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PAGE 2—The Southern Cross, May 3,1973
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER - This statue of St.
Joseph, patron saint of the Little Sisters of the Poor,
has stood for more than 20 years in the boiler room of
Our Lady of Hope Home, Albany, N.Y. The Sisters,
who have had some breakdowns in service but no
major disruptions, credit this to the ingenuity of the
maintenance workers and their faith in St. Joseph. (NC
Photo by Barbara Oliver)
Pope Decries Lack of Peace
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Holy
Land, Northern Ireland and Indochina
were the trouble spots in today’s world
on which Pope Paul VI fixed his
attention on Easter Sunday.
In his traditional Easter message,
which has always had as its central
theme the peace Christ desired for the
world, the Pope noted sadly that there
are many parts of the world that
contain “centers of strife and situations
of injustice which provoke reaction and
revolt.”
Singling out three trouble spots, the
Pope spoke first of the situation in the
Holy Land.
“May our greetings,” he said, “go to
the land where the Lord Jesus was born,
where he taught, suffered, died and rose
again; that land where His greeting of
peace resounded so many times and
from which it spread to the whole earth;
that land, alas, where peace does not yet
reign.”
Turning to “the beloved people of
Northern Ireland,” Pope Paul said that
“the intolerable and distressing state of
affairs unhappily continuing there is an
affront not only to humanity but to the
Christian name ...
“May the voice of violence become
silent and may there be heard instead
the voice of wisdom and good will and
may the official proposals which, as is
well known, have recently been made
offer a favorable basis for a joint effort
which will open the way for true
reconciliation in justice and charity.”
The British government recently
issued a white paper proposing a greater
share in governmental and political
affairs for the Catholic minority in
Northern Ireland.
The Pope said that in Indochina “the
hopes which were only recently
enkindled for an end to the years-long
conflict are still exposed to the rough
winds of an uncertain situation that
makes them fragile and unsure.”
Most Say Yes to “Right to Die”
BY NC NEWS SERVICE
A majority of Americans believe that
a patient with a terminal disease should
have the option of telling his doctor
that he wants to die rather than have his
life prolonged, according to a Louis
Harris survey.
The survey reports that by 62 to 28
percent, Americans expressed the belief
that the patient ought to be able to give
his doctor these instructions when no
cure is in sight.
However, euthanasia, under which a
patient who is terminally ill can “tell his
doctor to put him out of his misery,” is
opposed by 53 to 37 percent, the survey
shows.
Those opposed to euthanasia gave
the main reason that “death should be
left to God or to nature v and should not
be controlled by man.” Others said that
euthanasia “puts too much of a burden
on the doctor forcing him to play God.”
Another reason was that “it would be
just plain murder and that is wrong.”
The minority in favor of euthanasia
argued that “it is the patient’s life and
the choice should be left to him.”
Another reason was that “anyone is
entitled to put a halt to suffering that
can onlv end in death anyway.”
The survey showed 40 percent agree
with the statement that hospital
patients “are sometimes neglected or
even victims of malpractice,” compared
with 48 percent who say it happens
rarely.
The survey indicates there is evidence
that patients want more information
from hospital authorities and more
control over the medical treatment they
receive.
The most substantial criticism is that
hospitals are “understaffed, especially
short of doctors,” a comment coming
from more than half of those who
charged neglect. “Lack of dedicated
personnel” was cited by about 25
percent.
The American Hospital Association
recently issued a proposed patient’s
“bill of rights” in an effort to spell out
what can and cannot be done to
patients in hospitals.
U.S.C.C. Secretary Ordained Bishop
BY FATHER DANIEL TAUFEN
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (NC) - The
renowned Benedictine abbey church
here was the scene of the episcopal
ordination of Bishop James Rausch,
general secretary of the U.S. Catholic
Conference and the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
St. John’s Abbey church, which has
become world renowned for its modem
architecture and liturgical excellence,
provided the seating capacity for 2,000
dignitaries and faithful, including about
40 bishops, who gathered for the
occasion. Five of the United States’ 10
cardinals attended the function, with
Cardinal John Krol, president of the
bishops’ conference, acting as principal
consecrator.
