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OFFENSIVE
Managed News
Catholic Style
PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1963
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
GEORGIA BULLETI
SERVING GEORGIAS 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
Published Every Week at the Decatur Dekalb News
PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
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POAU Extremes
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THARS GOLD IN THEM THAR SOFAS...IF
LITURGY AND LIFE
Aspects Of Birth Control
In this age of Ecumenicism it
behooves all responsible Chris
tians to contribute towards the
easing of religious tensions. We
are happy to report that such
tensions have indeed been reduc
ed among Protestants and Roman
Catholics as a result of the
Second VaticanCouncil. We grasp
willingly and with love the Pro
testant hand of friendship and
understanding.
In the circumstances, it is re
grettable that Protestant leaders
have not been able to do anything
about an extremist group within
their midst, which continues to
protest and slander the Catholic
Church. We are, or course, re
ferring to Protestants and other
Americans United for the Separa
tion of Church and State. This
organization is presently wag
ing a campaign against a Wash
ington, D. C. building project,
a $66 million venture called Wa
tergate Towne.
trict agencies approved the pro
ject.
He says the project site, for
merly used by the local gas com
pany for storage tanks, was pur
chased by Island Vista, Ind., a
subsidiary of the Rome firm of
Societa GeneralImmobiliare, one
of the oldest real estate opera
tions in Italy. The John Hancock
Mutual Life Insurance Company
will finance $44 million worth of
the project’s costs.
Carlson says that the Vatican
is . the largest of Immobiliare’s
stock holders, holding an esti
mated 20 per cent. “This is
scarcely ‘Vatican-controlled’,
he comments.
He says complaints about the
project raise the question of whe
ther churches are to be denied
real estate investments. He ar
gues that churches have this
right.
BY REV. LEONARD F.X. MAYHEW
It is human not only to err but to be afraid of
erring. This is specially true for those of us
who, through some quirk of circumstance or
personality, must express ourselves publicly and
commit our opinions to the awful permanence
of the printed word. As a result, very many of us
are tempted to cover under the guise of pru
dence our retreat from questions we do not
know how to answer. The axiom of diplomacy
remains true, however, that there is a distinct
advantage to be had from a clear and realistic
statement of a question in order to define its
complexities and indicate the directions which
investigation ought to follow.
It has been a too frequent experience in al
most every area that reticence about controver
sial or delicate matters only adds to their deli
cacy through the accretion of emotionally based
and poorly conceived impfessions and misunder
standings. All of which is by
way of taking cognizance of a
still incipient but hopefully
healthy development. There
appears to be a growing wil
lingness on the part of Ca
tholic thinkers to discuss
openly the many problems
that center around birth con
trol. I would like to make use
of this space for several weeks
to present some aspects of this question.
THE complexities of the problems connected
with birth control exist on so many levels that
even to catalogue them clearly requires a stag
gering discipline. This is to say nothing of even
beginning to attempt their solution.
In terms of its general influence on the human
race, the aspect of the problem that must be con-
sidered most urgent concerns the breakneck
growth of world population. The seriousness of
the situation can hardly be exaggerated. The un
fortunate Madison Avenue-ized phrase 'population
explosion’ has given everybody an opportunity to
adopt rigid, uninformed attitudes: non-Catholics
eager to over-simplify the blame at the door of
the Catholic Church - Catholics eager, ostrich
like, to deny the existence of the problem.
It comes then as something of a shock to
read the following from the pen of an outstand
ing Catholic scholar: “The expected growth of the
world population, even according to minimum
estimates, is of a kind that puts before humanity
great problems, the like of which it has never
known before. It can be said that the world popu
lation forms the first world problem in his
tory..” Some 800,000 years were required for
humanity to achieve a current population of
LITURGICAL WEEK
Of Passion
The First Reading places
it firmly as climax and ful
fillment of a tradition of
priestly offerings, a “victim
unblemished.” The Preface
for these two weeks contrasts
the tree of the Cross with the
tree of the Garden—the form
er a sign of life-giving as
the latter was of death-deal
ing. Closer to the paschal and baptismal cele
bration, we place in today’s hymns and readings
three billion. But the second three billion will
be added in the next forty years I Without being
unduly alarmist this spells the failure of all the
foreign aid programs and self-development plans
of the underdeveloped nations of the world as they
are presently conceived. Under present conditions
it means more want rather than less, more un
rest and more danger to peace rather than less
in the generation to come. It is encouraging to
note growing interest among Catholic social and
physical scientists in the effort to discover work
able solutions. A recent welcome step forward
was the grant by the Ford Foundation of $150,
000 to Georgetown University to launch a center
for research on population problems.
