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PAGE 6 — February 19,1970
-AUTHORITY
Viewpoints
On Theology
LENT BEGINS EARLY - Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop Wednesday, starting the penitential season of Lent, which this
of New York, distributed ashes at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Ash year began almost at the earliest possible date. (NC Photo)
Clergy Prominent In U.N.
By Rev. Mr. Peter
Schineller, S. J.
The old adage, “Rome has
spoken, the case is closed,”
was both shaken and
reinforced last summer by the
reactions of bishops, priests
and laymen to Pope Paul’s
encyclical, Humanae Vitae.
The encyclical and the
reactions to it forced us to
reexamine our views on
authority in the Church.
Should the concept be
overhauled, as somewhat
outdated, or should it be
preached more frequently
and forcefully?
This area of authority is
being studied by bishops and
theologians today. Vatican II
spurred this inquiry with its
sections on the functions of
priests, bishops and laymen,
and its statements on
collegiality, the cooperative
relationship between the
Pope and the bishops in
constituting the teaching
office of the Church.
The most recent
theological controversy
centers on this notion of
collegiality. But now it has
been extended, not just
between the Pope and
bishops, but between bishops
and priests, and between
priests, bishops and laity.
With this development,
certain changes are required
in the exercise, of authority.
While authority and
government will not become
democratic, it means that
those in authority must seek
out the voices and opinions
from below, and take them
into consideration in decision
making. It recalls that the
Spirit of God moves not just
through hierarchical
structures, but in all
Christians.
A brief look at some
images connected with
authority in the Church
might be helpful. For
example, the notion of the
Pope as the Vicar of
Christ-the one who takes his
place on earth. This term
only came into use in the
middle ages. Until then,
Christ alone was seen as the
WASHINGTON (NC)-
The Division of Elementary
and Secondary Education of
the U.S. Catholic Conference,
in cooperation with the
Catholic University of
America School of
Education, will sponsor a
workshop in governmental
programs for nonpublic
school administrators, June
15-19,1970.
The workshop will be
directed by Dr. Edward R.
D’Alessio, Coordinator,
(Continued from Page 5)
next section) each member of
the group should have a
different version from which
he can contribute helpful
insights.
The second part of the
meeting can be a discussion
that goes over the whole
matter and relates it to
current problems, whether
personal, family, local,
national or worldwide. It may
well be that the lesson
emerging from the Bible
study is hard for human
nature to take. Someone
should say so. Then he or
another can express a
willingness to rise to the
duty, or can express sorrow
for failure to do so.
In the third and final part
of the meeting a good leader
will put his finger on two or
three basic concerns that
emerged during the discussion
and make the connection
with the Bible passage quite
clear. Others in the group,
too, can clarify again what
the passage means and how it
applies to life today. One
excellent way of doing this is
to rewrite the Bible
passage-or equivalently to do
so by discussing briefly how
it could be done--in a
head of the Church, and not
his successors. Also in the
middle ages, with the
predominance of the church
over the state, the papcy took
on some of the qualities of
secular rulers, emphasizing
the power to judge and rule
as a king does.
A futher development
came after the Council of
Trent when the word
“Church” began to refer
primarily to the hierarchy,
rather than to the entire
Church, the people of God,
bishops, priests and Pope.
Speaking of authority, we
must always return to the
Scriptural notion.We recall
that Christ sharply contrasted
his view of authority with
that of secular rulers. “You
know that among the pagans
their so-called rulers lord it
over them. This is not to
happen among you. No,
anyone who wants to
become great among you
must be your servant, and
anyone who wants to be first
must be slave to all.” (Mark,
10, 42-44).
Christ’s example of the
washing ot the apostles’ feet
also reveals that in His view,
authority primarily meant
loving service.
Perhaps because of the
various historical accretions,
and because of an awareness
of the New Testament view
of authority as service, we
find the laity and priests
today calling for more
involvement on their part,
and more responsiveness on
the part of Church
authorities, whose only
function is to serve.
Yet the paradox is that
both those calling for stricter
obedience, and those calling
for more responsible
authority, do so out of love
for Christ and His Church.
What is needed is open and 1
scholarly discussion-and the
example of Christ, who came
to serve rather than be served,
might be a good starting
place.
Governmental Programs,
USCC Division of Elementary
and Secondary Education.
“The purpose of the
workshop is to acquaint
nonpublic school
administrators with the entire
spectrum of govemmentally
assisted programs by focusing
on the legislative,
educational, and procedural
and implemental aspects of
these programs,” Dr.
D’Alessio said.
completely modem setting
with all appropriate changes.
