Newspaper Page Text
DURING MARTIAL LAW PERIOD
Philippine Bishops Conf,
Urges Self-examination
PAGE 3 — November 2,1972
RALLY AGAINST “WAR” -- Ronald Lentz of St. Paul, Minn., Minnesota Capitol. Several hundred persons took part in the
carries his son, Christopher, 2Vi, at what was called a “Rally event to show their support for protective abortion laws in the
against the War on Women and Children” on the steps of the state. (NC Photo)
Arizona Abortion Law
Ruled Unconstitutional
MANILA (NC) -- The Philippine
Bishops’ Conference called on citizens of
this predominantly Catholic nation to >
examine themselves on how much their
lack ofconcern for social justice has
helped create the crisis in the country.
Commenting on the imposition of
martial law, the bishops -- in a letter read
in all churches -- said that they recognize
“the right and duty of civil authorities to
take appropriate steps to protect the
sovereignty of the state and to insure the
peace and prosperity of the nation,
within the law.”
Philippine President Ferdinand E.
Marcos imposed marital law Sept. 23. The
HARTFORD, Conn. (NC) - A Mass
that attempts to “combine the beauty
and solemnity of Latin with the
familiarity of the vernacular” has been
developed by a layman here.
The Mass uses English for the Liturgy
of the Word, including the Gospel and
Epistle, and Latin for the Canon, an
unusual format that is allowed by Church
authorities but seldom, if ever, used,
according to Frank M. Haggerty, author
of the new text.
“People have always needed mystery
and awe in worship,” Haggerty told the
Catholic Transcript, the archdiocesan
newspaper here. If religious services are
too mundane, if everything is explained,
they seek this mystery elsewhere.”
The combined Latin-English Mass
required nearly two years work.
“I tried to adhere closely to the
guidelines established by the
International Committee on English in
the Liturgy,” Haggerty explained. “The
ICEL returned my manuscript several
Dutch Cardinal,
Pope Hold Talks
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Vatican
did not give any details of what was
discussed when Dutch Cardinal Bernard
Alfrink and Pope Paul VI met privately
for more than an hour Oct. 21, but
reliable sources said that the two
reviewed the entire picture of the Church
in the Netherlands.
Dutch Church sources said that the
Cardinal was to discuss three principal
topics:
a controversial experimental
catechetical course ordered withdrawn by
Vatican offices;
-- The situation in the Roermond
diocese, where the Pope’s nomination of
Bishop John Gijsen in January aroused
considerable opposition.
-- The Vatican ban on further sessions
of the Dutch National Pastoral Council.
Cardinal Alfrink, archbishop of
Utrecht, who was in Rome also to attend
a meeting of the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples, was not
available for comment after meeting with
the Pope.
In August, in a letter to Bishop
Johannes Bluyssen of ‘s-Hertogenbosch
and Bishop Henry Ernst and Breda,
Cardinal Franjo Seper, prefect of the
Vatican’s Doctrinal Congregation, and
Cardinal John Wright, prefect of the
Congregation for the Clergy, repeated
earlier requests that the catechism course
be withdrawn immediately , and
completely before the beginning of the
school year in September.
The two bishops, who head the diocese
in which the controversial course is being
used, in September ordered the
withdrawal of the third and fourth
volumes of the four-Volume course, but
the publishers and the teachers of the
course have not decided whether they
will comply with the bishops’ request or
the Vatican’s ban.
The Dutch national Catholic daily De
Tijd said in an editorial that the “Vatican
request that the catechetical course be
withdrawn instantly has again
strengthened the polarization between
Rome and the Netherlands and within the
Dutch Church province in the wake of
the Vatican nomination of Bishop Gijsen
of Roermond despite the advice of the
Dutch Bishops’ Conference and after the
Curia veto of the Dutch National Pastoral
Council.”
government said the step was taken
because of the threat to the country by
the communist New People’s Army and
in order to create a new society in the
Philippines.
Expressing their awareness of social ills
in the country, the bishops said:
“We wish to emphasize that the
responsibility for the present crisis rests
in no small measure on those citizens
who, while they profess themselves
convinced Christians and lovers of
democracy -- particularly political,
economic and religious leaders -- are
sorely remiss in their concern for social
times for minor corrections or
adjustments and that took time.”
The father of seven became interested
in a Latin-English Mass as a result of his
work in teaching religion.
“I noticed that the religion texts
placed little emphasis on the mystery of
God,” he said. “I thought we needed
something in our worship to emphasize
this mystery.”
With the encouragement of Archbishop
John F. Whealon of Hartford, Haggerty
tackled the enormous amount of
precisely detailed instructions governing
the celebration of Mass. “It was hard
work,” he admitted, “but the archbishop
was very helpful and offered many good
suggestions.”
When the Latin-English Mass was
finally approved by the ICEL,
Archbishop Whealon gave the slim
missalette his “imprimatur” and Father
Phillips provided the “nihil obstat.”
justice and, by the manner of their lives,
are positive obstacles to morality, truth
and love.
“We wish to urge that the present
crisis be made a time for
self-examination: how far each one is
contributing to the evils that beset our
country and have given rise to the very
issue of martial law.”
The bishops urged public authorities
to implement martial law with prudence,
restraint and respect for human dignity
and told Catholics to bring instances of
abuse to the attention of the authorities.
They also said they were happy that
Marcos had said he did not want to
prolong martial law unduly.