ACCORDING to the Foundation announcement,
“The university will direct its first studies toward
the possible improvement of the rhythm method
of family planning.” The donation of one grant is
not likely to produce a solution but it is a good
beginning. Public support for private and gov
ernment sponsored research in this field is a
necessity. Catholics have a particular respon
sibility to encourage efforts to achieve a per
fected rhythm method and the exploration of other
means of family planning compatible with Catho
lic morality.
At the other end of the spectrum of moral
concern there is a problem less grand in scale
but equally urgent. For very many Catholic mar
ried couples the most agonizing moral concern
revolves around the questions of rhythm and birth
control. The traditional “ideal” of a large family
for every married couple is no longer feasible
or realistic in the complex world we inhabit.
Authorities, including Pope Pius XII and many
theologians and sociologists, clerical and lay,
have recognized the multiplicity of considerations
that dictate a reasonable and responsible limi
tation of family size.
Not the least significant is the co-ordinate duty
of parents to educate their children adequately.
In many cases this obligation would be impos
sible of fulfillment without some deliberate limi
tation of the number of offspring. A good deal of
re-thinking of the moral criteria to determine
this decision is taking place. One thing that is
needed is adequate preparation of married cou
ples to meet the standards of responsible pa
renthood.
Another pressing need is for strenuous effort
by Catholic universities and scientists to find
effective and morally acceptable means of family
planning. As Cardinal Suenens told the scientists
of the Catholic World Health Congress of 1958:
“There are certain problems of conjugal morality
which the priest cannot solve without you. We
have no right to demand that men obey a law
without at the same time doing all within our
power to make obedience possible."
the fury of evil alongside the power of God, tem
poral sufferings alongside an eternal inheritance.
APRIL 1, MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK. “If
any man is thirsty, let him come to me and
drink” (Gospel). It is this Person who is our
salvation. It is this Person to whom awareness
of our sinfulness and helplessness (First Reading,
Hymns) must draw us.
Nothing is clearer in the texts of the liturgy
Continued On Page 5
BY GERARD E. SHERRY
Several of our Catholic newspapers have joined
in the chorus of anti-Administration commenta
tors in relation to alleged “managed news." Alas,
the affair concerning Catholic University of Ame
rica and the banned theologians, turns out to be
the greatest piece of “managed news" we have
come across — at least since the banning of
Catholic speakers at San Diego a couple of years
ago.
I am, of course, referring to the handling of
the CU affair by the News Service of the National
Catholic Welfare
Conference. The NC,
however, was not the
only culprit. Most of
the Catholic w eeklies
labeled “Conserva
tive" also managed
to keep their read
ers ignorant of the
true import of the
CU action. These
newspapers further deprived their readers of
the knowledge that there was widespread criti
cism of the CU in responsible Catholic circles.
I RECENTLY had some correspondence with
Frank Hall, Director of NC News Service. I had
complained about their initial pro-CU coverage of
the affair. Naturally, he denied it, and said they
had done eight stories with only three in defense
of the CU. He said the NC had not been biased
either for or against the University action.
Lets look at the facts. Catholic University’s
banning of the four theologians broke into the
public forum on January 18 when the student
newspaper, The Tower, complained about CU Ad
ministration’s action. A month later, The Okla
homa Courier, and the Davenport Messenger had
some news stories making the disclosure. The
NCWC News Service remained silent.
On Friday, February 15, this writer phoned the
news editor at the NC in Washington. He asked
what they w ere going to do to keep the editors in
formed. The NC editor said he did not know what
they could do, seeing as the public relations girl
at Catholic U was on vacation. I then asked that
they at least send out an editorial information on
the subject, and was told they would look into it.
ON SATURDAY, February 16, an editorial infor
mation was issued by the NC in which they quoted
the Vice Rector, defending the University position.
The next story they put out defended the CU through
a news story statement by the Rector of Catholic
U. After that, the News Service got brave and
quoted adverse comment.
The deplorable thing about all this is that the
Catholic press is being constantly urged to ignore
rumor and print only news from authentic sour-
ces. The trouble is, this often means we do not
get the news. Indeed, sometimes we first discover
something in a secular magazine or another news
service. Sometimes the reports are incorrect, and
the Catholic editor is left out on a limb. He often
wishes his own news service could fill him in be
fore there is distortion.
Again, we can give the CU controversy as the
latest example. Only about ten papers reported
both sides of the issue the week following the first
disclosures in the Catholic press. It was only
after some of my conferers saw the chorus swell
against the CU action that they jumped on the band
wagon. Regrettably, some Catholic editors have to
this day omitted to give this readers the full story.
