Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 57 No. 8
Thursday, February 19,1976
Single Copy Price —15 Cents
WAITING FOR FOOD -- Guatemalans from the hard-hit village of
Patzicia line up for food after relief workers made it into the area. Relief
trucks were blocked from entering the city by a landslide which covered
the road so the people hiked to where the trucks were stopped. Catholic
Relief Services, along with many other agencies, is now pouring aid into
the devastated area.
Bishop's Office
Diocese of Savannah.
P. O. Box 8789
Savannah, Geobgia
01402
My dear friends in Christ,
On Wednesday, February 4th, a series of earthquakes devastated an area of
4,000 miles in Guatemala, creating what has been described as the worst
natural catastrophe in the history of Central America. The number killed is
still unknown. It may well be in excess of 20,000. Only God knows the
number injured and homeless.
American Catholic Relief Services were in the forefront of those answering
the call for help. Within six days of the disaster, three airplanes and a ship had
been dispatched with 720,000 pounds of clothing, food, shelter materials,
antibiotics, and vaccines to the value of more than $560,000.00. In addition,
$100,000.00 in cash had been donated for “on-the-spot” purchases. The help
will continue for the relief of the survivors.
The Holy Father has appealed to Catholics throughout the world to rally
to the aid of the stricken people. Archbishop Bernardin has appealed to the
dioceses in the United States for help.
Some of our parishes have already answered the call. I hope all our parishes
will be able to take up a special collection, possibly this coming Sunday,
February 22nd. All funds collected should be sent as soon as possible to the
Chancery Office for transmission to Catholic Relief Services in New York.
May the charity of Christ manifest itself in our response to the appeal of
our Guatemalan brethren in Christ.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
" Bishop of Savannah
SCHOLAR-AUTHOR DIPLOMAT
Bishops Address U.S. Political Issues
WASHINGTON (NC) - The Catholic
Church in the United States will speak
out strongly on major political issues in
1976 but will not endorse particular
candidates, according to a major policy
statement issued here by the
Administrative Board of the U.S.
Catholic Conference (USCC).
A firm stand on several controversial
issues made up a significant portion of
the document.
The statement, “Political
Responsibility: Reflections on an
Election Year,” was released Feb. 15
following a meeting of the board, the
top public policy committee of the U.S.
bishops, on Feb. 10-12.
“We specifically do not seek the
formation of a religious voting bloc,”
the board said, noting that it did not
intend to instruct Catholics how to
vote.
But the board deplored increasing
voter apathy and stressed that all
Christians are “called to become
informed, active and responsible
participants in the political process.”
It outlined, in alphabetical order,
USCC positions on “some issues which
we believe are central to the national
debate” in 1976: abortion, the
economy, education, food policy,
housing, human rights and U.S. foreign
policy, mass media, and military
expenditures.
The board carefully described its
position on political involvement,
asserting that the Church’s efforts in
this area “unfortunately ... are
sometimes misunderstood.”
It said the Church has a ministry of
“advocating the critical values of human
rights and social justice,” and this
mission “requires it to relate positively
to the political order, since social
injustice and the denial of human rights
can often be remedied only through
governmental action.”
The Church’s stand on such issues, it
said, should be “comprehensive and
consistent” and “formulated with
competence and awareness of the
complexity of the issues.”
At the same time it noted that
“specific political proposals do not in
themselves constitute the Gospel,” and
the purpose of the Church as an
institution is to promote understanding
of “the important link between faith
and politics.”
This role, the board said,
the following:
‘includes
- “Education regarding the teachings
of the Church and the responsibilities of
the faithful.
- “Analysis of issues for their social
and moral dimensions;
-- Measuring
Gospel values;
public policy against
-- “Participating with other concerned
parties in debate over public policy;
- “Speaking out with courage, skill
and concern on public issues involving
human rights, social justice and the life
of the Church in society.”
On the issues that it said are “central
to the national debate” in the 1976
elections, the board summarized USCC
positions and noted that in other public
documents the bishops have discussed
their stands more fully.
On abortion, the board repeated the
bishops’ rejection of the 1973 Supreme
Court decision overturning most state
restrictions on abortion and their
support of a constitutional amendment
“to restore the basic constitutional
protection of the right to life for the
unborn child.”
On the economy, the board said,
“Our national economic life must
reflect broad values of social justice and
human rights.” It repeated the bishops’
support for “a national commitment to
genuine full employment,” for
“meaningful employment,” and for “a
decent income policy” for those unable
to work.
On the educational front, noting that
all persons have “an inalienable right to
education,” the board backed a
five-point program involving:
- “Sufficient public and private
funding” to provide an adequate
(Continued on page 7)
“INCOMPREHENSIBLE DEVASTATION” IN RURAL AREAS
Observer Says Guatemala Rebuilding
(Frank Frost, head of Creative Services in
the Communication Department of the U.S.
Catholic Conference, toured parts of
Guatemala a few days after the earthquake to
do a film report on the emergency relief work
there by Catholic Relief Services.)
BY FRANK FROST
Flying into Guatemala City four days
after the Feb. 4 earthquake, I could see
no evidence of the disaster from the air.
It looked no different than when I had
been there two months before on
vacation. Even at the airport the
confusion and activity showed little sign
of what had happened except for the
large duffle bags of food that
Guatemalans from the United States
were bringing for their families.
Acting on newspaper reports, I had
brought my own supply of food and
water. There was plenty of food and
water and medicine available, however,
thanks to the fast relief work of local
and international organizations and
groups.
On my first day in Guatemala City,
papers and conversations seemed to be
filled with facts and personal stories.
Five hundred thirty-one tremors had
been counted. The official death toll
was only 7,000. There was discussion of
shifting geological plates and
anticipation of another big quake.