But in another letter addressed to
Marcos by Archbishop Alejandro Olalia
of Lipa, 16 other bishops and 18
superiors or members of Religious orders
expressed reservations about the
desirability of martial law.
The bishops and Religious said that,
like Marcos, they want a new society, but
then went on to say:
“What we are bothered about is that
the ‘new society’ you speak of has to be
brought about by force, by the restricting
mode of martial law. From our
experience with our people, we stand
convinced that no lasting change of heart
ever comes from change decreed by fiat.
True conversion comes only from
persuasion and good example, from
internal and willing acceptance, not from
fear or coercion.”
The letter urged Marcos to limit the
martial law period to a few months at
most, to deal fairly in civil courts of law
with those detained, to release the
innocent as soon as possible, and to
restore freedom of speech through the
mass media before martial law is lifted.
The bishops and Religious said that
Filipinos “will not suffer for long the
curtailment of their fundamental rights,
and we fear that this representation will
lead to greater ills than you set out to
correct.”
TUCSON, Ariz. (NC) - The Arizona
abortion law has been declared
unconstitutional in a ruling that says “a
fetus is not a person . . .and does not have
constitutionality protected rights.”
The ruling by Superior Court Judge
Jack Marks held that the law, which
permits abortion only when a mother’s
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (NC)
Anti-abortion forces seem to be gaining
important backing, according to a survey
of state legislature candidates by the
Courier-Journal, the diocesan newspaper
here.
Of 57 candidates surveyed, 25 said
they favor repeal of the state’s abortion
law, which allows abortions through the
24th week of pregnancy. Only 12
candidates said they opposed repeal.
In a similar survey two years ago, only
nine of 46 candidates said they favored
repeal.
In the present survey, which covered
candidates whose districts are in the area
covered by the Rochester diocese, six
other candidates commented on the law
but did not make yes-no commitments.
Fourteen did not answer.
The legislature voted to repeal the law
in the last session. The Assembly voted
79 to 68 for repeal and the Senate
concurred by 30 to 27. Gov. Rockefeller,
however, vetoed the repeal.
This year’s survey question reads:
“Will you vote for repeal of the present
New York State abortion law?”
Yes or no check boxes were provided
as well as space for the candidate’s
comments.
life is in danger, violates both the rights
of woman and of doctors.
Judge Marks said that the law violates
rights of marital and sexual privacy and
the right of the doctor “to practice
medicine in a manner that permits him to
fulfill his professional ethical obligation
to his patient.”
Of the 22 candidates for the State
Senate, 11 said they would vote for
repeal of the law, 2 said they would not,
3 commented without indicating a
definite position and 6 did not answer.
In the races for the State Assembly, 35
candidates were polled with 14 saying
they would support repeal, 10 saying
they would not, 3 commenting without
taking a yes-no stand. Eight did not
answer.
In an editorial commenting on the
survey, the Courier-Journal noted that
some politicians are “seeking to use the
(abortion) issue for strictly personal
advantage.”
It also said that candidates who told
the paper they would vote against repeal
“deserve credit for the courage of their
convictions.”
“As for those who did not comment,”
the newspaper said, “they pose a job for
each individual voter in their districts to
uncover their stand on abortion.”
“The Courier-Journal sees the survey as
a public service to its readers in helping
them learn how the various candidates
stand on this issue which is of paramount
moral concern,” the editorial said. “We
must point out, however, that it is the
individual’s responsibility to find out all
he can about his candidates and make up
his own mind.”
Despite his ruling, Judge Marks allowed
the law to remain in effect until the state
Court of Appeals rules on the case. The
appeal will be heard Nov. 28.
Bishop Francis J. Green of Tucson
said: “Very frankly, it is most disturbing
to me that a judge would rule that a law
protecting life is contrary to the
Constitution.”
“The fact that we talk about abortion
should not blind us to the reality that
what we’re really talking about is the
destruction of an innocent life,” Bishop
Green said.
Dennis DeConcini, Pima County
Attorney-elect, said he was surprised and
disappointed.
“I think there’s more to it than just the
constitutional question,” DeConcini said.
“There’s the question of the right to life.
I would prefer that the legislature would
make such a drastic change in the law as
that, and not the courts.”
The law had been challenged by
Planned Parenthood of Tucson and 10
doctors. Pima County and the state of
Arizona, the defendants in the suit, have
appealed the decision.
John U. Vinson, attorney for the
unborn involved in the suit, said that to
his knowledge no case considered or
pending before the U.S. Supreme Court
has been on a ruling of a state court.
They have all been appealed from federal
courts. This might be the first one
involving a decision made by a state
court, if it goes all the way to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Another point which has not been
brought out, according to Vinson, is the
fact that wrongful death suits have been
won in some states in behalf of unborn
babies. For example, a pregnant woman
involved in a traffic accident, who then
aborts, and the baby dies, can win
damages against the person responsible
for the accident.
“What’s the difference,” Vinson said,
“between death in an auto accident
caused by negligence, then death by a
knife used in an abortion?”
THE CARDINAL AND THE CANDIDATES -- Cardinal Terence Cooke greets Sen.
George McGovern, Democratic presidential candidate and talks with Republican Vice-
President and Mrs. Spiro T. Agnew last week at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial
Dinner in New York City. It was the first time the two men shared a dais during the
political campaign. The dinner is a charity affair. (NC Photos)
Mass Text Combines
Latin and English
Anti-Abortion Forces Growing,
N.Y. Candidate Survey Shows