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PRAY FOR
CONCLAVE
Archdiocese of Atlanta
SERVING
GEORGIAS
NORTHERN
COUNTIES
ar]
VOL. 1 NO. 23
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1963
$5.00 PER YEAR
AND COUNCIL EXPECTATIONS
Cardinal Bea Gives Exclusive Impressions
The brief visit of Augustine Cardinal Bea to
the United States in April of this year gave many
Americans a quick glimpse at this remarkable
young-old prelate whose name has become a syno
nym for the hopes of Christians everywhere. On
his return to Rome to carry on the vital work of
the Secretariate for Christian Unity, he carried
with him interesting views on the progress and
particular problems of unity faced in the United
States. While attending the spring session of the
Councillar Commission on the Sacred Liturgy in
Rome, I had the opportunity of discussing these
views with him.
Their cogency, in this interim period of the
Second Vatican Council, prompted me to request
the Cardinal to approve their publication, in ques-
tion-and-answer form, in our archdiocesan news
paper, THE GEORGIA BULLETIN. This he gra
ciously did, believing that every encouragement
should be given to the '‘benevolent explosion’* in
our country of ideas and energies concerned with
the ecumenical movement. Since the questions also
Included several religious liberty and Church-
State relations, Cardinal Bea’s observations, fol
lowing his American visit, will be of interest to
our wide audience of readers, both Catholics,
and those of other faiths,
Father Stephen Schmidt, S. J., secretary to His
Eminence, in transmitting the answers, wrote me
that the Cardinal's many occupations render this
"as a quite exceptional case", and asked that
this be noted, because similar requests would have
to be denied. He added that Cardinal Bea compos
ed the answers and approved publication because
of the importance of the questions involved, and
the area concerned.
It is hardly necessary to add our appreciation
of his kindness and courtesy to the readers of
THE GEORGIA BULLETIN.
FIRST QUESTION:
On your recent visit to the United States, did
you find the ecumenical climatefavorable? In what
particular ways? In comparison with European
countries.
REPLY;
I find that it has improved in an absolutely
surprising manner. Evidently, my recent trip by
itself would not authorize me to make a judgment
of this type since I hardly even touched the eas
tern part of the United States and, even then, for
only a short stay of ten days, during which I
was principally occupied with die conferences and
lectures which I had to give. Nonetheless, the con
tacts 1 had already indicated a great change.
These indications also received ample confir
mation from the unbelievable number of invita
tions which I received on the occasion of this
trip. Even though it was already clear by the
end of December that I would not be able to
prolong my absence from Rome because of work
for the Council, still the invitations continued
to be sent me.
The number of invitations I had to decline, re
gretfully, rose to over seventy. While from among
these there were about twenty which come from
non-Catholic sources, the remaining fifty-among
which there were twenty from universities and
colleges - give eloquent testimony to the enor
mous interest Catholics have for the union of
Christians. Since the invitations came from just
about every section of the United States they
truly give evidence of die existence of this In
terest for the cause of union just about every
where.
If one wishes to make a comparison with Eu
ropean countries - although even here there are
great differences from country to country - per
haps one could say that in these countries the in
terest for union has been growing slowly over a
period of number of decades. In the United States,
on the other hand, one feels that there has been
something of an explosion which was unforseen -
though not for that reason less useful or promis
ing - as a result of the events of the Council
and in connection with it, especially as a result
of more personal and direct contacts and the ex
change of ideas with other parts of the Church.
This type of benevolent explosion is certainly
clear evidence of the fruitful energies, ready
for every type of good, which lie hidden in Ame
rican Catholicism ami only wait to be aroused,
as if freed from their bonds, and directed along
the ways of a dynamic activity. And, granted the
excellent quality of this Catholicism - I am think
ing, for example, of the exceptional fidelity to the
practice of religion, of the unbelievable achieve
ments in the field of education and of charitable
work - 1 would say that things could not really
be otherwise.