Elaine Edgecomb, development
assistant with Catholic Relief Services
(CRS), the overseas aid agency of U.S.
Catholics, had been in Guatemala when
the quake occurred and was now
heading up the relief effort with Ken
Brown of CRS in Nicaragua. The day
after the quake, the first planeload of
supplies had arrived from CRS in New
York to provide support for Caritas
Guatemala, the nation’s Catholic
charities organization. The Caritas
offices, late into the evening, were
debriefing field workers, 4
volunteers, providing supplies and
holding planning meetings for field
representatives around the country.
Because of the organized response by
Caritas and groups such as World
Neighbors, Red Cross and CARE, the
first banner headlines in American
papers of massive famine and disease
were providing unrealized.
The next day I went to Tecpan with a
cameraman, Tom Pade, and the CRS
program director of San Salvador, Steve
Otto. The journey took much longer
than anticipated because of detours.
Once out of Guatemala City, we found
almost incomprehensible devastation.
The detour took us through a small
town named Patzicia. The road through
the center of town was a narrow
channel through a sea of rubble piled
high on both sides. A pall of adobe dust
still hung in the air; not * roof was left
d;Many were
standing on top of the uestrucdon
patiently trying to retrieve usable
lumber and furniture, but without tools
the work was going slowly.
Tecpan multiplied this destruction
many times. It was estimated by local
people that 60 percent of the people
had died. The adobe brick had simply
disintegrated and the heavy tile roofs
had fallen straight down on the sleeping
victims. Here and there a small structure
remained upright, invariably made of
loose wood or heavy concrete.
I met a Morman missioner in Tecpan
who recounted his experiences when the
quake hit at 3:00 a.m. He said the
people rushed for the streets, struggling
(Continued on page 7)
Feb. 29 Is “Southern Cross Sunday
99
February 29th is SOUTHERN
CROSS Sunday in the Diocese of
Savannah. Bishop Raymond W. Lessard
has sent a letter to those now receiving
the paper asking their support. Enclosed
with the letter was an envelope for THE
SOUTHERN CROSS.
It is requested that these envelopes be
returned next Sunday, in their parish
collection basket, or mailed to their
parish. For those who did not receive
the bishop’s letter envelopes will be
available at their church.
In his letter Bishop Lessard said,
“THE SOUTHERN CROSS is a key
organ of communication for our
diocese. Our newspaper is affiliated with
the National Catholic News Service and
brings to you, first hand, the latest
developments and trends within the
Church. On the diocesan level, THE
SOUTHERN CROSS has made us all
conscious of the fact that we are God’s
community, working for His greater
glory in the southern half of the state of
Georgia.
“We are grateful to our priests and
people whose interest and participation
in the work of the paper has been most
encouraging. As the Church continues
her earthly pilgrimage through renewal
and reconciliation, we must all work
together so that our newspaper will play
its role as an effective organ ... truth
and dialogue.
“It is my hope that you will be
generous to this annual appeal. Your
support makes the paper’s publication
possible. May you continue to support
it in the future.”
Prominent Speakers In Augusta
Three nationally known persons - a
biblical scholar, a noted author and an
U.S. ambassador - will speak in Augusta
between now and March 30th.
Father John McKenzie, S.J., John
Howard Griffin and Ambassador W.
Tapley Bennett, Jr., will participate in a
series entitled “Liberty and Justice For
All.” The program is under the
sponsorship of the Adult Education
Committee of Saint Mary’s Roman
Catholic Church. All lectures will be
held at 8 p.m. and are free to the public.
The first two lectures will be at Saint
Mary’s School Auditorium on Monte
Sano Avenue. Ambassador Bennett will
speak in the Performing Arts Theatre of
Augusta College,
Father John McKenzie,- S.J.,
Professor of Scripture at De Paul
University (Chicago) will speak on
Wednesday, February 25th. A former
president of the Catholic Biblical
Association, Father is one of the
foremost scripture scholars in the world
today. He is the author of a number of
books including: “The Two-Edged
Sword,” “The Power and the Wisdom,”
“Dictionary of the Bible” and>
“Authority in the Church.”
In his lecture, Father McKenzie will
discuss “The Role of Women” and how
the concepts of Liberty and Justice
apply to them.
On Wednesday, March 10th, Author
John Howard Griffin will speak on
“Thomas Merton -- the Man and His
Works.” Griffin is the author of more
than eleven books, fiction and
non-fiction, including the widely
heralded “Black Like Me.” This is an
account of how he changed the color of
his skin in the early 60’s.
Griffin studied philosophy, literature
and medicine in Thours, France. He
studied philosophy under the guidance
of Jacques Maritain and has lectured in
universities throughout the world. In his
Augusta appearance, Griffin will explain
the works of Thomas Merton and his
contributions to Liberty and Justice for
All.
In the final lecture, at Augusta
Fr. McKenzie
College on Tuesday, March 30th,
Ambassador W. Tapley Bennett, Jr., will
show how the United Nations helps to
achieve Liberty and Justice for All. His
topic will be “The Pursuit of
Happiness” and how the United Nations
helps underdeveloped countries strive
towards this goal.
A native of Griffin, Ga., Ambassador
W. Tapley Bennett, Jr., is United States
Ambassador and Deputy United States
Ambassador Bennett
Representative to the United * Nations.
He serves concurrently as Ambassador
to the United Nations Security Council.
He was previously Ambassador to
Portugal and to the Dominican
Republic.
The Ambassador’s first experience
with the United Nations began with the
birth of the organization. In 1945, he
served on the International
John Griffin
Organizations in San Francisco, which
resulted in the creation of the United
Nations. In subsequent years, he has
been a member of the United States
delegation to numerous international
conferences.
The series is being made possible with
the aid of a grant from The Georgia
Committee of the National Endowment
for the Humanities.