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The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 56 No. 13 Thursday, March 27,1975 . Single Copy Price —15 Cents
Foiled Coup Strengthens Portuguese Leftists
BY JAIME FONESCA
The unsuccessful attempt by
dissident officers to overthrow
Portugal’s leftist government has
resulted in strengthening the radical left
at the expense of the moderates, both in
The Priests’ Senate for the Diocese of
Savannah met on Monday, February 24,
in the Cathedral meeting room,
Savannah, with Father Michael Smith
presiding. All the Senate members were
in attendance.
Bishop Raymond Lessard reviewed
the role of Diocesan Consultor as laid
down in the Code of Canon Law, a role
primarily of counsel. This role is
substantially replaced by the Senate of
Priests. Then the Senate members made
a Profession of Faith and were inducted
as Consultors for the diocese. The
Bishop led a discussion as to how priests
were to be nominated for the
episcopacy. It was thought best that the
priests of the diocese be requested to
submit individually and confidentially
to the Bishop the names of those they
considered episcopal material.
the armed forces and in political parties.
After the abortive coup of March 11
near Lisbon airport, socialists,
communists and other leftist groups
gained stronger footholds in the
16-member cabinet of Premier Vasco
The priests considered how divorced
and remarried Catholics could best be
reconciled to the church. The discussion
brought out the need to defend the
indissolubility of the bond on the one
hand and the responsibility of pastors to
effect reconciliation where this is
possible with due regard for the sanctity
of marriage.
To do this within the diocese, it is
likely the Marriage Court staff will have
to be expanded and local priests will
have to make special efforts to discover
all divorced Catholics who have
attempted remarriage and presently live
within the confines of their parishes.
A report was made by Father Joseph
Dean on the reconciliation of
Conservative and Liberal elements
Gonzalves, as well as in the steering
committee of the Armed Forces
Movement (MFA), the ruling power
since the military overthrew a rightist
dictatorship 11 months ago.
within the church which pointed out
that the principal cause of polarization
has been the failure to explain and
prepare the people for the disciplinary
changes which have been taking place.
Another reason has been the lack of
communication between various groups.
It is necessary to train both priests
and people for the disciplinary and
liturgical changes before they take place
through continuing education on a
regular basis, Father Dean said.
Msgr. Daniel Bourke moved and
Father Liam Collins seconded a motion
that the proposal of the Priests’ Senate
of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee be
supported advocating that the National
Federation of Priests’ Councils, the
United States Catholic Conference^ the
Catholic Hospital Association, and the
National Conference of Catholic
Charities support a national health bill
which guarantees every citizen the right
of access to adequate health cate but
that no public money should be
expended for abortion.
The Senate supported a program
suggested by the Board of Vicars
regarding the Bicentennial celebration,
which means that the Department of
Christian Formation and the Social
Apostolate Department of the Diocese
will prepare programs calculated to
bring about attitudinal changes in the
people in the area of social justice.
excluded the center Christian Democrat
party from forthcoming elections.
During the hectic post-coup days
government officials and leftist leaders
repeatedly said that “reactionary”
groups they accused of backing the
attempted uprising should be kept out
of the April 12 elections.
The elections were called to choose
delegates to a constitutional assembly
that is to give Portugal’s fundamental
laws a democratic turn, after the rigid
“cooporative” state founded by Oliveira
Salazar in 1932. But efforts are clearly
under way to give the radical left a good
head start.
Carlos de Brito, a Communist party
leader, told a rally that people should
not tolerate the participation of
“reactionary” parties in the elections.
Information minister Jorge Correia said:
“Some marginal parties are to be
eliminated.” He meant those groups not
fully committed to the leftist thrust of
the MFA.
President Francisco da Costa Gomes,
a leftist, said after the swearing of the
MFA’s Revolutionary Council March 17
that parties out of line with the regime’s
policies would be out of the elections.
The ban on the Christian Democrats
was published March 18. But threats
were also directed at independent
groups such as the Social Democrats and
other center parties, which even before
the short-lived uprising had been
subjected to harrassment and aggression
by bands of communist youths.
The Christian Democratic
headquarters were mobbed. The
Christian Democratic leader, Jose
Sanchez Osorio, went into hiding for
fear of his life. After the ban, the
spokesman said that the party is
“totally unaware of what chould have
prompted the cofincil’s allegations, since
we never did or said anything vaguely
anti-democratic.” In fact the party
leaders had helped in overthrowing the
old regime.
What was a delicate balance between
moderates and radicals in the
government and the armed forces, began
to topple over the pace of
decolonization (giving independence to
former colonies in Africa) and attempts
by the left to monopolize the labor
unions. Rightists thought they could
carry off a countercoup in March and
failed. Now the radicals are reaping the
fruits.