SECOND QUESTION:
Do you think that the extensive religious plura
lism In the U. S. (some 300 sects) is favorable
or unfavorable to the development of religious
unity? (e. g. by comparison with the European
situation where usually one or two large Pro
testant confessions dominate the non-Catholic
scene?)
REPLY:
For the present this situation renders ecumeni-
clal activity muchmore difficult. Consider merely
the great practical difficulties which arise in or
ganizing meetings between members of different
confessions. The enormous differences which
exist among the various denominations - extend
ing even to the point where some of them no
longer recognize baptism - make the situation
extraordinarily grave. In fact, what common
bonds still remain if such fundamental elements
are lacking? Now can there be any meeting of
minds on a religious level which is specifically
Christian if there is a lack of some common
elements? It is obvious that, given this doctri
nal situation, mutual esteem and charity also
become more difficult. The many tensions and ani
mosities which unfortunately not only exist at
present, but even make their weight felt in pri
vate life and, above all, in public life, are clear
proofs of that.
Nevertheless, I would also like to draw atten
tion to the positive aspects of your situation.
There is no doubt that the widespread dispersal
of forces among Christians engenders and makes
more intense the nostalgia of unity. The extreme
intensity of the division makes more clearly ap
parent all the absurdity of the division itself
and spurs on the search for a remedy. It is not
by chance that among the pioneers of the first
rank in the ecumenical movement of the past
fifty years, there have been Americans such as
Charles H. Brent and John R. Mott. Furthermore,
the many efforts at reunification which have taken
place, and are continually being carried on among
various groups of non-Catholics, constitute a pre
cious ecumenical experience. Finally, looking at
things from the point of view of Divine Providence,
it is clear that a serious situation always consti
tutes an appeal addressed by God Himself to each of
His sons to direct their attention to all the mem
bers of the great family of God, not seeking their
own proper interests but only those of Christ. Ami
we know that God does not appeal nor command in
vain but-according to the well-known phrase of St.
Augustine - commands us to do what we can and
to ask for what we cannot do by ourselves.
THIRD QUESTION:
Do the European countries which are progres
sing most effectively in the ecumenical sense have
strong diocesan Commissions for Christian Unity?
National Commissions? What do you advise in
other regions, e. g. the U. S.?
REPLY:
In Europe the initiatives vary from country to
country. For example, in England the Episcopal
Conference has a subcommission for ecumenical
questions which studies, refers and proposes mea
sures in the national Episcopal Conference. In
France, there is a National Secretariate provided
by the Archbishop of Rouen, and at least a half-
dozen diocesan secretariates. In Germany there
does not exist a commission in the proper sense
of the term but, as part of the activities of
the national Episcopal Conference, His Excellency
the Archbishop of Paderborn has the charge oif
studying the question connected with ecumenical
work and of referring them to the Conference.
Alongside of the Commission and enterprises al
ready mentioned, in these same countries there
are sometimes also Commissions or, at times,
simple secretariates on the diocesan level as,
for example, in Paris and in some other dioceses
BY ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HALLINAN
(Copyright, The Georgia Bulletin)
CARDINAL BEA
of France. These organs are under the super
vision of the Ordinary and have the task of fur
nishing Information to the pastors and other asso
ciations and of aiding and stimulating ecumenical
enterprises.
This variety in procedure is very instructive.
Actually, it is not arbitrary, but reveals the
great diversity in conditions which must be taken
into account. Now it is clear that such a prudent
manner of acting is even more imperative for the
United States since it is a country which is almost
as large a continent with populations which are
also quite different. Consider the differences in
countries, and even in continents, of origin as
well as the tradition which each one of the groups
brought over with it and preserves partly out
of jealous interest, partly out of unconscious re
action. Consider also the differences in climate,
in economic and cultural conditions, the differ
ences of the religious confessions and the geo
graphical distribution of these. Therefore, before
establishing an organization on the national level,
care should be taken to create concrete bases and
stimulate initiatives on the diocesan and parochial
level corresponding to immediate exigencies, to
their urgency and to the possibilities and pros
pects offered.
