The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current, December 05, 1963, Image 2

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The Georgia bulletin, December 05, 1963, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text9 PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5,1963 NEED FOR DIALOGUE Bishop Attacks Enemies Of Ecumenical Movement VATICAN CITY (NC)—The following Is the text of the re marks of Auxiliary Bishop Ste ven A. Leven of San Antonio, Tex., on the schema on ecu menism at the Nov. 26 meet ing of the ecumenical council. "What I have to say about Chapter I can also be said about Chapter II. For I wish to speak about the principles and practice of ecumenism. "EVERY DAY IT becomes more clear that we need the dia logue, not only with Protestants but also among us bishops. For there are some Fathers who have already spoken to us fre quently in the council who speak as if the only text in the Holy Bible were Matthew 16, 18: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church." "In every intervention they argue against the collegialltyof the bishops. They preach to us and chastize us as if we were against Peter and his succes sors or as if we desired to steal away the Faith of our flocks and to promote indif— ferentism. "THEY SPEAK as if our Holy Father John XXIIIhad never cit ed in our day the expression of St. Augustine: 'They are our brothers, they will not cease to be our brothers until they cease saying Our Father." "They speak as if the whole doctrine of the freedom of con science due every man, so clearly stated in Pacem in Ter ris, were offensive to pious ears. "AGAIN AND AGAIN in this hall they continue to chastize us as if the prelates who feel com pelled by clear evidence to ack nowledge the gifts of the Holy Spirit in persons of other ec- clesial bodies were denying the Council Thanked VATICAN CITY (NC) —At the opening of the ecumenical coun cil meeting of Nov. 26, Arch bishop Pericle Felici, the sec retary generaly, expressed to the council Fathers at the re quest of the Bishops of the United States their "heartfelt thanks for the condolences ten dered to the American Hierar chy on the tragic death of their President, and their deep p- preciation for the participation of the council Fathers intheso- lem requiem service in the La- teran basilica." Faith and giving grave scandal to the innocent. "They prefer to blame non- Catholics, whom perhaps they have never seen, (rather) than to instruct the children in their parishes. Otherwise why are they so afraid the efforts of ecu menism would not be good? Why are not their people better in structed? Why are not their peo ple visited in their homes? Why isn't there an active and working Confraternity of Christian Doc trine in their parishes? "IT SEEMS THE dangers arising from ecumenism may be exaggerated. The prelates who seek a sincere and fruitful dia logue with non-Catholics are not the ones who show disaffection and disloyalty to the Holy Fa ther. It is not our people who miss Mass on Sunday, refuse the sacraments and vote the com munist ticket. "It is not we who make little of the well known and often re peated (by word and example) desire of Popes Paul VI and John XXIII. And what of the will of God who, as St. Paul says (I Tim., 24), wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth? Jesus said (Mark 9, 40): 'He who is not against you is with you.’ OUR CATHOLICS are good Catholics, loyal to us bishops, to Holy Mother the Church and to the Holy Father. We have not lost the working class. They are the foundation and the sup port of the Church. "Venerable conciliar broth ers, I pray you let us put an end to the scandal of mutual recrimination. Let us proceed in an orderly way with the ex amination and study of this providential movement called ecumenism so that with patience and humility we may achieve that unity for which the Lord Christ prayed at the Last Sup per. St. Paul wrote (I Cor. 13, 13): 'So there abide faith, hope and charity, those three, but the greatest of these is charity.’ " Expanding Role Of The Laity VATICAN CITY (RNS)—The work of the Second Vatican Council will change the reli gious life of Catholics through out the world, it was asserted here in a statement by the 13 lay auditors at the Council. 'Tor the first time in his tory an Ecumenical Council has fully faced the question of the laity, endeavoring to situate them in the People of God on pilgrimage," the statement said. "AS A RESULT, our entire participation in the life of the Church will, little by little, be transformed," the auditors de clared. 