PAGE 12
GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY APRIL 11, 1963
MORAL LAW
Pope Pleads World
Continued From Page 1
eristics of modern society give
him hope for a society per
meated by these principles. He
listed these as the progress
made by the working classes,
the participation of women in
public life and the widely held
conviction of the equal natural
dignity of all men.
THESE characteristics make
him hopeful, the Pope said,
because "if a man becomes
conscious of his rights, he must
become equally aware of his
duties." And this brings man
into the sphere of spiritual
values, he added. "They are
brought to a better knowledge
of the true God who is per
sonal and transcendent, and thus
they make the ties that bind
them to God, the solid foundat
ions and supreme criterion of
their lives."
ing the respect, acknowledge
ment, coordination, efficac
iousness and protection of the
rights of the human person as
well as *n promoting them, the
Pontiff said.
But he stated that a careful
balance must be observed to
avoid a situation where "cer
tain individuals or social groups
derive special advantage from
the fact that their rights have
received preferential protect
ion" or that "governments, in
seeking to protect these rights,
become obstacles to their full
expression and free use."
All this, the Pope says, makes
it necessary that those entrust
ed with public authority be per
sons of high moral conscience
and that "in keeping with their
dignity as persons, human
beings should take an active
part in government."
inferior, but all human beings
are equal in their natural dig-
nigy. Consequently, neither are
there political communities
which by nature are superior
or political communities are
equal in their natural dignity
since they are bodies whose
limbs are formed by human
beings themselves."
Touching on justice in relat
ions between states, the Pope
said that, although desirable,
it is not always possible that the
geographical frontiers of a nat
ions coincide with ethnic front
iers. But he added:
"It must be stated most ex
plicitly that an action directed
toward constraining or suffo
cating the vital flow of minor
ities is a grave violation of
justice and it is all the more
so when it is performed with
the aim of eliminating them."
APPLYING the moral law to
relations between states, the
Pope said that such relations
must be harmonized in truth
and justice, in working solid
arity and freedom.
Truth requires, in relations
between states, the eliminat
ion "of every trace of racism."
This recognizes the "principle
that all political communities
are equal in natural dignity."
Noting that human beings are
essentially equal despite dif
ferences in knowledge, virtue,
riches or genius, the Pope said:
"Political communities can di
ffer among themselves in their
level of culture, civilization
or economic development.
"But this can never justify
the fact that some states should
make their superiority prevail
unfairly over others. It can
constitute instead a reason for
them to feel more committed to
the task of general Improve
ment.
"THERE are no human beings
who by nature are superior or
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Turning to relations between
men and the civil state, the
Pope said that the purpose of
public authorities is to pro
mote the common good. This
consists concretely in assur-
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Rather, the Pope said, justice
requires nations to promote
the "human development of mi
norities through effective
means which favor their lan
guage, their culture, their cust
oms and their economic re
sources and undertaking."
At the same time, the Pope
warned ethnic groups not to
place too high a value on their
state "to the extend of placing
it above human values."
Active solidarity among nat
ions requires each state to
respect and foster the good
of its own community as a
component part of the common
good of the whole human family.
This means that they should
favor international exchanges
in every field, the Pontiff said.
FREEDOM requires that no
state impose itself on another
or interfere unduly in the in
ternal affairs of another, the
Pope declared. This applies
particularly to countries in the
process of development he said
and cited his words in Mater et
Magistra which stress that de
velopment of these countries
is primarily their responsibil
ity.
Applying his remarks to the
immediate present, the Pope
noted that while fear still reigns
among nations "there is reason
to hope that, by meeting and
negotiating, men may come to
discover better the bonds that
unite them, deriving from the
human nature which they have
in common. They may also
come to discover that one of
the most profound require
ments of their common nature
is this: that between them and
their respective peoples it is
not fear which should reign
but love."
Qtut 'HxtwuUOf SeeuUifiU
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The fourth part of the ency
clical considers the problems
of the common good of the
entire world.
"THE universal common
good creates problems of a
world scale which cannot be
adequately faced and solved un
less by a public authority with
an equal power, structure and
potential: that is, a public power
which is in a position to act
efficiently on the world level."
The Pope said that such an
authority should be able to ope
rate efficaciously but as the
same time its action "must
be inspired by sincere and ef
fective impartiality. It must be
an action directed toward satis
fying the objective require
ments of the universal common
good."
The Pope identified this uni
versal common good as the
"recognition, respect, protect
ion and promotion of the rights
of the human being."
Such an authority should be
established only by common
agreement, the Pope noted, and
should be based on the principle
of subsidiarity. This principle
holds that it is an injustice, a
grave evil and a disturbance of
right order for a larger and
higher organization to arrogate
to itself functions which can be
performed efficiently by small
er and lower bodies.
