The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current, November 07, 1963, Image 4

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The Georgia bulletin, November 07, 1963, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextHAUL 4 GLORGlA BULLETIN THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7, 1963 -m Archdiocese of Atlanta the ' WS ... ^ GEORGIA BIILLETIH SltVINC GEORGIA'S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Published Every Week at the Decatur DeKalb News PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan 2699 Peachtree N.E. P.O. Box 11667 Northside Station Atlanta 5, Ga. Member of the Catholic Press Association and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. News Service Telephone 231-1281 U.S.A. $5.00 Canada $5.00 Foreign $6,50 Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga. Sordid Reporting A Buddhist government took over in the wake of the week end coup against the Diem regime in Vietnam. The president and his brother were murdered, despite strenuous efforts on the part of the American secular press to make them appear suicides. We hold no brief for the alle ged excesses committed against the Buddhists by President Diem and his brother. However, we feel that reports of religious per secution of the Buddhists mino rity have been grossly exaggera ted by biased (and perhaps bigot ed) press reporters represent ing some sections of the Ameri can news media in Vietnam. We have never witnessed such a “hatchet job" done on an alleg ed friendly government by the U. S. press. We are at a loss to explain the motives, but we discern a certain antipathy to the Catholic religion, and the de finite application of a double standard by the secular press. One of the clues concerns an item reported by two of our radio networks a couple of weeks ago. A Buddhist nun attempted suicide in a crowded business section of Seoul, Korea. She had set out to burn herself to pro test alleged anti- Buddhist poli cies of the present Korean gove rnment. Only quick action by a passer-by thwarted the Buddhist nun’s immolation by fire. We have searched all major newspapers for information on this item with out avail. We can rightly ask whether such silence would have been maintained by the U. S. press if the Buddhist suicide at tempt had occurred when JohnN. Chang, the former Catholic Chief Executive of Korea, had been in office. We hope, too, that those U. S. clergymen who paid for several full-page advertisements pro testing the “persecution* ’ of Bud dhists in Vietnam are now sat isfied. We hope, too, that they will now be equally willing to spend several more thousands of dollars on full-page ads in the New York Times to protest rel igious persecution in other parts of the world. Several places come to mind: The Sudan, where the Moslem government is forcing its southern Christianminorities to embrace Islam; where Christ ian missionaries, not only Cat holic, are being jailed and ex pelled for preaching the Word of God. There is the Buddhist re gime in Ceylon, which is system atically eliminating Christian in fluence in education and culture. We could mention several other places where religious persecut- ion is rampant -- that is, apart from within the Communist world. What is most disgusting about all this is that the co-religio nists of those allegedly persecu ted in Vietnam are the ones who have been persecuting and oppressing Christian minorities in other countries for several years. For some curious reason, neither the United Nations nor the American secular press have been interested in the excesses of governments whose leaders are other than Catholic. It is a sur prising development, especially in this age of ecumenism. We are not suggesting that ex cesses by Catholic leaders of government should be condoned or excused. We deplore them, like anyone else. But why are they singled out? Why are other tyrannical leaders of govern ments permitted to go their dia bolical ways without the slightest expression of dismay or disgust in many sections of the U. S. secular news media? It seems their targets are confined to Communists and Catholics. We are surprised, too, at the thirst for justice so strongly professed by some U. S. clergymen in re lation to so-called “Catholic sins” on the Church-State level. We would be more impressed by their sincerity if this thirst applied equally to all govern ments in all parts of the world. We hope, too, to be able to comply with the new standards of identification recently set up by the U. S. news media. From now onward, you will be hearing more about the Anglican govern ment of England, the Lutheran government of Norway, the Cal vinist government of Sweden, the Catholic government of Ireland, the Dutch reform government of Holland, the Atheistic govern ments of Russia, Poland, Cze- coslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, Albania, Yugoslavia, outer Mon golia, and mainland China. Nor must we forget the Moslem gove rnments of Morocco, Algiers, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. We forgot to mention the Calvinists government of South Africa, the Muslims of Afghanistan, the Bud dhists of Ceylon and Vietnam, and the Catholic governments of Sp ain and Portugal. The whole thing is ludicrous, and shows the depths to which the U. S. news media has sunk. President Kennedy had better watch out. Several newspapers recently noted that with his appo intment of a Catholic to the post of Postmaster General, his Cab inet now contains three Cathol ics. If you count the President himself, there are four. It appears to us that one more Cat holic in the Cabinet will justify, (despite the First Amendment)* the classification of his admini stration as a Catholic one. Some of the reporting by U. S. newsmen in Vietnam has been sordid, especially in the past few months. So great was their hate of President Diem that they made him out to be a coward who had committed suicide, rat her than face the wrath of his people. At least