Bishop Rausch chose as his episcopal
motto “Prepare the Way.” He said:
“This is the theme, the keynote, of the
ministry of John the Baptist... .1 pray
that it may also be the theme of my
ministry as a bishop.”
Bishop Rausch was named an
auxiliary to the ordinary of a diocese, in
this case Bishop George Speltz of his
home diocese of St. Cloud, even though
his assignment and his residence will
continue to be in Washington as general
secretary of the NCCB and the USCC.
In a press conference held on the eve
of his ordination, Bishop Rausch said he
felt President Nixon has continued to
express his support for the position
against abortion.
However, Bishop Rausch said: “We
are in a situation right now where we
have a court decision and I think the^
President could destroy the credibility
of the court if he just came out and
blasted against the court.
“The important thing now is to seek
a way in which to protect human life.
That may be a constitutional
amendment or by other means. I am
sure he (President Nixon) will cooperate
with us as he seeks those means.”
Bishop Rausch said he thinks that
many suggestions to overturn the
Supreme Court rulings are good. He
said, “I don’t know that any one of
them is an alternate answer. We have
had a group of expert attorneys
studying the situation. They are
studying what is being proposed and
what is possible.
“I think there are many people of
good will right now who are proposing
things that may not be possible. What
they really want to do is to see that
what we come up with will indeed be
possible.
“One such possibility is not to pass
an amendment on the rights of the
unborn specifically but to pass an
amendment giving the right back to the
states, and then have the states
individually make the decision. This is
one route that has been suggested, this
is not the only possible route. But
probably the one that right now has the
most possibility.”
NEW BISHOP AND PARENTS -- Newly ordained Bishop James S.
Rausch, general secretary of the U.S. Catholic Conference and National
Conference of Catholic Bishops, holds the crosier, one symbol of his new
office during his episcopal ordination Mass in Collegeville, Minn. The
crosier casts a faint shadow on his other symbol of office, the miter. The
bishop’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Rausch of Farming, Minn., listen to
him thank them and others in a brief tajk after thg ceremony. (NC Photo
That Poor
Nuns Asked to Insure
Don’t Lose on Revenue Sharing
DETROIT (NC) -- Nuns around the
country were urged to insure that the
poor do not suffer as the federal
revenue sharing programs replaces many
federally social programs.
Sisters Uniting, a group which
includes representatives of national
organizations of Sisters, also asked nuns
to work for peace and prison reform.
Sisters Uniting, which met here,
asked nuns to learn more about revenue
sharing and to seek ways in which the
new program “can include the
continuation of vital programs dealing
with the human needs of the
community -- day care, health,
education, welfare and the aging.”
Nuns were asked to write to their
congressmen and state officials for
information on revenue sharing and to
visit mayors to discuss revenue sharing.
“The current national crisis over
domestic issues which finds the poor of
all races and faiths suffering, frustrated
and angry, presented a challenging
opportunity for corporate action to the
members of Sisters Uniting,” a
spokeswoman said. She said the group
urges that “the independence of
programs be preserved and that they be
kept free from political patronage
controls.”
“True Christian responsibility
requires more than talk and prayer, if
the rebuilding of not only the
bombed-out cities of Hanoi but the
bombed-out ghettoes, barrios and
hollows of America, is to be
accomplished,” the spokeswoman said.
Sisters Uniting also discussed the
need for prayer for peace in Northern
Ireland and called for weekly local
prayer meetings with Protestants.
Sister Catherine Pinkerton of the
National Assembly of Women Religious
told the group that “many areas are
open to Sisters in prison apostolates”
and recommended that nuns participate
in “Adopt a Prisoner” programs. The
program, now used in Cleveland, offers
opportunities to help a prisoner or his
family for a few hours a month by
visiting, writing or performing small
services.. Groups of Sisters also pray
with prisoners.
Religious communities were also
asked by Sisters Uniting to release one
Sister to work full time in education for
peace. The group said this would help
“the vital continuing apostolate of
peace in today’s world, will demonstrate
this priority of Pope Paul’s Justice and
Peace Commission.”
Groups represented at the meeting
were: Leadership Conference of Women
Religious, National Coalition of
American Nuns, National Assembly of
Women Religious, National Sisters
Formation Conference, Association of
Contemplative Sisters, Sisters for
Christian Community.