In conclusion, I would say this in general about
these commissions - in the present <case,t dio
cesan ones - they should properly be an organ
through which the hierarchy follows, aids and sti
mulates ecumenical enterprises. In ecumenical
work we are actually engaged, to a large extent,
in a field which is new and unexplored where it
is possible to make mistakes, to take false steps.
It is therefore necessary to remain in the closest
contact with the hierarchy, with those whom the
Holy Spirit has established to rule the Church of
God. This does not mean that centralization or
uniformity are necessary or desirable. Always
allowing for proper initiative, these commissions
can give advice, give information about the exper
iences of others, stimulate action, be enlightened,
circumspect and prudent.
FOURTH QUESTION:
In the U. S., Catholics (and many who are not
Catholics) are anxious that a more accurate and
modern definition of religious liberty be given by
the Catholic Church. Would you think that the
statement in Pacem In Terris will be a guide to
more theological discussion on this and that it
would lead to such a definition? Will the Council
discuss and define this question?
REPLY:
1 am glad Your Excellency confirms this great
desire of the Catholics of the United States. As
you know, it is shared by Catholics and non-Catho-
lics of many other countries. For this the Sec
retariate for Promotion Christian Unity, aware of
the urgency of the matter through its own ecu
menical experience, has made itself the inter
preter of this desire before the Council. After
long study, and ample and searching discussion,
a schema was presented to the Central Prepara
tory Commission, which, as we informed by the
official statements on the work of the Central
Commission, was discussed by this Commission in
June, 1962. From the same statements we are in
formed that the schema upheld the necessity of
recognizing a man’s right to follow the dictates of
his own conscience in matters of religion. It
consists also in a recognition of the duties of
civil society, in all its forms, including the state,
to respect in practice the citizen’s inalienable
rights to religious liberty. This right of man -
as you appositely noted in your question - was
very clearly affirmed in the recent encyclical,
“Pacem In Terris” which said: "Every human
being has the right to honor God according to the
dictates of an upright conscience, and therefore
the right to worship God privately and publicly.”
(Vatican English Edition, p. 4).
You ask me if the Council will discuss and
define this question. Without being, or wishing to
be, a prophet, it seems to me that there already
exists the well-known declaration of Pius XII in
his discourse to the Catholic Jurists in 1953.
We have the even more solemn declaration of
Pope John XXIII in his encyclical, as we have
already mentioned. Anyone who understands the
actual religious situation of the world today is
aware, that in name and even more in fact, there is
an ever-increasing differentiation among men in
the field of religion. This is most explained by
the frequent migration and expulsions even from
so-called Catholic countries. It thus becomes even
more urgent that the affirmation of the dignity
of the human person, from every aspect, with all
his rights, of which the Church through her social
doctrine becomes more a champion every day,
be applied also with respect to religious liber
ty - and although this is already well-known, I
might add the great importance of this question
for ecumenical work. For all these reasons I
do not doubt that those who eyes are opened to
the reality of the situation of mankind today, and
who keep before their eyes the intense doctrinal
activity of the Church over the past few decades
in the social field, will realize the great re
sponsibility they have of being, each one in his
own position and in the field of his proper ac
tivity, a light to the world with respect to this
particular question which is of such fundamental
importance.
FIFTH QUESTION:
The Catholic Church in the United States has
flourished under our particular relationship with
the State, according to her pastoral experience
and the public statements of her hierarchical
1 leaders from Archbishop John Carroll down to the
present time. Can the American experience not
'
IOANNES PPXXIII
IM'
;
ifl
THE LATE Pope John XXIIFs sarcophagus, surrounded by
floral wreaths, rests in the chapel of the Madonna Bocclata (Our
Broken Lady), in the grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica. The
chapel takes he name from the sculpture above the sepulchre
which was damaged in past centuries. The silver wreaths
flanking the tomb were sent by the people of Spain while the re
maining floral petoes were sent by’ prisoners of two jails, one
in Rome and the other in Verona.
ot u.s.
be considered as enriching the historic teaching
of the Church on this subject of Church-State?