One person can do this, and
the others in the group can
contribute relevant points as
he goes along. In this way the
whole group will better
appreciate the meaning of the
original passage, and its
relevance to the People of
God today will emerge more
forcefully. It may lead to
some controversy, but that
will not hurt the group study!
If there are going to be
several groups in one parish
or neighborhood, it will be
very helpful to have all
groups studying the same
section of the Bible at the
same time. The priest, or in
the case of Protestant groups,
the minister, who will have to
advise and help the leaders,
will certainly be grateful that
he has only one book of the
Bible to deal with at a time.
As a result of the good
scripture courses in Catholic
colleges since World War II
we have many men and
women in the parishes who
can be leaders of the groups.
They, too, I am sure will
prefer to have the same book
of the Bible under discussion
when they have their meeting
with their priest.
(The author of this article was
a UN correspondent for the New
York Times for 15 years and has
written two books on the UN.)
By Kathleen McLaughlin
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.
(NC) — Since the death here
in mid-January of Father
Emmanuel de Breuvery,
reminiscences among this
co-workers have served to
emphasize the consistent
activities of clergymen, in and
for this world organization.
A French Jesuit, Father de
Breuvery was the only priest
known to have served on the
secretariat of the United
Nations, where his record
remains outstanding.
An economist by training,
he first appeared at the East
River enclave in 1951 as a
French representative to the
sessions of the Economic and
Social Council. In 1952 he
joined the secretariat, to
which he brought an
impressive background of
years of work in China-prior
to the communist takeover in
1949-as a friend and
team-mate of his fellow
Jesuit, the late Father Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin,
paleontologist, theologian
and writer.
While serving in Shanghai
as a professor of economics at
the French University, Father
de Breuvery published a
monthly digest of news about
the natural resources of the
country-translated from the
Chinese press and
periodicals-to which firms in
many countries eagerly
subscribed at $100 per year.
An executive of
exceptional initiative and
foresight, with an “almost
prodigious” knowledge of the
natural resources of
developing countries, in the
phrase of one of his UN
colleagues, Father de
Breuvery acquired wide
recognition among officials in
the emerging regions for
programs keyed to their need
for greater understanding of
modem technology. A
conference in Rome in 1961
on new sources of
energy--solar, wind,
geothermal, - was his
brainchild. In 1962 he broke
precedent by staging at UN
headquarters in New York a
closed-door interregional
conference on petroleum
development, much criticized
in advance, but which scored
a resounding success.
As director of the UN’s
branch of resources and
transportation, he made
several visits to Africa to
promote, by quiet diplomacy,
a groundwork of amity
between Senegal and Mali on
which the rupture between
the two was held in a meeting
at Dakar.
His successful efforts as a
mediator were made on
behalf of his dream of a
project to harness the waters
of the Senegal River for
power, navigation and general
development of the four
riparian states-the other two
being Guinea and Mauritania.
Important preliminary studies
of the river and its basin have
been in progress for some
time. If and when obstacles
are removed and the major
program financed and
implemented, much of the
credit must go to Father de
Breuvery’s inspiration and
spadework.
Although he retired from
the UN in 1964 at the
mandatory age of 60, at the
request of Secretary General
U Thant he remained on a
consultant basis with the
organization. At his death, he
was acting as coordinator of
the unit of marine science
and technology. Philippe de
Seyne, under-secretary
general for eeconomic and
social affairs, who delivered a
eulogy at the funeral Mass at
St. Ignatius Church (Jan. 17,)
said of this last undertaking
that Father de Breuvery was
“breaking the ground for a
rational utilization of marine
resources for the benefit of
all mankind,” in which
“conceptual frameworks had
to be defined and methods of
practical action devised.”
Among other clergymen of
esteemed memory at UN
headquarters, none acquired
greater distinction than
Father Leo J. C. Beaufort, a
Franciscan from the
Netherlands,who held full
delegate status in every
General Assembly from 1945
until his death in 1965.
Father Beaufort, who
attended the organizational
meeting in San Francisco and
helped to draft the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights,
(continued from Page 5)
If the next generation are
to have any Christian impact
on the secular city of
tomorrow, they must
discover, while still young,
the social imperatives of the
Gospel. Acquiring this
Christian social conscience is
far from being automatic, as
we ourselves well know. Now,
especially, when so much
emphasis is placed on
material success and selfish
individualism in general,
young people must be
assisted mightily to resist the
popular “dog-eat-dog”
philosophy of “getting to the
top” at any price. Their
latent generosity and idealism
must be challenged
continually; their social sense
must be stimulated and
inspired, little by little.
Gradually, over a period of
years, the new generation
deserves to be inspired (not
drilled, because the Gospel
spirit is more “caught” than
taught); inspired to discover
was an eminent scholar with a
wide reputation in Europe.
