Newspaper Page Text
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I
A
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Archbp. Sheen
Is Back On TV
PAGE 6 ~ December 18,1969
MESSAGE TO WORLD
Man Must Educate Himself
For Peace-Pope Paul Says
UNICEF CHRISTMAS CARDS - The origin of UNICEF Christmas Cards is told in these photos,
left to right, showing 7-year-old Jitka Samkova in 1949 as she painted the first UNICEF card
showing the sun shining on children dancing around a maypole. At right is Jitka today, married
and the mother of two children. (NC Photo)
New Mass Order Calls
For Priest’s Adjustment
VATICAN CITY (NC)~
Man must educate himself for
peace at a time when it is
claimed that “force alone
clears the way for human
destinies.”
This is the essential
message of Pope Paul Vi’s
third annual message to the
world for the celebration of
the World Day of Peace,
which is scheduled to be
observed Jan. 1,1970.
BY STANLEY P. KOMA
OTTAWA (NC) - When
the bishops of Canada
assembled here for the
semi-annual meeting of the
Canadian Catholic
Conference (CCC), they did
not produce spectacular news
stories. In this respect, the
meeting did not compare to
other recent sessions in which
they issued a liberal
interpretation of Humanae
Vitae, Pope Paul’s encyclical
on artificial contraception,
and approved the concept of
a national pastoral council.
The bishops’ most recent
meeting, however, did
produce a statement in which
they pledged support for
native Indians in their
struggle for justice, and
another which urged the
federal government to
intensify efforts to bring
peace to Nigeria and aid the
victims of the war there.
The bishops also moved
ahead with studies directed at
the establishment of a
permanent diaconate in
Canada, suggested
consultation with clergy and
laity on the possibility of
fulfilling the Sunday Mass
obligation on Saturday, and
established a committee to
review “the positive values of
Penance,” since fewer
Catholics are taking
advantage of the Sacrament
of Mercy.
Aside from these stories,
something else happened ...
something which did not
specifically emanate from the
week-long bishops’ meeting.
The bishops of Canada,
who have steadfastly declared
their belief in the principle of
subsidiarity at home and at
the recent Synod of Bishops
in Rome, saw this principle
evolve into reality in their
own country. And their
continuous emphasis on
cooperation in the service of
the people of God has elicited
a warm response.
The p r i n ciple of
subsidiarity, which insists
that no higher structure of
society should undertake a
function that can be capably
done by a lower structure,
became evident at two
meetings surrounded the CCC
sessions.
Just prior to the CCC
meet, the steering committee
for the Canadian Pastoral
Council (CPC), met in
plenary session for the first
time at a retreat house near
here.
The purpose of the CPC
get-together, which included
representatives of the
bishops, clergy, Religious and
laity from every part of
Canada, was to consider a
national structure through
which all Canadian Catholics
could participate in the work
of the Church.
The CPC meeting was
initiated by the bishops.
At no time during the
deliberations was the concept
of a national pastoral council
seriously called into question.
The principal question was
how should such a council be
established.
During the general sessions
of the CPC, which were
debated in both of Canada’s
official languages-English and
The Pope’s message was
released Dec. 12 and stressed
that “peace is the true life
and the ideal framework of
the world of men.”
In discussing the nature of
peace and man’s essential
need for it to live and
develop, Pope Paul stressed
also that “peace is not really
a static state which can be
reached once and for all. It is
not an immobile tranquility.”
French-the bishop-delegates
easily could have dominated
the discussions, but they
didn’t. They wanted to see
the formation and, direction
of the CPC come from the
delegates themselves. Even
the two moderators for the
plenary sessions refrained
from providing guidelines.
The result was a
“stumbling along” in the
discussions, and in many
instances delegates got
bogged down in the juridical
approach to the
establishment of a national
council.
The bishops refused to
provide the delegates with a
ready-made plan which could
be used to implement a
national pastoral council.
Reflecting this attitude the
delegates in turn, rejected a
suggestion that they
constitute themselves as a
provisional national pastoral
council because they did not
want “to impose” a structure
on their fellow-Catholics
without first consulting them
for their suggestions.
Only at one point did the
bishop-delegates make a
strong suggestion. And that
was when some delegates
tended “to lean” to the CCC
to foot the bill for six months
while the CPC got its
bearings.
In essence, this would have
meant that the national
steering committee was still a
“baby” of the bishops of
Canada. And the bishops did
not want a “baby” on their
hands. So they encouraged
the group to stand on its own
feet and not “go back to
daddy for money,” as Bishop
G. Emmett Carter of London,
Ont., put it.
In effect, the bishops said
the principle of subsidiarity
includes responsibilities as
well as privileges.
The committee finally
agreed to leave the question
of finances to its executive
committee.