'The difference will be felt to the ends of the earth, in every community even to the smallest parish." Attendance of the auditors here marks the first time in Catholic Church history that laymen have been asked to be present at an Ecumenical Coun cil. Appointed by Pope Paul VI, they are prepared to provide advice and information to the Council Fathers if requested. THE AUDITORS noted that Pope Paul had chosen them among leaders of International Catholic organizations and pro minent laymen. "We are still a very small group," they said. "We are conscious that we do not rep resent all the forms of the (lay) apostolate nor social interests nor all nations." EVEN SO, they added, "we feel...a duty to witness for the members of our organizations as well as for the laity who have confidence in us." The auditors said their pre sence at the Council was a re minder to the hierarchy of the concerns of the world. "That is why," they stated, "we endea vor to follow the work of the Council as intensely as possi ble." GOLDSTEIN *S men’s & sors apparel 31 W. PARK SQUARE MARIETTA, GA. DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT GOLDSTIENS . MANHATTAN SHIRTS, PAJAMAS, HANDKERCHIEFS . ESQUIRE SOCKS . HICKCOCK JEWELRY k BELTS . ADAMS HATS . BEAU BRUMMELL k CRICKETT TIES WHERE GUALITY CLEANING IS AN ART Fair Oaks Cleaners & Laundry PROMPT PICK UP S DELIVERY BELMONT CLEANING CENTER WEST SIDE 130 CHEROKEE ROAD SHOPPING CENTER SMYRNA, GA. MARIETTA, GA. 1302 CHURCH ST. MARIETTA, GA. Joiner’s Food Store Groceries—Meats—Frozen Foods Fancy Produce T.I.phone 9-9711 701 Chcrok** Street MARIETTA, GEORGIA Bank Of SMYRNA Join Our Christmas Club Now 685 So. Cobb Drive 148 S. Atlanta St. Smyrna, Ga. MEMBER FDIC FATHER RAHNF.E COUNCIL FATHERS shown in procession entering St. Peter's Basilica for the concluding meeting of second session of Coun cil. THIRD SESSION SET Theologian Says Is Making Real ROME (NC) — The ecumeni cal council during its second session has achieved a degree of progress that no one could have anticipated even a few years ago, in the opinion of Father Karl Rahner, S. J., one of the most outstanding Catho lic theologians of our day. Father Rahner, whose writ ings were twice singled out for commendation by Pope Paul VI during November, is in Rome as a council expert. Now a member of the theology faculty at the University of Innsbruck in Aus tria, he will soon take over the chair of the philosophy of re ligion at the University of Mu nich, Germany, previously held by Msgr. Romano Guard ini. HE EXPECTS TO pay his first visit to the United States toward the end of next year, taking up the invitation to par ticipate in the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Georgetown Uni versity in Washington. Interviewed by this corres pondent, the prominent Jesuit discounted the idea that coun cil progress is minimal. "WHAT HAS BEEN achiev ed thus far in the council will not be lost, he said. "The new mentality which so clearly pre vails in the Church, as a con sequence of the aggiornamento intended by the late Pope John and confirmed by Pope Paul without reservations, finds its expression in a courage to ex ert an independence of judgment which indeed is gratifying. "Those who feared that the impact which emanated from the first session might not be sustained during this second session have proved mistaken. Of course, one should not be too sanguine in one's expectations. The effect of the council de crees will not be felt for some time. But the progress now stimulated so hopefully is bound to manifest itself more tangibly as we move along." Council Progress "In practice this will amount to an improvement of the me thods used up until now to enable the pontiff to obtain on specific problems directly from the bis hops. Of course this does not mean that the Church will adopt some sort of parliamentary procedures. It has been demon strated more than once at the council how important it is that the Roman Pontiff should retain her supreme authority which enables him to break possible deadlocks. For the same reason, it also will be entirely in the hands of the Holy Father what reforms he will deem advisable in his cu- rial administration." ANSWERING A N 0 T H E R question, Father Rahner said that the work in the council's theological commission and subcommittees is now proceed ing quite satisfactorily. "Of course," he went on to say, "difficulties remain to be over come, especially in regard to Mariological issues, which will be debated at the next session. Reconciling opposing views in this field will not be easy. Liberality Is Keynote In Final Council Week VATICAN CITY (NC) —Ex treme liberality was