He had served as a member
of parliament in his own
country from 1937 to 1963,
with a gap of three years. He
was professor of international
law at the Catholic University
at Nijmegen for 14 years, was
a member of the European
Commission for Human
Rights for several years, and
held decorations from his
own country and from
France.
India for some years in the
1950s sent to the- General
Assemblies another Jesuit,
Father Joseph D’Souza, who
served with Father Beaufort
on the Third (Humanitarian
and Social) Committee.
Father D’Souza, who had
been a member of the
constituent assembly that
produced the constitution of
India after independence
from Britain, became a
frequent contributor to
Catholic periodicals during
his sojourns in New York.
More recently he has served
in Rome as assistant to the
Father General of the Society
of Jesus, for the Asian region.
In 1954 and 1955, Costa
Rica had Father Benjamin
Nunez at UN headquarters as
her permanent representative,
and in the Assembly as
vice-chairman and later
chairman of his country’s
delegation. He is remembered
for the enthusiasm with
which he advocated programs
to expand production of food
in the low-income countries.,
Again in the first half of
the 1960s, Costa Rica had a
priest representative at the
world organization. Father
Francisco Herrera-Mora came
“God’s love for all mankind”;
to begin developing a
Christian outlook towards
vocations and careers,
towards work and property;
to begin acquiring a thirst for
justice and a political
awareness centered on
personal freedom and the
public good; and overall,, to
begin acquiring a hunger for
peace so that God’s will may
be done “on earth as it is in
heaven.”
The successful inspiration
and nourishing of this social
conscience in the new
generation depends most of
all on who we adults are
ourselves, deep down.
This is one more urgent
reason for our own Christian
renewal; one more reason to
press our search for a
developed social conscience
animated by the Gospel.
* * *
(Next Week: Christians:
Social Pioneers in the 1970’s)
to New York from the
University of San Jose, where
he had organized the school
of social work nearly 20 years
earlier, and had been its
director. An alumnus (in
1948) of the Catholic
University of America, he was
a member of the Costa Rican
national committee for
UNICEF, (the U.N.’s
Children’s Fund) and of the
national commission for
UNESCO (U.N. Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization).
In more recent years,
Clergymen delegates have
included the Rev. Samuel
Ford Dennis, a Methodist
minister and under-secretary
of the Department of
Education in Liberia, who
attended the 1967 and 1968
Assemblies. Two years ago
Canada established a
precedent by commissioning
a nun as the single woman
delegate customarily included
in the country’s General
Assembly team. She is Mme.
(rather than Sister) Ghislaine
Roquet of the Order of the
Holy Cross, a professor of
philosophy and director of a
college in Ville St. Laurent, a
Montreal suburb.
Australia holds a record of
sorts, for high-ranking clergy
as representatives in UN
Assemblies, although without
a vote or full delegate status.
As advisers to the delegation,
in 1949 she sent Archbishop
J. D. Simonds, at the time
co-adjutor archbishop of
Melbourne (Catholic
archdiocese); and also the
Rev. Alan Walker, of the
Methodist Church of Sydney.
In 1950, the same role was
filled by the then Bishop Eris
M. O’Brien, who was
auxiliary bishop to Norman
Cardinal Gilory of Sydney,
and in 1953 became
archbishop of Canberra and
Goulbum.
Both of the Catholic
prelates and their Protestant
colleague were included in
the delegation personnel
because this was the era of
unrest in Hungary, marked by
the imprisonment of Josef
Cardinal Mindszenty by the
communist forces. Counsel
from the clergy was felt
advisable during the
international deliberations on
the situation then prevailing.
Until five years ago, the
Holy See had no official
observer at UN headquarters.
Since then, this post has been
held by Msgr. Alberto
Giovanetti, who maintains
offices at the nearby Holy
Family Church, known as the
UN parish. Msgr. Giovanetti,
wno carries a heavy schedule,
is widely recognized among
delegates from his consistent
attendance at sessions.
It is told of him that after
hours on duty, thinking and
speaking in his newly-ac
quired English, he retired to
his room and rested his mind
by singing Italian songs,
“fortissimo.”
NONPUBLIC SCHOOL
Workshop Set F or
Administrators
Scripture
F reedom—
A T BISHOPS’ MEETING
NFPC To Respond
To Ban Of Priests 4
CHICAGO (NC) - The
National Federation of
Priests’ Councils will convene
in San Diego, Calif., March
8-12 to determine what
course of action should be
taken in response to a refusal
by the U.S. bishops to admit
priests to their April, 1970,
meeting in San Francisco.
Father Patrick O’Malley,
NFPC president, said ^ a
number of options will be
offered for the delegates’
consideration. They include:
-A national referendum of
priests to get their views on
meeting with bishops.