Some have printed only the University’s side, some
have ignored it altogether. If this not '*managed
news”, I would like to know what is. Naturally,
there are many more examples.
Recently, your Reaper wrote Adlai Stevenson,
asking what the U. S. was going to do about the
alleged atrocities by U. N, forces in Katanga.
Stevenson replied that the U. S. would press for a
United Nations' inquiry, and that certainly our
Government did not condone such atrocities. Read
ers will be interested to know that there were at
least five “Conservative" Catholic newspapers
which ignored this exchange of letters, even though
they were reported in both the NC News Service
and Religious News Service.
It is' particularly difficult to understand the
ignoring of Stevenson’s letter by one major
Catholic weekly in the New York area. Prior to
the Stevenson correspondence with me, this
Catholic weekly had been demanding U. N. and
U. S. action to stop the alleged atrocities. Its
editorial policies and its “managed news" fol
lowed the line and style of those highly critical
Conservative writers who were daily flaying the
U. S. Government Congo policy in the secular
press. This Catholic Weekly’s silence on the Ste
venson matter could only have been a deliberate
policy of suppression of news vital to its readers.
And the only conclusion I can come to is that
the suppression was essential in order not to set
any doubts as to the reliability of this newspaper’s
editorial thinking.
There are many more examples—but don’t let’s-
be shocked or too dismayed. It is only by examining
our conscience and meditating on our deficiencies,
personal or organizational, that we can see the
need for improvement.
“Managed news" is not good journalism in any
part of the communications media. In the religious
press, it becomes an offense against truth. It
should be avoided at all costs.
POAU, in its regular publica
tions and a special pamphlet,
charges that the project is fin
anced by a “subsidiary of the
Vatican,’' would tower over na
tional shrines, is enjoying favori
tism from government officials
and might eventually become the
headquarters of the Apostolic
Delegate, who resides in Wash
ington, or even be “ a temporary
home away from Rome” for the
Pope.
POAU’s charges have produced
an estimated 10,000 letters of
protest over the project to go
vernment officials.
The absurdity of the POAU
charges were exposed last week
by C. Emanuel Carlson, execu
tive director of the Baptist Joint
Committee on Public Affairs,
Washington. He has distributed
a “fact sheet’’ which says that
an exhaustive study of the Wash
ington building project fails to
substantiate charges that it is
Vatican controlled and getting
special treatment.
In his fact sheet, Carlson notes
that many Washington buildings,
including churches, are taller
than the project will be, reports
that the local government has en
couraged “high rise’’apartments
in the area of the project and
says that four Federal and Dis-
"SPECK"
“The wisdom of churches be
coming strong commercial or,
economic agencies is basically a
question for church leaders’’, he
says.
Carlson’s fact sheet, being dis
tributed to all persons who in
quire at his agency about the
charges, notes that one “high
rise’ apartment is already be
ing built near the site of Water
gate Towne. Several others are
planned, he says.
“The city planners and the
zoning officials are encouraging
this development of high cost land
both as a beautification program
and as a source of tax revenue’’,
he says.
What bothers us about the con
stant harassment by the POAU is
that it cannot be excused on the
grounds that the organization is
composed of cranks or screw
balls. It is not. Indeed, some
high Protestant officials are ac
tive members in its organization.
Alas, few repudiate POAU utter
ances, even when they are found
to be outright falsehoods or gross
distortions. There is no question
here of asking Protestants to dis
band the POAU. After all, its
stated aims have much sympathy
from the ranks of all faiths. What
can and should be objected to is
the constant anti-Catholic stance
of the POAU. It is a negative
stance which repudiates the Ecu
menical spirit, willingly and
freely embraced by the vast ma
jority of Protestant leaders. Its
greatest weakness lies in the fact
that its actions create mistrust
as to the real motives of some
Protestant leaders who continue
to excuse or remain silent on
the continued excesses byPAOU.
Sunday
“Can you loop the loop?”
BY FR. ROBERT W. HOVDA
(Priest of the Pittsburgh Oratory)
MARCH 31, FIRST SUNDAY OF THE PAS
SION. We enter this final and most intense period
of Lent with a celebration of the Lord's Supper in
which the Cross, the death of Jesus, is the central
theme. Because it is His death, because it is the
submission to death of one who could not be con
quered by it (“before ever Abraham came to be,
1 am’*—Gospel), it means life for us.
Week
REAPINGS
AT
RANDOM