SUCH AN authority on the
world scale "is not to limit
the sphere of action of public
powers of the individual poli
tical communities and still less
to replace them," the ency
clical states.
"Its objective instead is to
contribute toward the creation
on a world level of an en
vironment In which the public
Peace
THE CHIEF Buddhist monk of Ceylon, G. WLsuuddhananada,
kisses the ring of His Holiness Pope John XXIII in St. Peter’s
Basilica during an audience held in the huge church to accom
modate more than 10,000 members of the Italian farmers’
federation. The two spiritual leaders exchanged greetings and
best wishes for their efforts for peace.
LATE PONTIFF
Pius Inspired
New Encyclical
powers of the single political
communities, the respective
citizens and the intermediate
bodies can carry out their tasks,
fulfill their duties and exercise
their rights with greater se
curity."
In line with this idea, the
Pope cited the existence of the
United Nations and particular
ly its approval of the Declarat
ion of Human Rights.
Referring to the declaration,
he noted that there are certain
objections and justified reser
vations about various points of
the document. Yet "there is no
doubt, however, that the docu
ment marks an important step
on the road toward the juridical
political organization of the
world community," he said.
THE POPE said he hopes
that "the organization of the
United Nations in its struct
ure and possibilities may con
form constantly more to the
greatness and nobility of its
tasks; and that the day may
come when individual human
beings may find in it an ef
fective protection for rights
which arise directly from their
dignity as persons and which
are, therefore, universal, in
violable and inalienable
rights."
In the encyclical’s final sect
ion, Pope John outlined past
oral suggestions to help foster
peaceful relations between Ca
tholics and non-Catholics.
The primary one was a re
minder to the faithful of their
duty to take an active part in
public life. To do this, the Pope
said there is needed not only
knowledge of the Faith but also
scientific competence, techni
cal ability and professional
experience.
He said further that there
should be unity and consistency
between the Faith of Catholics
and their activity in the tem
poral sphere.
IN THEIR economic, social
and political dealings, the Pope
continued, Catholics must be
careful and coherenr in their
work with others, never allow
ing themselves to compromise
the Faith. Nevertheless, they
must show that they are ani
mated by a spirit of under
standing and detachment and
disposed to work loyally for
the common good, he added.
The encyclical also caution
ed against confusing error with
those who are in error, noting
that those in error can dis
cover the truth through meet
ings with Catholics in various
sectors of the temporal sphere.
"Neither," the encyclical
continued, "can false philoso
phical teachings on the nature,
origin and destiny of the uni
verse and of man be identified
with historical movements that
have economic, social, cultural
or political ends, not even when
these movements have originat
ed from these teachings and
have drawn and still draw in
spiration therefrom."
THIS IS so, the encyclical
said, "because the teachings,
defined, remain always the
same, while the movements,
working on historical situations
in constant evolution, cannot
but be Influenced by these lat
ter."
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE)
His Holiness Pope John
XXIII’s new encyclical has
drawn inspiration from the un
ceasing work for peace by the
late Pope Pius XIL
The past Pontiff, who set
the precedent of making the
annual papal Christmas mes
sage a plea for peace, devoted
his first such address—in 1939,
the eve of World War II— to
five requirements essential to
a lasting peace.
EACH year until his death in
1958, Pius XII spoke against
the background of these con
ditions, citing the main obstac
les to peace.
These five requirements, re
flected in many of the points in
Pope John's Pacem in Terris,
are;
• The assurance that all nat
ions, great and small, strong
and weak, have a right to life
and independence.
•The deliverance of all nat
ions from the slavery of an
armaments race.
• The reorganization of in
ternational agencies to remove
their deficiencies and correct
their past failures.
• Hie recognition of the
needs and just demands of nat
ions, peoples and racial mino
rities.
• Submission of political
leaders and peoples to a spirit
of trust, based on principles of
divine law, which can give life,
authority and binding force to
Jews-Catholic
Contact Urged
ROME (RNS — Eugene Car
dinal Tisserant, dean of the
Sacred College of Cardinals,
expressed hope here that the
Second Vatican Council will de
monstrate the Church's
"brotherly affection" for Jews.
“It would indeed be very
useful to have greater contacts
with the Jews," the octogenar
ian prelate said in an interview
in the Italian newsmagazine,
Vita.
international agreements.
Pius XII, who had chosen
for his coat-of-arms the mot
to over the entrance to his
first parish church, "Peace
is the work of Justice," saw
his counsel thrown aside by
nazis who launched the blood
iest of wars.