The second instance in
which the principle of
subsidiarity emerged was the
national meeting of priests
who represented priests’
senates in English-speaking
Canada. During their
three-day meeting, which ran
concurrently with the
bishops’ meeting, they
formed the National
Federation of (Priests’)
Senates (NFPS).
During the priests’
conference, three major
topics were considered:
continuing education for
priests, new forms of ministry
to meet the contemporary
needs of their parishioners,
and pastoral co-responsibility.
Bishop Remi DeRoo of
Victoria, B.C., who heads the
Office of Social
Communications in the CCC,
described the priests meeting
as “a very significant event in
the history of the Canadian
Church.”
The priests invited the
bishops to attend one of their
sessions, and the bishops
reciprocated by inviting the
priests to one of their plenary
sessions.
He also pointed out that
peace is not a “State of
repressive, selfish inertia.
The Pope declared that
“peace is not enjoyed; it is
created.”
To create peace, he went
on, it is necessary, first of all,
“to educate ourselves for
peace.” Almost as if he were
trying to convince modem
man that peace is a real value
and need of man, the Pope
spoke also of the opposite
side of the coin , strife, and
of how it looked as a reality
today.
“Strife is the law. Strife is
the force of success. And
even, strife is justice. An
inexorable law, this, reborn at
every stage of human
progress. Even today, after
the fearsome experiences of
the last wars, it is strife not
peace, that is thrust on us.”
Violence and revolution,
he continued, are
championed because they are
inevitable and “force alone
clears the way for human
destinies.”
The Pope said that this
state of affairs is “the great
difficulty that we must
consider and solve.” They he
went on, saying:
“That strife can be
necessary, that it can be the
arm of justice, that it can rise
to a noble-hearted, heroic
duty, we do not deny. That
strife can obtain successes, no
one can contest.”
However, strife cannot
“constitute the illuminating
idea of which mankind has
need,” he answered. “We say
that it is time for civilization
to draw inspiration from a
concept other than that of
strife, of violence, of war, of
oppression, to set the world
on the way to true justice for
all.”
To acheive this man must
educate himself for peace and
in fact he already is making
some progress in this self
education.
“We enthusiastically greet
the efforts of modern man to
give affirmation, in the world
and in present history, to
peace as a method, as an
international institution, as
sincere negotiation,” he said.
Then he added: “Our
mission is to teach men to
love one another to be
reconciled with each other, to
educate themselves for peace.
“Accordingly, we express
our approval, our
encourgement and our
hopefulness to all who are
promoters of this education
for peace.
“This year also we call on
persons and organizations
that hold responsibility, on
the organs of public opinion,
on statesmen, teachers, artists
and, especially, on youth, to
walk resolutely along this
path of the true and universal
civilization.”
To Christians the Pope
addressed special words,
noting that “to preach the
gospel of forgiveness seems
absurd to human politics,
because in the natural
economy justice does not
often permit forgiveness.”
Nevertheless, he pointed
out that conflicts in the
secular world are often
brought to an end by a peace
which is “usually an
imposition, a suppression, a
yoke; the weaker and more
submissive part undergoes
this with forced toleration,
oftern equal to postponing
revenge to the future ;and
accepts the treaty protocol
which merely conceals
hypocrisy in hearts which
remain hostile.”
But let Christians
understand, he concluded,
that what is needed is that
“one side and the other
appeal to that superior
justice, which is pardon,
which canceels out insoluble
questions of prestige and
makes friendship possible
once again.
(This is the third in a series of
articles on the New Order of the
Mass.)
When the new Order of
the Mass is introduced in the
local parish the average
Catholic churchgoer, on any
given Sunday, will probably
not be too conscious of Mass
being celebrated much
differently from what he is
now accustomed to.
As a matter of fact, the
changes provided for will
probably call for more
adjustment on the part of
priests than the faithful.
The noticeable difference
in the new Eucharistic liturgy
will be far more evident from
Sunday to Sunday, or Mass to
Mass, than within any
particular Mass. The basic
form of the Mass, which
includes four different parts-
the Entrance Rite, the
Liturgy of the Word, the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, the
Closing Rite-remains intact.
There are options provided
in the four parts of the Mass.
How they are utilized to
develop a theme for the Mass
is where the variety between
Masses will become evident.
To illustrate all this, let us
preview briefly the Mass of
the future, in light of the
changes called for in the new
Order of the Mass.
THE ENTRANCE RITE
The Entrance Rite
includes the entrance
procession, accompanied by
song, or by recitation of the
introit antiphon; the sign of
the cross by priest and people
together and a salutation by
the priest; a comment
specifying the theme of the
Mass; a penitential rite; the
“Lord Have Mercy”; the
Glory to God; a call to prayer
by the priest; a silent pause;
and the prayer of the priest.
