Newspaper Page Text
PACK 2
GEORGIA BULLETIN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1963
COUNCIL CONSULTOR
s
TRANGE BUT TRU
Centralization Seen Giving Way
To Regional Episcopal Assemblies
By Father Gregory Baum,
O.S.A.
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SLRV1CL)
With the Second Vatican
Council, the centuries-old trend
toward greater centralization in
the organization of the Catho
lic Church has turned.
This centralization has come
about for several reasons. In
the Church's struggle for free
dom from the interference of
emperors and kings, from the
middle ages on, one of the most
practical means of defense was
concentration of power in the
hands of the Bishop of Rome,
who was subject to no secular
lord. This trend towards cen
tralization reached its peak in
the spiritual order through the
definition of papal infallibility
at the l irst Vatican Council in
1870. It came to seem, that the
power to preach the Gospel in
fallibly and to legislate in the
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MIKE fe STEVE SERTICH
Church Universal was almost
exclusively concentrated in the
person of the pope.
\\E HAVE become so used to
regarding the pope as the sole
ruler and teacher in the Church
that the bishops have become for
us the heads of their dioceses
and nothing more.
rhis highly centralized go
vernment, however, isnotreal-
ly in harmony with Catholic
ideals. The Church's social
teaching affirms the principal of
subsidiarity. This principle
states that higher authorities in
a society should not usurp a
function that could be exercis
ed by smaller units in its care.
For instance, the state should
not arrogate to itself what could
be adequately handled by the
family, or by the municipality,
or by professional societies.
The interference of the high
est authority is only justified
when the lower organs cannot
take care of the problem, or
when the well-being of society
as a whole is touched. Recent
popes have often declared that
this principle of subsidiarity is
also valid in the Church.
The PRESENT legislation in
the Church, however, does not
provide for the application of
the principle of subsidiarity.
Between the pope and the indi
vidual bishop of a diocese there
exists no intermediary eccles
iastical body. Now, everything
that exceeds the concern of a
single diocese has to be deter
mined in Rome. The bishops'
conferences existing in many
countries have no status in can
on law. They have no authority
to teach or to legislate.
But the .Second Vatican Coun
cil, convoked by His Holiness
Pope John XXIII, has already
made it clear that changes are
in store in regard to the effec
tive status of the bishops.
The simple fact of holding a
council recalled to the bishops
and the Catholic people the tra
ditional place of the bishops in
the Church as teachers and rul
ers in the name of the Lord.
From the press reports we know
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that the bishops’ conferences
emerged as necessary eccle
siastical organs at the council.
VARIOUS national episcopa
tes met at regular intervals
during the council. They acted
in solidarity on several con
ciliar issues, and the document
on the liturgy approved by the
council specifies that the gene
ral principles contained in it be
applied and adapted by the epis
copal conferences to the needs
of their countries.
Even before the organization
of the Church is discussed at the
council, it has become clear that
bishops’ conferences will be
come intermediary bodies be
tween the bishops and the pope,
capable of teaching and legis
lating in their own countries.
The picture so often drawn of
the Church, where all power and
all teaching authority is in the
pope, is certainly inadequate.
The bishops are successors of
the Apostles, and, in union with
the pope they also teach with au
thority and are able to legislate.
Their prerogatives are not
derived from that of Peter, but
rather, from the body of the
Twelve, the Apostolic College.
This universal episcopal office
to proclaim the Gospel and
to rule the Church is called in
Catholic theology the "colle-
giality’* of the bishops.
We have almost lost this an
cient concept of the unity of
the episcopal college. We tend
to consider a bishop an indi
vidual successor of an apostle,
instead of regarding him as a
member of the collective col
lege body which succeeds the
Apostolic College.
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FROM THE Scriptures we
know that the Twelve were re
sponsible for the whole mis
sion of the Church. Together
they received the word of Je
sus to go and preach the Gospel
to all nations, and to baptize
men in the name of the Bles
sed Trinity. Together they re
ceived the power to exercise
the sacramental life of the
Church. The supreme role of
Peter within the Twelve did not
ddate their common call-
as the foundations of the
Now just as the pope is the
iccessor of St. Peter so the
ishops as a whole (the episco-
il college) are the successors
: the Twelve. The role of the
Dostles was certainly unique
ad inimitable. They had seen
le Lord Jesus, they had been
itnesses of the wonderful
lings God had done in Jesus
BUT THEIR office of preach
ing and interpreting the mes
sage once-for-all delivered to
the Church, and of perpetuating
the deeds of salvation in a sac
ramental liturgy—this was pas
sed on to their successors. In
this sense, the bishops, as a
body, are the heirs of the
Twelve.