HIS words—and the actions
he undertook in the field of
diplomacy to head off the war
—failed, he said later, "chief
ly because it appeared impos
sible to remove the deep feel
ing of distrust which in re
cent years has been steadily
growing and has placed in
surmountable spiritual barr
iers between one country and
another."
As Pope John has done, Pius
XII tried to lessen this dis
trust by urging nations to great
er international cooperation.
He gave strong support to
the United Nations, sending per
manent Vatican observers to
such UN bodies as UNESCO.
The first such observer was
the Apostolic Nunico to France,
Archbishop Angelo Roncalli,
who became Pope John XXIIL
When the battle against naz-
ism and fascism came to an
end, Plus XII intensified his
warnings that communism
threatened peace.
HE SAW the Reds strike heavy
blows at the Church as they
took over country after coun
try in eastern Europe. Catholic
churches and schools were
closed as part of the general
suppression of free society in
these nations. The clergy was
decimated.
To align the Church’s mem
bers clearly against commun
ism, Pius XII issued in July,
1949, a decree excommunicat
ing Catholics who "knowingly
or of their free will" join
or remain in the Communist
party or read or promote com
munist propaganda.
His efforts for peace includ
ed massive assistance pro
grams after the war to aid
refugees and displaced persons.
Large relief shipments spon
sored by the Pope were sent
periodically to nations damag
ed by the war.
To The Editor
TO THE EDITOR:
. "Pity the Lay Lecturer."
The lecture contained in the
above captioned article "Reap
ings at Random" in the March
21 issue of The Georgia Bulle
tin seems to be typical of our
new editor, egotistical, cry-
babyish, and one theme - a
lacking of understanding of
southern Catholicism.
Pity the poor editor. No one
misunderstands his point - he
doest protest too much. He
forgets that his honorium as
editor Is furnished by the people
he "lectures." We could do
a little less with "lecturing,"
and a little more with real
editorship.
Please let us have an Arch
diocesan paper, not a small
town weekly loaded with stale
wire-services clippings.
M. J. MAGUIRE, SR.
ATLANTA, GA.
TO THE EDITOR:
Due to miscalculation on my
part, my column for the April
4 issue of The Georgia Bulle
tin was too lengthy for the
space allotted to it. Since the
subject matter was in many
ways a delicate one, I would
like to ask that the concluding
paragraph be included in the
correspondence column. The
deleted paragraph said:
"The only democratic so
lution is the adoption of laws
and policies which respect the
convictions of all groups. Fa
mily planning, whether by con
traception or periodic con
tinence, is both a religious mat
ter - on which the State has
no competence to legislate -
and a medical problem. In pub
lic facilities no one should be
compelled to accept birth cont
rol or to administer a birth
control program professional
ly, against his conscience. In
the medical programs operated
by the State, however, proper
medical care normally requires
the provision of family planning
services. All methods, includ
ing the rhythm method, should
be offered so that the adherents
of any faith can choose in ac
cord with his conscience. We
Catholics would be well advised
to accept public policy based
on these norms and to rely on
persuasion rather than politi
cal pressure to convince others
of our doctrinal stand."
Thank you very much.
REV. LEONARD F.X.MAYHEW
LaGRANGE, GEORGIA
SURGEON CONTENDS
Christ’s Death
Cause Disputed
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE)
NEW ORLEANS, April 8 --
A surgeon contended here that
Christ died of "heart failure
and shock," disputing the claim
of others that the death result
ed from tetanic asphyxiation.
Dr. Lawrence F. McCune of
this city, who is a certified
specialist of the American
Board of Obstetric and Gyn-
echological Surgery, spoke fol
lowing the showing of a film
strip of the Shroud of Turin,
which is preserved in the ca
thedral in Turin, Italy, and is
believed to be the burial cloth
in which Christ’s body was
wrapped.
The physiological cause of
Christ’s death, Dr. McCune
contented, began with the Agony
in the Garden. He said there was
so much intense emotional suff
ering that profuse "sweat-like
drops of blood" caused a state
similar to exhaustion.
The surgeon said Dr. Pierre
Barbet in his book "A Doctor
at Calvary" was not complete
ly accurate in stating that
Christ’s death resulted from
tetanic asphyxiation only. In
conjuction with the Agony in
the Garden, Dr. McCune said
sodium chloride is lost in such
a condition and an excess of
potassium builds up in the body
that makes muscles irritable.
In such a condition Christ
went for 20 hours without food
or sleep and endured at least
60 scourges that lacerated His
skin, causeing further pain and
blood loss, the surgeon said.
When He was crucified, Dr.