The options available are
these:
—-The Introit antiphon
and psalm, or a seasonal
alternate from the simple
Gradual, or an approved
appropriate hymn may be
sung; or finnaly, the Introit
may be recited by all or
alternately with the lector.
--The priest has three
possbile ways to greet the
people.
-The penitential rite,
which now replaces the
prayers at the foot of the
altar, is a communal act of
penance with three optional
formulas possible, followed
by absolution by the priest.
This is not sacramental
absolution, and thus not a
substitute for auricular
confession. The options are
an abbreviation of the
Confiteor; a shorter, dialogue
form; or a form which
incorporates “The Lord Have
Mercy.”
THE LITURGY OF
THE WORD
The Liturgy of the Word
includes the lessons taken
from Sacred Scripture, with
chants occurring between
them; the homily; the Creed;
and the Universal Prayer
(Prayer of the Faithful)’
A third reading on
Sundays, Holydays, and
major feasts, and a new
three-year cycle of scripture
readings on Sundays
(two-year for weekdays)
provides a wider exposure to
s Sacred Scripture. Although
the readings from the New
Testament will be
semi-continuous, those from
the Old Testament will match
the theme of the New
Testament selections.
There also will be more
options for Votive Masses,
plus more freedom in home
Masses, to select appropriate
readings from approved
lectionaries.
On the days it is
prescribed, the Creed
becomes a response by the
people to the divine initiative
taken in Scripture. The
Universal Prayer is a more
particularized response by the
people, in terms of here and
now situations. Primarily it is
an intercession for others,
THE LITURGY OF
THE EUCHARIST
In the Liturgy of the
Eucharist, which includes the
Offertory, the Eucharistic
Prayers, and the Communion
Rite, the major change
appears in the preparation of
the gifts, including gifts for
the poor, to be accompanied
by song of the faithful.
The same three options are
available for the Offertory
song as were available for the
Entrance song. But the
Offertory verse should either
be sung or eliminated; it is
never recited.
The offertory prayers of
the priest, formerly in Latin,
have been abbreviated and are
now said silently in English.
All the people are now to
respond to the “pray,
brethren,” and the priest will
pray aloud the prayer over
the gifts, as before.
As for the Eucharistic
prayers,, the new options for
four eucharistic prayers
(Canons) and a variety of
possible Prefaces remains, as
before. The words of
Consecration will now be the
same in all four eucharistic
prayers, and there will always
be a proclamation of faith.
Finally, the Communion
rite is changed in the
arrangement of the elements,
but most noticeably for the
priest. In the new order, the
Communion rite includes the
Lord’s Prayer (same as
before) but with a new
conclusion; a prayer of peace;
the peace ceremony
(handshake of peace); the
breaking of bread; the “Lamb
of God”; a Communion pryer
quietly in English by the
priest; “Behold the Lamb of
God,” with one (not three)
responses of “Lord, I am not
worthy”; Communion;
accompanied by a
Communion song; with
options the same as for the
Entrance Song; and the
Postcommunion prayer.
THE CLOSING RITE
The conclusion of the
Mass includes short
announcements; the final
blessing (with alternate
forms); and the recessional
accompanied by the song of
the faithful.
How each of the four
major parts of the Mass can
be best understood and
celebrate, so that it
contributes to the overall
effect of the Mass, will be
considered in subsequent
articles.
NEW YORK (NC) -
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
tackled a variety of
controversial subjects-
-priestly celibacy, artifical
birth control, war-and
contributed a few of his
popular witty digressions in
an appearance on a nationally
syndicated television
program.
At times the 74-year-old
retired bishop of Rochester,
N.Y., engaged in a verbal duel
with his host, David Frost,
controversial TV
commentator.
The David Frost Show is
produced by Group W
Productions of the
Westinghouse Broadcasting
Co. and is booked regularly
on 58 stations throughout the
country. The interview was
broadcast here (Dec. 18) by
Station WNEW-TV.
Archbishop Sheen
defended priestly celibacy
and Pope Paul Vi’s stand
against artifical birth control.
He spoke out against war and
sought to clarify his widely
quoted remark about being
unwilling to pay “the price”
to gain a cardinal’s hat,
explaining he was not
speaking of “an economic
price,” but “rather the price
of violating charity.”
“No-no, no, no, of course
not, no. Not any more than
every time I talk I make
sense,” Archbishop Sheen
replied. He added: “I am not
saying, you see, that there
must be issue. This would be
mistaking my point of view.
Because it need not be. After
all, one of the purposes of sex
in marriage is to deepen and
intensify love.”
Archbishop Sheen said
“mechanical frustration” in
married sexual relations “is
the destruction of something
that was planted, and
something that was given.”