While victory celebrations in Lisbon
and other cities were swelled by socialist
and communist sympathizers, followers
of the centrist parties were notably
absent. There was fear of violence
against them. Armed militia men
outnumbered soldiers at roadblocks and
strategic corners soon after the failure
of the countercoup.
Such a climate of fear could be
revived during the electoral campaign.
Apparently the government is seeking
to avoid further violence, because it also
banned from electoral activity two
extreme leftwing groups, the Movement
REV. WAYLAND BROWN
(pictured above) was ordained a
deacon for the service of the
Diocese of Savannah on Saturday,
March 22, in the chapel of
Theological College, Catholic
University, where he is presently
pursuing studies for the
priesthood.
for the Reorganization of the Proletariat
party and the Alliance of Industrial and
Farm Workers. Both had been at odds
with the Communist party.
Most of the Portuguese people are
rather moderate. Released only last
April from a long dictatorship, they are
not likely to bring to power a
dictatorship of the left. Polls taken in
recent weeks show that voters favored
the Democrats - under the three
distinct headings of Popular, Social and
Christian -- by 60 percent. Communists,
socialists and others showed between 12
and 15 percent.
Now the centrist leaders are asking
themselves if the April 12 vote can be
called a free election and produce a
truly representative assembly. They also
point to the overriding powers of the
Revolutionary Council. The 24 officers
and civilians on the council have
declared themselves to have legislative
and executive powers over any elected
group.
That Marxists should have such drive
can be attributed to their disciplined
and well organized cells, steeled by
persecution during long years of
underground life. They have proposed
remedies for Portugal’s maladies and
people now find them attractive.
Premier Gonzalves said for publication:
“The political analysis of the
Communist party has always been
correct.”
At present the Socialist party, led by
Foreign Minister Mario Soares, is
discussing with the communists “a
common front to defend the revolution
from reactionaries.” A third group,
closely allied with he communists, the
Portuguese Democratic Movement, is
joining the cabinet soon.
Thus the Social and the Popular
Democrats are left by themselves to
struggle in the electoral campaign on
behalf of the moderate forces.
< ■
INSIDE STORY
DCCW Convention Pg. 2
'Know Your Faith’ Pg. 5
TV Movies Pg. 6
Worship Commission Pg. 7
ON MARCH 15, 1975, Benedict Swidereck (left), from Columbus,
Georgia, and Robert Cushing (right), from Meridian, Mississippi, were
ordained to the Order of Diaconate. Both men are studying for the
Savannah Diocese at St. Meinrad’s Seminary in Indiana. Both will serve in
the Diocese this summer as deacons.
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HEADLINE
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HOPSCOTCH
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Directory to Be Topic
WASHINGTON (NC) - The National Catechetical Directory - general norms and
guidelines for teaching religion to U.S. Catholics -- will be the principal topic to be
discussed at the spring regional meetings of the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops (NCCB). The bishops’ regional meetings will be held in 12 locations
throughout the country from mid-April to early May, 1975.
$450 Million Voted
WASHINGTON (NC) -- The Senate has approved a $450 million appropriation for
foreign food and nutrition assistance, nearly double the $234 million approved by the
House. The two houses are expected to split the difference when a joint conference
committee works out the final 1975 foreign aid appropriations bill.
'Prince’ Dupes Priests
OSLO, Norway (NC) -- A man posing as a Norwegian or Danish prince has
successfully duped a number of Catholic priests and institutions in Belgium,
Luxembourg and Switzerland. Interpol, the international cooperative police network,
theorizes that the con artist is a Frenchman named Patrick Buix, who was ordered to
leave Denmark in 1957. The “prince” has received donations from priests by using
various bogus titles and tall stories.
Wants Deportation Halted
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (NC) -- Archbishop Francis J. Furey of San Antonio has
called for a halt to the current practice of deporting certain aliens lacking proper
papers. In a letter to Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., commissioner of the U.S. Immigration
and Naturalization Service, Archbishop Furey asked Chapman to reconsider his recent
decision to deport persons who are awaiting proper certification and who are often
married to permanent residents, or who are even the parents of citizens, children bom
in this country. The archbishop is chairman of the Texas Catholic Conference.
Pope Aids Refugees
VATICAN CITY (NC) -- Pope Paul VI has sent to the bishops’ conference of South
Vietnam money to aid refugees, along with a telegram to the bishops of several
besieged dioceses there expressing his sorrow at their plight. The amount of money
sent to the bishops was not disclosed immediately by the Vatican.
On the other hand, the government
PALM SUNDAY IN ROME -- Pope Paul VI holds a Holy Week. An estimated 50,000 people braved the
palm branch as he is carried on a portable throne cold weather and heard the Pope lament that “peace is
through the crowds in front of St. Peter’s Basilica not on the world’s horizon.” (NC Photo)
before saying an open-air Palm Sunday Mass to begin
Diocesan Priests 9 Senate Meets