McCune said, nails were driven
through the wrists. This action,
he added, partially or complete
ly destroyed the median nerve
and brought about excruciating
pain. This condition alone is
enough to throw most persons
into a state of neurogenic shock,
he said.
THE MAIN cause of Christ's
death on the Cross, Dr. McCune
said, was due to the fact that
He hung with no support for
His body muscles and the blood
was not pumped back up to
His heart by the normal act
ion of the leg muscles.
In this condition, the surgeon
said, the blood stagnates in
the lower extremities and there
is an accumulation of blood in
tissues under the skin. The
effect, he added, is a diminish
ed volume of circulating blood
and hence loss of effective ox
ygenation.
Dr. McCune said Christ could
possibly have died of tetanic
asphyxiation as Dr. Barbet
claims. But had this happened,
he said, His whole body would
have been so rigid there could
have been no speech at the end
and His arms probably could
not have been folded over as
they are pictured in the Shroud,
Ecumenicalism
Via Old Organ
ELIZABETH, N. J. (NC)—
A Catholic church here donated
its old organ pipes to a near
by Seventh Day Adventist ch
urch.
The donation was made by
Msgr. William C. Heimbuch,
pastor of St. Genevieve’s Cat
holic church where a new ele
ctronic organ is being installed.
The 2,000 pipes from the old
organ are now being installed
at the Adventist church but it
may take a year to complete
the task.
A HAPPY EASTER TO YOU!
The Holy Father's Mission Aid
fir the Oriental Church
E ostur—-that's where our word “Easter” comes from, meaning
“Season of the Rising Sun.” This Feast of New Life, cele
brated in pre-Christian times, to us
signifies the new life of the Risen
Christ.
But the villagers of REMAYLE In
the Maronite diocese of TRIPOLIS,
CJ \ V» Lebanon, don’t even have a church in
SES S f Bl* which to celebrate Easter. 460 hard
working farmers a few years ago be
gan to build one, but have only been
able to raise the walls of ST. SI
MON’S. $2,000 will complete this
building, which lacks roof, floor, in
side plastering and furniture. Won’t
you help?
A ustrian country folk used to have a lovely custom. Any
stranger might enter their home on Easter Day, receive
a royal welcome, partake of the Easter Feast. You can welcome
a STRANGER to your table by sending a 810 JFOOD PACK
AGE to a Palestine Refugee family, enough to help them a
month.
S olemn Blessing of special food was always observed in .East
ern Europe. Sometimes the festive dishes were piled on huge
tables outside the church and blessed - rrmrrmm
with great solemnity by the priests /j£\ WTllly^
after the Easter Liturgy. *==
By educating a seminarian or train
ing a sister-to-be you can bring a
great blessing to those in missionary
lands. SEBASTIAN THAIL and IG
NATIUS THALAKOTTOOR are two
students for the priesthood in Manga
lore, India. They need 8100 a year for
six years each ... Or perhaps you
would like to pay the expenses of a novice, either SISTER
MARIE AMINA or SISTER MARIE SARA of the Daughters of
Mary Immaculate in IRAQ. 8150 a year for two years is needed
for each novice.
T he Lamb, symbol of Christ, is always connected with Easter.
The Italians bake wonderful lamb-shaped cakes, white-
frosted, a* a table centerpiece. Christ, the Lamb of ;God, is-of-
fered up daily by our 15,000 missionary priests. Your MASS
OFFERINGS are often their only support.
ggs for Easter go back many years. The egg, symbol of life,
also represents the tomb from which Christ rose. Slavic
people make beautiful designs on them with wax and colored
paints, masterpieces requiring hours of painstaking work. We
will send a lovely EASTER GIFT CARD to someone in whose
name you wish to make a gift. STRINGLESS GIFTS enable US
to help where help is most needed.
R ibbits were believed by our ancestors to have unusual powers.
tk« were supposed never to close their eyes or bleep,
day or night. Later the Easter Bunny be-
came the legendary producer of colored
eggs for children.
In some part of the 18 countries in
the Near and Far East, it is always day
and our priests, brothers and sisters are
awake to serve the poor, the lepers, the
orphans, old folks, and to administer the
sacraments. You can participate in their
work and gyaces by joining our associ
ation:
Single membership: 81 a year. Family membership: 85 a yesr.
Single life membership: $20. Family life membership: SHHJ.
Dear Monsignor:
E
Enclosed find for
Name .
Street
Zone
City
State
IlcarSst Olissioiis ^
flANCIS CARDINAL SPILLMAN, Preside*
T. Kyw, HuFI Wy
Mirisertees tet
CATHOLIC NKAR LAST WflPARI ASSOCIATION
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