the key note of the final week of the ecumenical council’s second session as the council Fathers discussed ways to encourage ecumenical relations with non- Catholics. The measures recommended included recognition of the vali dity of mixed marriages before non-Catholic ministers, per mission to attend non-Catholic religious services and coop eration with non-Catholics in the intellectual field. DURING the week the date for the council's third session was set for Sept. 14 to Nov. 20, 1964. Forty-three Fathers were also elected to additional posts on council commissions, in cluding six members of the U. S. Hierarchy. No other country had so many bishops elected to the additional posts. U. S. Bishops chosen were Auxiliary Bishop Gerald V. Mc- Devitt of Philadelphia; Bishop John W. Comber, M. M„ Supe rior General of Maryknoll; Bis hop Loras T. Lane of Rock ford, Ill.; Bishop Allen J. Bad- cock of Grand Rapids, Mich.' Bishop Charles H. Helmsing of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.; and Bishop Ernest J. Primeau of Manchester, N. H. Also ele cted was American-born Bis hop John E. Taylor. O. M. I., of Stockholm. DURING the week council de bate was on Chapters II and III of the schema on ecumenism. Chapter II deals with the impl ementation of ecumenism and Chapter III with separated Ch ristians. Since Chapters IV and V of the schema, which con cern Christian relations with Jews and religious freedom, had not yet been submitted to a vote for acceptance as part of the schema, Chapter III was the last topic to be discussed pending the fate of the two final chapters. Chapter III is divided into two parts, one dealing with the "special situation of the Orien tal church" — the Orthodox— and the other with "communiti es that have arisen since the 16th century onward" — the Protestants. Part I recognizes that "in the East many local churches hac their origin directly from the Apostles" and admits the (debt of the Church in the West to the Eastern churches for many of its liturgical elements. In ph rases of highest respect, the schema says that "pastors and faithful of«rfhe Catholic Church should give special attention to the fraternal communion exist ing among these churches on the ecclesiastical level and also to their antiquity and apostolic or igin." WITH AN eye to reunion the text declares: "The council so lemnly affirms the principle of 'unity in diversity’which allows a certain diversity of custom and practices, especially when these are sanctioned by the Ch urch Fathers. . . The full obs ervance of this traditional prin cipal, too often disregarded, Is a necessary condition to the re storation of unity." Acknowledging that a wall di vides the Eastern and Western churches, the schema declares: "It is our wholehearted purpose to demolish that wall, so that there may be but a single dwel ling whose cornerstone, Jesus Christ, will make both one." As for the "communities that have arisen from the 16 cen tury onward," the schema re cognizes the common accep tance of the Bible as "an inv aluable means for the bringing about of dialogue." While the faithful "are admo nished to abstain from all supe rficiality and from any Impru dent zeal," nevertheless the text commends "the first steps of Christians to enter into a dialogue which has already brought them closer to one ano ther." SPEAKING on Chapter II, Joseph Cardinal Frlngs of Col ogne, Germany, said the counc il should demonstrate that one church is possible here and now and is not necessarily some thing to be awaited in the dis tant future. To demonstrate this possiblility, he urged recogni tion of the validity of mixed ma rriages contracted before a non-Catholic minister. He did so, however, with some strong reservations. He said: "We should at the same time declare disapproval of mixed marriages. We should insist on the question of religious sc hools for the education of our children. If a non-Catholic par ty feels it is against his con science to promise to bring up his children in the Catholic Fa- ity, he is not to be subjected to pressure, but he should give up an idea of marriage in the circumstances. We should dec lare the validity of mixed mar riages contracted in the pre sence of a non-Catholic min ister and should remove the ec clesiastical penalties of such marriages. All this would clear the atmosphere and prepare the way for fruitful ecumenical act ivity." CARDINAL Frings was sup ported in these suggestions by Father Hilaire Capucci, super ior general of the Melkite Rite Order of St. Basil of Aleppo, who also added that legislation on participation in non-Catholic religious services should