on marriage and
the family, also declared that
“the discussions about the
way in which marriage is lived
have not been closed.”
Several days before the
sessions opened, the Dutch
Catholic Council for Marriage
and the Family, which is
composed of clergy and laity
and is a consultative body for
the Dutch bishops,
announced the objections to
Pope Paul Vi’s encyclical on
birth control.
It objected particularly to
the concept of authority set
forth in the encyclical; it
called the obedience required
of priests and theologians
unacceptable; and said that it
regarded the prohibition of
artificial methods for the
regulation of births as
offensive for an adult
Catholic community.
The text of the pastoral
council’s statement on the
encyclical follows:
“l.-The plenary assembly
asks for further consultations
with the world episcopate,
the Pope, married people and
experts about a present-day
Christian outlook on
marriage.
“2.--The plenary assembly
considers the absolute
rejection by the encyclical
Humanae Vitae of the
artificial means of birth
control not convincing on the
basis by the argumentation
given. The well considered
personal decision of the
consciences of married people
should be respected.
“3.--Therefore, the plenary
assembly is of the opinion
that the discussions about the
way in which marriage is lived
have not been closed and that
the activities in the field of
pastoral and mental care can
be continued, taking this into
account.”
Vatican
Witholds
Comment
VATICAN CITY (NC) -
Responsible officials of the
Holy See withheld comment
on the Dutch National
Pastoral Council’s criticism of
the encyclical Humanae Vitae
pending receipt of official
reports of the council’s
decisions.
A highly placed source in
the Vatican said that the
Holy See had only news
accounts to go by.
But there was no
guarantee that any official or
semi-official comments would
be forthcoming on the
pastoral council’s resolutions.
The Dutch pastoral
council had declared that the
argumentation given for the
ban on artificial
contraceptives in Pope Paul’s
encyclical is “not
convincing.”
Vatican officials pointed
out that the Dutch National
Pastoral Council made it clear
that its assembly was of a
consultative nature and that
its resolutions are not binding
on the bishops or Dutch
Catholics.
In another statement-on
the moral attitude of the
Christian in the world-the
pastoral council said that the
“only absolute norm” by
which man is to form his
rules and norms of conduct is
“Christ’s selfgiving and
sacrificing love.”
It also said that the
Church’s directives on norms
of conduct must be based on
the findings of experts based
on scientific experience and
on the opinions and feelings
of the people concerned,
including those outside the
Church, as well as on a
reflection of the Gospel and
Church tradition. This
method of decision-making, it
said, is being used profitably
“in the field of community
organization, social work and
modern business
management.”
The Church, it declared,
must face the changes in our
times with an “openminded
ness,” and at the same time
must “reexamine her own
structure and essence and
orientate herself on the basis
of 'the Gospel toward this
world in order to humanize
it.”
In his opening speech to
the pastoral council (Jan. 6),
Bernard Cardinal Alfrink of
Utrecht stressed the strong
desire of the Church in this
country to remain connected
v/ith the universal Church,
but added that the Church in
the Netherlands also
maintains “a justifiable
diversity.”
“Every local Church is
given the responsibility of
finding out in what concrete
manner the one mystery of
the Church must be given
shape,” he said, adding that,
without the reality of the
local churches, “the one
Church of Christ cannot be
found on this earth.”
He also said that the
“responsibility of the local
Church and the responsibility
of the Church universal do
not exclude, but include,
each other.”
Cardinal Alfrink told the
council also that, “while we
are searching for the meaning
of our faith in unity with the
tradition of the Church, I
hope, that those who
transmit our words to areas
far outside our boundaries
will not give the impression
that we have already found it,
let alone that we want to
impose our views on the
whole Church.”
The Cardinal also told
Dutch Catholics that they
must be tolerant and that not
every Catholic must try to
play the role of the
theologian.
expending enormous sums of
money to keep up these
inner-city schools.”
Answering a number of
questions dealing with the
decline in religious vocations
reported today, Cardinal
Cody said that in the Chicago
archdiocese religious and lay
teachers are in about a 50-50
proportion in its schools. He
said he thought a reason for
this reported decline might be
found in changes in society
and the turmoil and perhaps
confusion that are affecting
youth today.