Frost pressed for answers
to questions in cases where
couples use birth control
methods because they do not
want to have another child or
dare not risk another child.
He asked: “What do you say
to those people, cease making
love?”
“I say to them, I am still
convinced that this is not
right, but under the
circumstances you must trust
in the mercy of God. And
you continue to make love,”
Archbishop Sheen said.
Pressed by Frost, the
archbishop said his advice
would extend to the
continuance “with birth
control.”
Now embarked on a
working-retirement career in
the television, radio and
writing fields here,
Archbishop Sheen disclosed
he requested Pope Paul four
times for permission to resign
as bishop of Rochester. He
said the Pope agreed to let
him resign by last Sept. 20,
but the resignation was not
announced until Oct. 15.
Frost asked the archbishop
if he had any regrets and the
ready reply was: “I regret all
failures, I regret all failings.
I regret things that I
would like to have done, but
wasn’t enabled to do.”
Frost began the exchange
regarding celibacy this way:
“The question always arises,
obviously, with some one
who has chosen celibacy as a
way of life-do you ever
regret never having known
the love of a woman, in
fact?”
Archbishop Sheen replied:
“No-no, no. Because, after
all, remember, one is not to
think one is without love.
This would be a great
mistake. There are higher
loves. And if that did not
exist, celibacy would be
impossible. And just as soon
as one falls away from that
higher love, celibacy does
become extremely difficult.”
The archbishop continued:
“And the root of all celibacy
is the fact, well, I want to
love God, I want to serve
Him. And the moment I fall
away from that, then it
becomes very difficult.”
Frost opened the
controversial birth control
topic by asking: “If someone
came to you in confession
and said they were devout
believers, and so on, but that
on grounds of conscience
they’d examined this, and
they felt there was nothing
wrong in using contracept
ives, let’s say the pill, and
they wanted to go
on-intended to go on doing
that, they were satisfied in
their own consciences, what
would you say to them?”
Archbishop Sheen
emphasized that Pope Paul in
his Humanae Vitae encyclical
never mentioned the pill. He
continued: “Now what he
held out for was that Eros
leads to Bios-that love leads
to life. If the purpose of sex
is not life, then what is it?
Death. He held for a
continuity, and so do I, for a
continuity of love and life,
that there will be no
deliberate, mechanical
frustration of the
transmission of love and life.”
When a farmer plants a
seed, it does not seem right
for him to dig it up once he
plants it, Archbishop Sheen
said.
Frost countered: “But
you’re not suggesting that
there would be issue in the
case of every time that a
couple made love anyway, are
%
“Yes, with birth control,”
Archbishop Sheen continued.
“Now you see, you are-here
you’re getting down to the
concrete case of human
anguish. Believe me, this is a
question of anguish. Here I
agree with you one hundred
percent. And just as, for
example, we~a Christian too
along other lines is called to
mortification, but it’s not
always easy. And so there are
many occasions when he pulls
back from it. And so the law
is not absolute.
“And we must adnit that
there are cases that tear your
heart out, and concessions are
made to these people. No one
ever lays the finger on them
and says that this is a sin.
Here is only a moral guide.
This is the ideal. This is the
law. Not all of us keep the
law.”
In “anguish” cases,
Archbishop Sheen said: “I
sympathize with all these
people with all of my heart.
And so does the Church. And
that was also the way the
Holy Father concluded and
he begged them over and over
to trust in the mercy of God,
and to abide in prayer.”
Frost recalled that
Archbishop Sheen was one of
the first to speak out against
the war in Vietnam.
“Well I did make a
statement two years ago. And
the statement that I made
two years ago is not
applicable now. What I said
two years ago was, I wished
that we would withdraw
unilaterally, in order to give a
moral example to the world,”
Archbishop Sheen said.
Frost asked what the
archbishop would advise
today. Archbishop Sheen said
it must be remembered
President Nixon knows “a
thousand things about the
international situation and
the war in Vietnam which we
do not know.” He called for
trust in the President’s
statement that he will
withdraw U.S. forces as
rapidly as possible.
Archbishop Sheen said a
“Christian war is never
justified.” He said a secular
war may be necessary , in
defense of country and
citizens, but “never, never an
offensive war.”
“I think we must begin to
make wars against war,”
Archbishop Sheen declared.
The archbishop said “we
have to be very fearful of the
growing atrocities of war,
particularly with nuclear
wars.”
“The problem of nuclear
wars is not so much the bomb
itself, it’s the person who has
the bomb,” Archbishop
Sheen warned. “And with the
growth or neuroses and
psychoses in people, some
crackpot someplace in the
world could start some kind
of a nuclear conflagration.”
CANADIAN BISHOPS
Meeting Quiet—
But Meaningful