This doctrine has immediate
practical consequences. A bis
hop in the Catholic Church is
not only the head of his diocese:
he is also, and first of all, a
member of that body which has
the care of the Universal
Church. He is coresponsiblefor
the life of the whole Church. His
eyes are not simply turned to
his own diocese; he looks, rath
er, at the whole Church, con
scious that he has a real re
sponsibility for what happens in
it.
At the council, the bishops re
discovered this mission again.
Suddenly they realized what the
apostolic office to which they
are appointed means in the
Church of Cod. In union w ith the
pope, their head, the bishops
exercise their sacred ministry
for the good of the universal
Catholic community. At the
council the collegiality of the
bishops has become a meaning
ful term again.
Could this coresponsibility
for the Church Universal find
expression in an organizational
structure after the council? It
certainly couldl The creation of
episcopal conferences as legis
lative bodies is already a partial
exercise of the bishops’ colle
giality.
Little-Known
By M. |. MURRAY
i
E
LENTEN SACRIFICE
Facts for Catholic*
CopyrSfht, 1»63. W.C.W.C. N«w» Servtc*
BUT THERE would be a way of
giving even more perfect ex
pression to episcopal colle
giality. If an ecclesiastical body
were created at Rome, conven
ing every two or three years,
and made up of bishops dele
gated by the various episcopal
conferences, the pope and these
bishops together could discuss
and determine the ways of the
Church and the adaptation of
Catholic life to the needs of the
day. This is a plan proposed by
many bishops. In this way the
collegiality of the bishops would
be constantly exercised.
From this description it be
comes obvious that there is a
certain dialogue structure in
the exercise of supreme autho
rity in the Church. While the
pope, as the successor of St.
Peter, has supreme jurisdic
tion in the Church, he is, at the
same time, a member of the
episcopal college and, as such,
engaged in dialogue with his
brethren, the other bishops.
A greater consciousness of
this dialogue structure, such as
the bishops gained at the Vati
can council, will change con
siderably the quality of Catho
lic life. There will be great-
r er diversity.
GREATER freedom will exist
for the initiative of men whom
the Spirit inspires. Until now,
so many good ideas, so many
ways of pastoral renewal, could
not be translated into action be
cause the Church was so com
pletely centralized. While the
pope was always willing to hear
the bishops, his administrative
body, the Roman Curia, was
not used to dialogue of any kind.
This will now change. At the
council this has changed al
ready.
Reevaluation of the episcopal
office and decentralization in
the Church must not be under
stood to mean that the Second
Vatican Council will give more
power to the individual bishop
in his diocese. More power in
this connection means more
independence for episcopal con
ferences, with legislative pow
er to apply and adapt the general
norms valid for the Church
Universal.
In the application of the lit
urgical renewal, regional bod
ies of bishops will determine
the path to be followed. There
will be a really conciliar at
mosphere in these episcopal
conferences. Proposals will be
read, various views will be
submitted and discussed,, spe
cialists will be asked to make
their comments, and bishops
less in contact with the vital
currents in the Church will be
brought up to date.
THE BISHOPS will learn to
feel coresponsible for the Ca
tholic life in the whole area
entrusted to them. There will
be ecclesiastical forces at work
making the bishops more cons
cious that they are teachers
and leaders in the Church.
When studies on the Second
Vatican Council speak of re
emphasizing the episcopal of
fice, they do not have in mind
an increase of episcopal power
in regard to the people over
whom the bishops are placed,
but rather the increase of pow
er in regard to the central au
thority of the Church.
Bishops become more pow
erful when they are able to
orientate and adapt Catholic life
in their churches to the needs
of the people, without the handi
cap of a uniform legislation des
tined for the Church Universal.
WE MAY BE certain that the
dialogue structure within the
exercise of supreme authority
in the Church, brought out at
the Vatican council, will qua
lify the relationship of superior
and subject throughout the Ca
tholic Church.
The bishops engaged in dia
logue with the central authority
of supreme jurisdiction will
find it natural to enter into dia
logue with the people for whom
they are responsible.
This already happened dur
ing the time of preparation for
the council. In several dioces
es, bishops getting ready to
engage in discussion in Rome
engaged first in discussion with
their people, both priests and
laity.
Pope John’s Ash
Wednesday Plea
To U.S. Children
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TO UKRAINE
Archbishop Slipyi
Intends To Return
PHILADELPHIA (NC)—Met
ropolitan Josyf Slipyi of Lviv
wants and intends to reiurn to
his archdiocese in the Ukraine
despite his 18-year confine
ment by the Soviet regime, it
was revealed here.