“I’m very hopeful for the
future,” he added. “Although
our number of vocations for
the seminary has decreased
somewhat, nevertheless we
find that the ultimate result
of those who enter and those
who complete their studies
has stayed pretty much on
the level.”
Ask if something had gone
wrong with the Catholic
school system, that it hasn’t
turned out a steadily growing
percentage of vocations
among its graduates, Cardinal
Cody replied: “I don’t think
this is a fact. Even in the
public schools, they’re
finding great difficulty in
obtaining competent
teachers. The teaching
profession has just not been
able to meet the needs of the
whole educational system of
the United States.”
The cardinal said the
Church has “no solid answer”
for the vocation^ problem at
the moment.
He noted at the same time
that youths are anxious to get
into the lay apostolate in the
inner city, the poverty
program, the social program,
“and we even have some
religious who have left the
convent who have gone to
teach in inner-city public
schools. They feel this is a
way that the Church in this
post-council age can
contribute to the social
structure of society.”
Asked about “the so-called
wealth of the Catholic
Church,” Cardinal Cody said
“the wealth of the Catholic
Church is apparent only.”
“In many areas,” he
continued, “the so-called
wealth is really a liability. We
have many churches and
schools and convents and
rectories and halls that were
built many years ago. But
now they are in areas where
there are absolutely no
people. I have in mind one
parish that probably has
buildings valued at $3
million. We can’t even sell
them. And to tear them down
will cost $250,000 or more.
This is one of the problems.
“And when you compute
all of these items, you come
up with a balance sheet that
would indicate the Church is
actually very wealthy. But
the truth is that these
buildings are really a burden
to us.”
Asked about a letter sent
on behalf of the archdiocese
of Chicago to the state
legislature, asking the state
for full subsidy in the care of
retarded children who are
wards of the state in Catholic
institutions, the cardinal said:
“While this is a particular
question for a particular
state, I think it is generally
recognized today that the
institutions, the private
institutions around the
country, are in serious
financial problems too. The
state in the past few years has
been legislating and setting
standards. And while these
institutions are very happy to
comply with these standards,
the volunteer contributions
are not at all adequate to help
us take care of them.
“For example, in the City
of Chicago the Crusade for
Mercy raises about $17
million to give to the
institutions. But the cost of
operations is about $90
million. Now we have in
many of these institutions,
private institutions, we have
children who are wards of the
state-be they Catholic or
non-Catholic. And so when
the state tells us that we have
to comply with these
regulations, we say, well, we
can’t do it on our own. Our
voluntary contributions don’t
meet the need. So we’ll have
to ask that you up your
quota.
“For example, we are able
to take care of a child for
about $5 or $6 a day. The
same care in a state
institution is $62.50 a day.
So we’re recommending to
the state that they share some
of the burdens with us. We
have the buildings. We have
the dedicated personnel. And
we need the subsidy, in order
to comply with the
regulations that the state
makes.”
In response to another
question at this point, the
cardinal said he did not think
“it is just to the Church” that
people are failing to meet the
needs with their gifts. “I
think that the voluntary
contributions across the
board are not commensurate
with the need that we have
today.”
The cardinal said it is
recommended that every
parish in the archdiocese of
Chicago have a lay school
board, so that all the people
in the parish become involved
with the problems of the
school. He said that, generally
speaking, this is being done
elsewhere in the country,
“and I think that the people
are becoming for the first
time keenly aware of the
great contributions they as
citizens and taxpayers are
giving to society.”
Asked if pupils who attend
only Catholic schools become
members of a “closed
society,” Cardinal Cody
responded:
“I don’t think they do. As
a matter of fact, with our
program of education today,
we’re giving more content,
and this is one of the reasons
that we recommended this
purchased service, so that
teachers, for example, of the
public school system, can
come in and teach children in
the parochial schools. And,
likewise, some of the teachers
in the parochial schools could
be employed to teach in some
of the public schools.”
Cardinal Cody was
interviewed by Bill Ryan of
NBC News, Ben Bolton of the
Associated Press and Floyd
Anderson, director of NC
News Service.
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