-Bringing the laity into the
decision-making within
NFPC, thus changing the
organization and making it a
national pastoral council in
embryo.
-Forming a federation of
individual priest members
rather than a federation of
councils of priests as it is now
structured.
Shared responsibility in the
Church will be the theme of
the annual meeting of NFPC,
which is made up of 127
councils of priests, including
senates of priests and
independent priests’
associations. NFPC member
councils represent 35,000 of
the 55,000 priests in the
United States.
Shared responsibility,
according to a NFPC
statement, “is the notion that
priests, nuns, and laity, as
well as bishops, are
responsible for the life of the
Church, and, therefore, must
be brought into its
decision-making processes.
“Bishops,” the statement
continued, “now exercise this
responsibility exclusively on
the top level. The focal point
of the bishops’ decision
making processes are the two
national meetings they now
hold annually, in November
and April.”
One of NFPC’s major goals
for the year will be to work
toward the establishment in
the United States of a
national pastoral council.
Such councils, Father
O’Malley pointed out, were
called for by the Second
Vatican Council.
NFPC described these
councils: “Representatives of
laity, nuns, and clergy join
together with the bishops in a
parliamentary setting-in
some proportionate
numbers-to debate, discuss,
and resolve the national
concerns of the Church in a
particular country.”
The idea of shared
responsibility, Father
O’Malley said, has its roots in
the decrees of the Second
Vatican Council, particularly
those which speak of the
responsibility of the laymen
to voice their opinion about
the life of the Church.
Bishop Alexander Carter,
president of the Canadian
Conference of Bishops, will
address NFPC’s House of
Delegates on this subject.
Canadian Catholics are in the
initial stages of establishing a
national pastoral council.
There is a currently
functioning national council
in the Netherlands, where it
has been meeting regularly.
NFPC’s role of the priest
committee has been tackling
a problem that has gained
prominence in the
Netherlands-celibacy.
It has been preparing, since
last year, a study on celibacy
and the changing role of the
priest. A survey questionnaire
will be sent to a
representative sample of
priests in the member
councils, Father O’Malley
said.
The committee will offer
to the House of Delegates a
resolution recommending
that a national pastoral
council be established in the
United States to deal with the
celibacy question as well as
other issues.
The House of Delegates is
made up of approximately
240 priests who are sent by
the senates or associations to
represent their respective
councils.
Father Joseph Fichter, a
Jesuit sociologist at Harvard
University, also is scheduled ‘
to address the priests at their
San Diego meeting. He will
discuss alternative
organizational forms through
which priests could
participate in the
decision-making process in
the Church.
Other national
organizations will have
representatives available at
the convention to explain
their programs and purposes
to interested delegates,
Father O’Malley said.
Observers also will be
welcome, he added.
Look’
Lent
‘New
For
BY SUE CRIBARI
WASHINGTON (NC) -
Lent has a ‘new look’ this
year.
There are still the
exhortations on the true and
valid need for ego-centered,
20th-century man to deny
himself, particularly during
this season which
commemorates the suffering
and death of Christ.
But there is a new
recognition, as a noted
liturgist commented, that
“Lent, although a penitential
season, is also a preparation
for Easter which is joyful.”
One liturgical indication of
this is that statues will no
longer be draped in violet
during passiontide. Another is
the new Preface suggested for
Lenten masses. Formerly, the
Preface had read:
“We ... give thanks to
you, O Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty and Eternal God,
for using our bodily fasting to
curb our vices, to elevate our
minds, and to bestow upon us
virtue and its reward, through
Christ, our Lord.”
The new Preface reads:
“You bid your faithful
people cleanse their hearts
and prepare with joy for the
Paschal feast. More fervent in
prayer, more generous in
works of charity, more eager
in celebrating the mysteries
by which we are reborn, may
we come to the fullness of
grace that belongs to the sons
of God.”
An integral part of the
“new Lent” way of putting
the positive over the negative
is the less structured fast and
abstinence regulations for the
season, suggested by the
Bishops of the United States
in November, 1966.
“Far from removing the
responsibility for penance,”
commented Cardinal John F.
Dearden of Detroit recently
(Feb. 5) in a pastoral letter in
the Michigan Catholic, “they
call upon all of us to discover
those ways of penance that
will most effectively bring
about a personal renewal in
our way of life.”
Christ said “Unless you do
penance, you will all perish,”
(Luke, 13:3) -- and fast and
abstinence are certainly valid
means of penance. But with
the “new look” of Lent has
come a new emphasis on
positive works of charity like
visiting the sick, aiding the
needy., and cheerfully
accepting the real of imagined
faults of others and the
burdens of life.
As a headline in Oakland’s
Catholic Voice said: “Try
Smiling for Lent.”