REPLY:
Permit me to be brief and not to enter into
discussing the requirements of the problem it
self, since this is not my particular field. Of
course, I realize that this question is intimately
connected with the preceding one concerning re
ligious liberty'. I believe, then, that I can briefly
say the truly flourishing state of the Church
in the United States, even if due to a whole series
of factors, undoubtedly constitutes an irrefutable
proof that your particular experience in this area
has been truly fruitful and that it can make a
strong contribution to the solution of this peren
nial and thorny problem. I can add that this ex
perience is particularly useful today and will be
come more so - since it involves an experience
which developed in a particular form of society,
that Is, a pluralistic society. Now since religious
differentiation is becoming more and more wide
spread today, as we say above, the importance
of your experience is clear. Consequently, without
wishing to give suggestion which does not fall
within my competence, - it is my desire and
hope that, out of love for the Church, the leaders
of the Church in your country-together with other
Fathers of the Council - will, at the appropriate
time and place, give to this question their strong
and fruitful witness, based on a rich practical
experience.
SIXTH QUESTION:
Will the work of the Secretariate for Unity be
as Important after the Council as during it?
REPLY:
Undoubtedly the Secretariate will be much more
important after the Council. What the Lord has
accomplished in the field of unity from the be
ginning up the present has truly surpassed our
fondest hopes and has something miraculous about
it if one considers how great were the obstacles
and the age-old barriers which have been torn
down, broken or at least moved. But we shouldn’t
forget that, even if this is a great and promis
ing beginning, all of it still remains only a begin
ning. The true work of extending and deepening
it - about which we have said something in our
previous answers - still remains ahead of us. Now
for this work there is urgent need - not of uni
formity - but of prudent coordination, assistance,
support and direction. There is need to receive
and furnish information, to promote the exchange
of experience, enlarge contacts. And perhaps the
most urgent task of all is the spreading of the
ecumenical apostolate among Catholics by carry
ing it into every diocese, every’ parish, to every
social group nr profession, into the life, no mat
ter how humble it is, of each one of the faithful.
The Secretariate, for its part, Is already mak
ing preparations for this task. Already at the end
of the first session of the Council there was an
nounced the establishment - under a single presi
dent and a single secretary - of two district
sections: one for the non-Catholic oriental Chris
tians of various rites, the other for the commu
nities arising out of the Reform in the 16th
Century. The two sections are now already being
organized. These are all reasons for making a
proper comparison between the institution of the
Secretariate and the decision taken by the Holy
See in the 17th Century to establish the Congre
gation of Propaganda, that is, for the missions.
The basis for this comparison naturally does not
lie in the fact that non-Catholic Christians are
considered in the same way as non-Christians,
for certainly they are not, but only by the fact
that the Institution of the Secretariate shows how
the Church is more vividly aware of its perma
nent responsibility towards Christians separated
from the Apostolic See, and how she has felt
the need to establish a permanent organ to take
care of them and to which our brethren have
been able to turn to up to now with the security
that they would find not only a ready welcome but
also assistance and understanding, charity, and
fraternal treatment, advice and aid.
Let us conclude our conversation, then, by un
derlining in a special way the great obligation
every Catholic has of becoming interested fra
ternally and practically in non-Catholic Christians
and in the unity of all baptized. Let me underline
also our lively hope that, just as the Catholics
of America have taken to themselves with energy
and vigor so many other interests and preoccu
pations of the Church, they will do likewise
in the field of Christian unity. It is certainly a
very’ wide and difficult field. Every Catholic is
called to this sublime work; every force and
energy, in its proper place, is precious and in
dispensable. Each contribution is a stone through
which the raising of the entire edifice of the Church
goes on in a well-determined order towards the
formation in the Lord of the Holy Temple, in which
all the baptized are themselves incorporated into
the fabric to form, through the Spirit, the dewil-
ing place of God ( cf. Epy. 2,21 ss) so that there
may be brought to realization the final prayer of
Jesus, Our High Priest, “that all may be one,
even as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that
they also may be one in us, that the world may
believe that Thou hast sent me." (John 17, 21).