be changed. Beyond cooperation with non-Catholics in the social field, Archbishop Haycinthe Thiandoum of Dakar, Senegal, said there should be coopera tion also in the fields of sci ence, art and clutre. "We should not lose sight of the importance of intellectual activity in the work of recon ciliation," said Archbishop Emile Blanchet, rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris. "We should carefully avoid gu ard against any attitude which might give the impression that accepting the Catholic Church is like abandolng one's mother. We should have respect for the positive aspects of the faith of our separated bre thren." OPENING THE discussion of Chapter Ilk Antonio Cardinal Bacci of the Roman curia noted that the schema states that it is the duty of the Roman See "to preside in charity." To this, he said, should be added "and in authority." Melkite Rite Patriarch Maxi- mos IV Saigh of Antioch ex pressed his regret that some council Fathers had suggested a unification of die two codes of canon law of the Latin and Ea stern churches. He said "Rome has gone to considerable trou ble to give the Oriental churc hes a code of canon law dif ferent from that of the Latin Church. The results of this pro ject are certainly not perfect, but they are leading in die right direction." Bishop Bernardin Collin, 0. F. M., of Digne, France, was the first of two bishops who suggested that the Anglican Ch urch be given special treatment in the schema, just as is given the Orthodox. The other was Coadjutor Archbishop Paul Gouyon of Rennes, France. MARONITE Rite Patriarch Paul Meouchi of Antioch said: "Progress in ecumenism can be likened to progress in the spiritual life, in which the first steps are in the'purgative way.' In the spirit of this way, it is important to purge ourselves of all prejudice and false imp ressions and thus to build up a genuine respect for the churc hes of the Orient." Fernando Cardinal Qulroga Y Palacios of Santiago de Compo stela, Sapin, urged that there be special mention in the schema of the dogmas which are shared with the separated Eastern Ch ristians, such as the Eucharist and the Apostolic Succession of the episcopate. The objection was rised by Bishop Helm sing that the text refuses to apply die term "ch urch" to non-Catholic commu nities. This will certainly bean obstacle to any effective ecum- encial action, he said. BISHOP Helm sing defend ed the use of the term "church" as applied to non-Catholic reli gious bodies by citing the won derful spirit among Prote stants. He had paid tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King— a leader of Negro efforts to win civil rights—as an example of the witness non-Catholic com munities show for Christ. ASKED WHETHER this also could be said specifically in re gard to one of the key issues before the counci, before the council, namely the definition of episcopal coile- glality, Father Rahner said that a clear distinction ought to be made between the dogmatic con tent of a council decree and its practical execution: "We must not expect the council to lay down detailed di rections. These are within the competence of the Holy Father. The draft proposal on the na ture of the Church will define episcopal collegiallty in terms which will be nearly identical with those that canon law and theology in general have always used In speaking of ecumenical councils. "SUCH A DEFINITION sim ply will amount to the recog nition that die bishops jointly and under the pope are exer cising supre Jurisdiction in the church. In Whatman- ir the pope then will seek the advice of a consultative body of bishops will be up to him. "Besides, some wrinkles re main to be ironed out concern ing the status of religious or ders. As I see it, we must avoid cramming too much ecclesio- logy into this schema. But un derstandably, everybody has pet projects they want considered." ARE THE PROSPECTS of making real progress in inter faith relations truly encourag ing? Father Rahner was asked. He replied: "I think so. The work done by the Bea secretariat (the Secre tariat for Promoting Christian Unity, which is headed by Au gustin Cardinal Bea, S.J.) is splendid and bound to bear fruit in due course. "NATURALLY, HERE too we should be aware of certain han dicaps. Take the issue of mixed marriages. We must consider it not only as It affects Protes tants, but also the Orientals. How to findl a formula regard ing the promises of non-Catho- llc partners contemplating marriage with Catholics that fee acceptable to all concerned is still under discussion. OWENS FLOWER SHOP 1180 ATLANTA ROAD MARIETTA, GEORGIA NO BOSvmi UABIiTTA •*.