New Office to Aid S. Africa Blacks Proposed
BY ALEXANDER MACGREGOR
LONDON (NC) - The British Council of Churches (BCC) is considering setting up
an office to help churches and church organizations coordinate their policy and
research with regard to investments in Southern Africa in an effort to aid that area’s
blacks.
In a resolution passed at its recent meeting at nearby Hoddesdon, the BCC
instructed its Department of International Affairs to provide at its fall meeting
proposals for such an office and to find out whether the funds necessary for such an
office would be available.
Apart from this, the BCC was not able to reach any clear policy with regard to
investments in Southern Africa. The organization did discuss an interim report setting
out four options on the subject.
First discussed was the argument that economic growth would lead to social and
political change bringing a weakening of apartheid, strict racial segregation. This
argument was in effect rejected by the report.
The second proposal was that churches, institutions and individuals should use their
investments to put pressure on companies operating in Southern Africa to improve
their social and labor policies. The report said there was a “strong case” for attempting
this as a first step, but went on to say that if these efforts are unsuccessful then the
third option should be chosen.
That option suggested a withdrawal of investment from all companies operating in
or with interests in Southern Africa. It is in fact the policy the World Council of
Churches adopted for itself the past summer.
The fourth option - on which the BCC report did not go beyond setting out the
arguments for and against - is a policy of total economic and commercial boycott,
campaigning for firms and banks to withdraw their capital investment from Southern
Africa and to cease trading with these countries.
But even those speakers in a brief debate who had learnings toward that policy
tended to recognize that it was not a practical possibility -- even though if it were put
into effect it could bring down the South African regime.
“The suggestion of complete withdrawal is just not on,” said the Rev. George Balls
of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland. Even if the British churches succeeded in
persuading British companies to withdraw from Southern Africa - and that in itself
was doubtful -- other companies from other countries would step in, he said.
Most speakers, in fact, favored putting pressure on companies to reform their labor
policies toward black Africans, coupled with - or followed by - withdrawal of church
investments from this area.
Indeed, as was pointed out by the Rev. Elliott Kendall of the working group that
drew up the BCC’s interim report and African secretary of the Conference of British
Missionary Societies, the effectiveness of publicity has been shown by recent
revelations in the British press of the low levels of wages paid by certain
British-controlled companies to their African employes.
Some companies have raised their wages by 50 percent, others by 100 percent. But
at the same time it was a “grave indictment” of such companies, Mr. Kendall said, that
they had had to raise their wage levels by this proportion in order to reach a defensible
standard.
On Northern Ireland, the BCC welcomed the proposals contained in the British
Government’s recent white paper (which granted Northern Irish Catholics a greater
share in the government) “as a fair and workable basis for the future of the province
and as providing a significant opportunity for the development of new political
institutions.”
The BCC urged the people of Northern Ireland to take a full part in the
forthcoming elections both to local councils and to the new provincial assembly, and
“to seek together to evolve a new way of living and working in Northern Ireland.”
In a separate statement issued by the BCC’s Ireland Advisory Group, attention was
drawn to the question of education. Many felt the answer to the separation between
the two communities lies in an integrated system of education instead of the present
separate religious schools system, that statement said.
In an emergency resolution the BCC denounced the recent secret trial and
imprisoning of the Rhodesian journalist Peter Niesewand, and urged the British
government to take up with the Rhodesian regime the case not just of Niesewand but
“of all other persons detained there without public trial.”
Britain did send a message to the Rhodesian government expressing grave concern
at the treatment of Niesewand, who was convicted of contravening section three of
Rhodesia’s Official Secrets Act. The act makes it an offense to have “any model,
record, document, or information which is calculated to be, or which might or is
intended to be, useful directly or indirectly to an enemy.” The maximum penalty is 25
years’ imprisonment. Unless Niesewand’s appeal is successful, he faces one year of hard
labor. A second year of hard labor was “conditionally suspended - meaning that the
government has reserved the right to reimpose it if it decides that Niesewand is proving
to be a “difficult” prisoner.
Anglican Father Hugh Bishop told the BCC meeting that there are over 100 cases of
persons detained in Rhodesia without trial. Rhodesia unilaterally declared its
independence of Britain in 1965 and since then has adopted a constitution that
guarantees control of the country by its white minority.