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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.