The 71-year-old prelate is
not afraid of the consequences
of such a return even if it comes
to death, according to Arch
bishop Ambrose Senyshyn, O.S.
B. M., of the Byzantine Rite
Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
ARCHBISHOP Senyshyn con
ferred with Archbishop Slipyi
for two days at the Byzantine
Rite monastery at Grottaferra-
ta, a dozen miles south of
Rome. The Philadelphia Met
ropolitan, top spiritual leader
of Byzantine Rite Ukrainian
Catholics in the United States,
flew to Rome for the meeting
on February 13, four days af
ter Archbishop Slipyi reached
there.
Archbishop Senyshyn said in
an interview that Metropolitan
Slipyi was averse to discuss
ing what happened to him dur
ing his years in prison. He
said, however, that while the
Metropolitan appears thin, his
mind is very alert.
CONCERNING the motivation
of the Soviet Union in releasing
Metropolitan Slipyi, Archbishop
Senyshyn said he thinks it could
be due in part to publicity given
to the Metropolitan’s detention
in the press of the free world.
He said he believes, however,
that Metropolitan Slipyi’s re
lease is a single incident that
does not necessarily signify any
change or new trend in Soviet
policy.
He said that Metropolitan
Slipyi was never involved in
politics, but that that did not
stand in the way of his impri
sonment
gime.
by the communist re-
Now, he said, Metropolitan
Slipyi’s great hope is to re
turn to the Ukraine to resume
his duties as shepherd.
Fort Oglethorpe
Auxiliary Meet
Plans for a spaghetti dinner
to be held on St. Patrick’s
day, March 17, were discussed
at a recent meeting of St. Ge
rard's Altar Society in the
cafeteria, Fort Ogle-
Mrs. Grant Wall pre
school
thorpe.
sided.
The members voted to re
ceive Holy Communion in a
body the Sunday following the
meeting, at the 10 o’clock Mass,
Mrs. Wall stated that the Mass
on Saturday morning after the
regular meeting would be of
fered for the members. Mrs.
Hunt and Mrs. Swanson had
the care of the altars and linens
during February and Mrs.
Brown during March.
MARCH 3-11
Dear Catholic school-child
ren of the United States of Ame
rica:
This is the Holy Father
speaking to you from Rome,
coming to you once again w ith a
paternal greeting to encourage
and help your education to a
sense of social responsibility.
DEAR children: You all know
of the great event which opened
here in Rome during this past
year. You will have heard from
your parents , teachers and
priests about the Second Vati
can Council, in which the Bis
hops from the various countries
met to consider matters con
cerning the universal Church.
We are aware that you have
been praying for the success
of the Council: continue to im
plore for it the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, and do so w ith great
hope.
In Our meetings with the Bis
hops from different countries
during the Council, We heard
many things which consoled Us.
The Bishops of the United States
told Us of the ever-growing
numbers of children being given
a solid Christian formation in
the Catholic schools; they spoke
of your diligence in your stu
dies, of your fervour in the
practice of your Faith, and of
your desire to assist other
children less fortunate than
yourselves.
BISHOPS from a few other
countries, too, had consoling
information to give Us regard
ing the children and the flocks
under their pastoral care.
But, alas, Bishops from many
other countries had a very dif
ferent story to narrate. They
were the Bishops from certain
nations in .Africa and Asia and
from some parts of South Ame
rica. They told us that for the
moment, until their peoples
achieve a greater degree of pro
gress and development, not all
the children in their Diocese
are privileged to havethebene-
fits of a Christian education in
w arm classrooms like you have;
very few of them enjoy the
pleasures of a comfortable
home, or the luxuries and edu
cational distractions that you
are accustomed to; many of
them languish in privations and
hunger, ill-clad and exposed to
the hardships of inclement wea
ther; the vast majority of them
lack the proper food and vita
mins which would build up their
little bodies sufficiently and
give them the energy that nor
mal children display in the rec
reation of the playground.
THOSE children are boys and
girls of your own age; and it
is on their behalf that We are
appealing to you today.
The season of Lent just be
ginning is the season when de
vout Catholics are expected to
make sacrifices and do penance
for the love of Our Blessed
Lord. In the past the Lenten
sacrifices made by the school-
children of the United States
brought welcome food and clo
thing and medicines to needy
children in other countries. We
exhort you earnestly to make
those sacrifices again this year
and to make them generously,
not only in a spirit of com
passion towards those who are
less fortunate than you, but
more especially for the love of
Our Divine Lord Himself, who
had a special predilection for
little children and Who said
that "as long as you did it for
one of these the least of my
brethren, you did it for me”
(Matt. 25,40).