this lie has been nailed. We wonder how much of the tragedy which took place last week-end in Saigon would have been avoided had there been honest reporting, and less ex aggeration of the so-called re ligious persecution. GERARD E. SHERRY BROTHERHOOD AND CHARITY Operation Understanding REV. LEONARD F. X. MAYHEW The spirit of brotherhood and charity is so evi dent among Christians of most denominations that it cannot fail to be a source of surprise to those who remember when such an attitude was con spicuously absent. Most of the concrete activity addressed to the problem of Christian disunity is confined to what we may call the upper eche lons of organized religion. Theologians and stu dents of the Scriptures cooperate in examining problems in their fields. The exchange of courtesies among religious leaders has come to be expected. The World Council of Churches and our own Second Vatican Council drama tize both the magnitude of the difficulty and the sincerity of those who seek its solution. Catholics are legitimately proud of the words and exam ple of the late Pope John and the present Holy Father. THE EFFORT to bridge the chasm that has divided Christians for centuries is a delicate business. Those dedicated to the work are the first to admit that, by any human estimation, the odds seem overwhelmingly against success. At a recent meeting between Pope Paul and the non-Catholic observers at the Vatican Council, a spokesman for the observers declared that the obstacles to Christian unity “appear in surmountable despite our efforts at mutual under standing.” He added however, that “the ex perience of sharing such difficulties means some progress.” It is clear that the work of the experts and leaders cannot attain its full effectiveness until it is translated into terms which have meaning for the ordinary faithful of all churches. To find a technique to accomplish this is a very baffling problem. It must be approached very carefully to avoid well-intentioned but imprudent efforts leading to misunderstanding. THIS COMING Sunday, November 10, the Atlanta Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Men will be en gaged in just such an effort, Operation Under standing. No one can say beforehand how success ful this undertaking will be. It appears that the men of the archdiocese have gotten hold of an ap proach that ought to prove very helpful. Its effec tiveness, of course, is going to depend on the right attitude and spirit of cooperation among the Catho lics of the Archdiocese. What is demanded, first of all, is an openness of heart on our part. This is not an effort to pro selytise. What we are doing is offering an invi tation to our neighbors and brothers, whom we are bound to love, to understand better what we be lieve and do as Catholics. If we will be open and generous with our invitation and, if we can com municate this attitude to those we invite, this Ope ration Understanding is bound to accomplish all its name implies. This project is a layman’s activity. The organi zation has been managed by laymen. The tours, explanations and question-answering are to be handled primarily by laymen. This is an important part of Operation Understanding. It will present a picture of the Church which few non-Catholics have seen and many have doubted existed. It will be a picture of informed and zealous lay Catholics playing a role of initiative in the work of the Church. The contacts that are made will surely stimulate the vision of unity we all share. LITURGICAL WEEK Pledge Of Future Glory BY REV. ROBERT W. HOVDA NOVEMBER 10 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. These last Sundays after Pentecost show a heavy emphasis on the last coming of our Lord, on that fulfillment and con summation of things toward which all creation groans and labors. Mass is always a reminder of this, of course, for every Eucharist, besides being a memorial of things past and a sign of God’s favor in the present moment, is as well a pledge of future glory, a sign of the kingdom of heaven. The theme is introduced in today's Mass with a consoling passage: “I do not harbor thoughts of vengeance, says the Lord, but thoughts of peace’’ (Entrance Hymn). The First Reading af firms the Christian's expectancy, his hope in history, his confidence in Christ’s meaning in history and in Christ's power “to make all th ings obey him.” And the Gospel has him opera ting, replacing disease with health and death with life. Faith is the key to his operation. MONDAY , NOVEMBER 11 ST. MARTIN, BISHOP, CONFESSOR. Faith is “this principle of light which is in thee” (Gos pel). Faith in the risen Christ, whose glorified existence after Easter assures us of God’s pow er and intent of “glorifying” or “spiritualizing” matter. The plunge of faith attains a vision of the end of God’s whole cre ative and evolutionary process providence, so that we find encouragement and impulse in a real seeing ahead. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, ST. MARTIN, POPE, MARTYR. Peter’s confession of faith (Gospel) names this goal as the Christ, the same Christ who is the means. “Christend” at the Font, we press on in every Mass, in every word and work, toward a more total identification with His Spirit, with His Church, with Him. This is the Church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, ST. DIDACUS, CONFESSOR. It is true, of course, that our pub lic worship affirms a trust and orientation which our other actions may belie. Every time we as sist at Mass we affirm that our treasure is “laid up in heaven” (Gospel). And the total con formity of all our thoughts and deeds with this confession is the end rather than the beginning of the process of Christianization and "Spiri tualization.” The First Reading is quite clear about the scorn which attends such an effort, a scorn we naturally find repugnant. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, ST. JOSAPHAT, BISHOP, MARTYR. Priest and pastor are terms that lead the Christian mind to Christ. He alone is priest, in a strict natural sense, the one med iator between God and men. And he is the good shepherd. He exercises his priestly ministry of reconciliation in a sacramental Church, through human ministers and signs. Today we honor one of the more effective, the more graced of those ministers, those bishops. And in honoring Josaphat we pray for all the Bishops in Council and for all those vicars and assistants we call priests, that Christ’s ministry be not too much impeded by human frailty. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 PARENT-TEACHERS Roar Over A Fizzle BY GERARD E. SHERRY Dear Mr. Sherry: I heard there was a loud roar from your office last week, but could not find out the cause. Hav ing just read the October 27 issue of Our Sun day Visitor, I have now found what I believe may have been responsible. That middle page spread by Father Joseph E. Keller entitled “Do You Cooperate With Your Child’s Teachers?” is a real dilly. As a teacher, I should be grateful to Father Keller for trying to defend us. Unfortunately, he does too good a job at the expense of parents. His "Ten Principles of Cooperation” have little relation to the real ities of the times, and give ammunition to those perennial cri tics of parochial sc hools. One would think that he was re ferring to our school system of the 19th rather than to that of the 20th century. I DO NOT WANT to rehash all of the principles mentioned, but would like to take just a few samples for comment. Father Keller’s third prin ciple states "The judgment of parents is, by nature, prejudiced in favor of their child. Par ents need, therefore, humility and docility to accept and heed the word of teachers, especially when these words may not be in praise of their child.” The trouble with this principle is that it presumes that the teacher is always right and the child always wrong/ Most parents that I know automatically sense a child's difficulties in school, and they are the first to back the teacher with corrective action Against their children. I feel that Father Keller is really asking for subser vience rather than humility — a kind of peace at any price. You ,and I know that true Christian docility reacts to injustice. We teachers are not free from it; neither are parents. It would be an admission of the failure of Catholic education to expect modern day parents to be silent and submissive in the face of the teacher's, as well as the pupil’s failings. I am not suggesting a rebellion of parents. Lord only knows, the few articulate ones we have keep us on our toes right now. What I am suggest ing is that we Sisters and lay teachers also suffer from the effects of original sin. We are human, and we have our failings. We only hope that our constant prayers give us sufficient grace to enable our virtues ta outweigh our failings. ANOTHER OF FATHER KELLER’S principles which rather shocks: me is the eighth: "Parents should always be on the side of authority. In times of disagreement between a teacher and a child, parents should automatically take the side of the teacher.” Father Keller says that since all legitimate authority comes from God, and both parents and teachers share the same authority, each should respect and uphold the authority of the other. Thus, when there is a disagreement between a teacher and a child, parents should immedia tely come to the defense of the person in whom God has entrusted His authority, the teacher. THE FLAW IN FATHER KELLER’S argument is that the teacher by no means has the same autho rity over a child as do the parents. The teacher complements, but does not supplant in any way, parental authority even in school. We teachers hope that our pupils will always treat us with respect; but we presume, especially in the senior grades of parochial and high schools, we are dealing with youngsters who know the difference between right and wrong. Hence, if the youngster feels he is being unjustly treated by the tea cher, his natural tendency is to bring the prob lem to his parents. I would never consider this taking sides. Indeed, to automatically suggest to the child that he is wrong and the teacher is right, leads to a dangerous situation and to the acceptance of a false set of values. Obviously, the parent must be non-commital un til he has investigated. If, after consultation, the parent still feels that the child has been unjustly treated, I see no harm in letting the child know. This, because if he understands that Sister is human, too, then he is fir more likely to respond in charity and understanding. I* know you agree that if the child is wrong the parent has an oblig ation to uphold the teacher. No, Mr. Sherry, we Sisters do not want a subser vient group of parents. We want them to be ag gressively interested, not only in their children, but also in us. We want parents to consider us as vital members lof the parish family. To be sure, we want financial assistance, but we regret that in many dioceses this is the limit to the work of parent-teacher groups. We would like many more inquiries, not only when Johnny is bad, but also when he is good. We want parents to admit their mistakes, and the mistakes of their chil dren. Above all, we want them to treat us with real respect, recognizing that we, too, are likely to make the same type of mistakes they make that while we love the children we teach, some < them exasperate us as mudh as they must exa perate their parents. , READINGS AT RANDOM TO ME, FATHER KELLER'S ten princi es only add fuel to the perennial complaint that p' 0 *" chial schools are operated in the interest of ious orders, and that the only duties of the p~ nts are to "pray and pay”. You and I know* s is a fallacy. You and I know that we can ty ust ty proud of our Catholic schools. We need n0 apology for them. Roar if you must, Mr herr y* but please remember that it was not a S er w ^° wrote the ten principles. Remembe^ 1 ® adage, "I can take care of my ew* es * but God protect me from my friends.” cfER X