AND remember that the Re
deemer also said that a cup of
cold water given in His Name
shall not pass without its re
ward (cfr. Matt. 10,42). He will
undoubtedly repay your sacrifi
ces by bestowing favours and
blessings in abundance upon
yourselves, your families and
your country.
It is in pledge of such a hea
venly recompense, and confi
dent in a whole-hearted re
sponse to this appeal of Ours,
that We cordially impart Our
special Apostolic Blessing to
each one of you and to your
parents, your families and your
teachers.
JOHN XXIII
Immaculate Heart Novena Set
The Novena of Grace in honor
of St. Francis Xavier will be
given at Immaculate Heart of
Mary Parish by Rev. Henry R.
O’Meara, C.SS.R. The Novena
from March 3-11.
Father O’Meara was born in
Brooklyn. He was educated in
local parochial and public
schools. In his early teens he
entered the Redemptorist Order
LUTHERAN OBSERVER:
Catholic Ecumenical
Approach Unclear
stopping the spread of commu
nism in Latin America.
Novena Masses will be cele
brated Monday through Friday
at 6:30 and 8:45 a.m., and at 2
p.m. The Masses on Saturday,
March 9, will be at 7:00 and
8:00 a.m. Devotions will be
held each evening at 8:00
o’clock.
St. Francis Xavier, who was
born in Nevarre, Spain, in 1506
was one of the greatest mis-
sioners in the history of the
Church. His fields of labor
were India and Japan where he
converted innumerable pagans.
He died off the coast of China
in 1552 without accomplishing
his desire to evangelize China.
RECKLINGHAUSEN, Ger
many (NC)—Despite the “sur
prising openness toward other
Christian believers” shown by
the Fathers of the Second Vati
can Council, the Catholic
Church’s approach to ecu
menism is not yet clear, ac
cording to a Lutheran theolo
gian who served as observer-
delegate of the Evangelical
Church of Germany at the coun
cil.
Dr. Edmund Schlink, profes
sor of dogmatic theology at the
University of Heidelberg, said
that final judgements on the part
of non-Catholic Christian chur
ches must be reserved until ac
tual decisions are reached and
formally promulgated by the
Pope.
DR. SCHLINK contributed a
special article to the national
Catholic weekly, Echo derZeit,
which is published here. He
raised several points which he
said lead Protestants to ques
tion the Catholic Church’s ap
proach to ecumenism. Among
them:
— The fact that while it re
cognizes marriages among pa
gans as valid, it does not so
recognize marriage of a Catho
lic and a Protestant before a
non-Catholic minister.
.-The Catholic Church’s ap
proach to the right of freedom
of worship, especially in Spain
and Colombia, and also its mis
sionary activities in territories
which are predominantly Pro
testant.
—The attempt by a minority
within the Catholic Church to
define as dogma certain opin
ions concerning the Blessed
Virgin Mary which would only
emphasize old antagonisms be
tween Protestants and Catho
lics.
FATHER O’MEARA
and after ordination took post
graduate work at Georgetown
University in Washington. As a
missionary, Father O’Meara
was assigned to the famous
"Green Hell” district of Mato
Grosso, Brazil - the world’s
largest unexplored territory.
Tnere he criss-crossed vast
jungle areas in canoes and on
horses for ten years, preach
ing to Indians and Brazilians.
AT PRESL T FatherO’Mea-
ra is stationed at the Redemp
torist : louse of Post Graduate
Studies, ;>art of the Catholic
University of America, in
Washington. From these head
quarters, he travels the east
coast, preaching missions, re
treats, novenas, and conferen
ces, not only incivilianparishes
but also aboard Navy carriers,
on Air Force SAC bases, and
on Army posts. Hs has worked
with the Brazilian Congress
and the United States govern
ment on programs aimed at
The public is cordially
vited to attend the Novena.
in-
Charlene Cherry
Freedom Award
Charlene Cherry of St. Pius
X School has received the Val
ley Forge Freedom Foundation
Award, Rev. James L. Harri
son, principal, announced.
She obtained the award for a
speech entitled "Checks and
Balances in the Constitution.”
In addition to a gold trophy,
the award brings $100. The
speech had won second place in
the American Legion Oratori
cal Contest in 1962,
At an assembly Feb. 22 Fa
ther Harrison expressed his
feeling toward all awards which
St. Plus X students received.
In his words, "All the sacrifi
ces were worthwhile.”
