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SAIGON SUMMARY U.S. Played Inglorious Role In Fall Of Diem Regime BY MARGUERITE HIGGINS W hat is the meaning of the five tragic self-immolations that t(K)k place in Vietnam in the six weeks following the November coup d’etat against Diem? How did it come to pass that under the military junta, which seized power in the name of an end to “persecution,” there have been more suicides by fire over a short period than had ever been the case under President Diem and his brother \go Dinh Nhu? Even though virtually ignored by the Western press, will this latest spate of suicides by fire—without clearly stated reason —destroy at last the false notion that the repeated acts of self-immolation in Vietnam were indisputable proof of massive persecution of the Buddhist religion by President Diem, a Roman Catholic? Will historians be more equitable with President Diem than his contemporaries were? On two trips in Vietnam in 1963, one before and one after the coup d’etat, this writer was never able to find an instance of repression on religious grounds. Under Diem, there was repression of Buddhists, Catholics, This article is reprinted from AMERICA, national Catholic weekly review published by the Jesuit Fathers at 920 Broadway New York N. Y. &8.00 per year. Confucianists, etc., when—in defiance of clearlv stated laws—they took to the streets to demonstrate against the government. But Diem’s repression was not di rected against a religion. It was aimed at overt political opposition. There were deplorable police excesses in Vietnam, but there is no sign that they were desired or condoned by Diem any more than police excesses in Alabama are condoned or desired by Washington. There was, for a long time, a clear double standard in Vietnam, in which accusations against Diem gained, in most cases, giant headlines, but attempted refuta tions received only perfunctorv notice. For instance, last summer Thich Due Xghiep. the Xa Loi pagoda spokesman, told reporters dramatically that 365 per sons in a Saigon suburb had been arrested “because they were Buddhists.” That figure was headlined throughout the world. But when I went to the suburb in question, I found that a routine check was being made of a neighborhood through which the Vietcong often infiltrated. I stayed for two hours to talk with those rounded up as they emerged from the police compound after questioning. I talked to 20 persons- ancestor worshipers, Catholics, Confucianists, Taoists, Caodaists, etc.—before I finally found a genuine Bud dhist among those picked up. So the charge of “365 persons arrested because of being Buddhists” was invention. There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of the American press corps in Saigon thought-out of the most idealistic and patriotic motives-that thev were serving a good cause in arousing world opinion against Diem. Whether his strengths and faults were greater or less than those of his junta successors remains to be seen. It is certain that under the military junta. Vietnam ese have been jailed for far less than was necessarv to send a person to prison under Diem. Said a Euro pean observer: “Under Diem, a Vietnamese had to do something specific against the regime to get into trou ble. Under the military junta, a Vietnamese can be jailed without charge, simply under the suspicion that he was loyal to the Diem regime when it was the legally constituted authoritv.” Sanche de Gramont. of the New York Herald Trib une, has estimated the number of arbitrarv arrests right after the coup as around 500. So far. Mr. de Gramont and this reporter are the only ones who have written with any detail about the junta’s reversion to some of the police state tactics the Saigon press corps so bitterly criticized in Diem. Nowadays, some of the most ardent anti-Dicm w rit ers, such as David Halberstam, Saigon correspondent of the New York Times, acknowledge that the Buddhist agitation of last summer and fall was politically moti- (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) the Archdiocese of Atlanta POPE PAUL HOLY LAND SUPPLEMENT GEO i SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES VOL. 2 NO. 2 ATLANTA, GEORGIA THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1964 $5.00 PER YEAR VATICAN COUNCIL FIGURE Gustave Weigel, Noted Theologian, Ecumenist, Dead NEW YORK (RNS)— Father Gustave Weigel, S. J., famed U.S, theologian and ecumenical leader, died here suddenly while preparing for a meeting with the Jesuit editors of America, national Catholic weekly. He would have been 58 on Jan. 15. Archbishop Lawrence J.She- han of Baltimore offered a Solemn Pontifical requiem ( Mass at Woodstock College, at Woodstock, Md. where Father Weigel taught and resided at the Jesuit Seminary. Present in the Sanctuary for the Mass were Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle of Washington The theologian, whose writ ings and lectures on approaches to Christian unity had won the praise of Protestants here and abroad, only recently returned from Vatican City where he had served a dual role during the* second session of the Second Vatican Council. HE WAS A MEMBER of the Vatican Secretariat for Pro moting Christian Unity headed by Augustin Cardinal Bea. As part of his work he had at tended every meeting of the Council in 1962 and 1963. Last Fall he had also assist ed in the press briefings ar ranged by the U. S. hierarchy for American journalists covering the Council. Many se cular publications had com mented favorably on the patient delineations of Church theology given by Father Weigel and his frank and thorough replies, fre- qently with a robust touch of hu mor, to questions by newsmen. IN SPITE OF an extraordina rily taxing schedule, he still found time to do personal favors for delegate observers and journalists. His contacts and relation ships with Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish leaders were fre quent and friendly. Long before tile Vatican had begun to assign official observers to confer ences of non-Catholic com munions and agencies, Father Weigel had attended such ses sions — usually listed as “an unofficial observer” or as a ' religious journalist.” Sherrin, C. S. P., editor of The Catholic World, attended the first North American Con ference on Faith and Order at Oberlin, Ohio, as unofficial ob servers. That conference was sponsored by the Faith and Or der Commission of the World Council of Churches, the U. S. Conference for the World Coun cil, the National Council of Churches, and the Canadian Council of Churches. Early in 1963, Father Weigel was one of four noted theolo gians involved in a Catholic University officials removed the four names from a list of proposed speakers submitted by officers of the student body. Later the officials said the names w ere deleted because the positions held by the four theo logians were still being deba ted before the Council and the university did not wish to ap pear to be taking sides on theo logical questions. Father Weigel was born in Buffalo, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1906. He was educated at Woodstock College, and the Pontifical Gre gorian University in Rome and was ordained in 1931. CATHOLIC APATHY MOMENTOUS SUCCESS Pope’s Pilgrimage Encouraged World SEE ALSO HOLY LAND SUPPLEMENT INSERT SNOW IN GEORGIA, a rare event, is portrayed in this pastoral scene of St. Thomas More Church, Deca.ur, after last week’s stormy weather. FOR THIRD SESSION Says Council Statement On Jews Is Still Alive NEWARK, N. J., (NC)—There is no danger that the proposed Editor Sees ‘Moral Myopia’ In Laity IN 1957, HE and Father John NEW YORK (RNS)—Ameri can Catholics share with others a general apathy toward the problem of atomic warfare, a prominent Catholic book editor said here at the annual meet ing of the Ame^can PAX Asso ciation. Philip Scharper, editor of Sheed 8; Ward, Catholic book publishers in New York, said most Christians view atomic warfare with "moral myopia and apathy.” Will Visit Pope VATICAN CITY (NC)—West German Chancellor Ludwig Er hard will be reveived in private audience by Pope Paul VI on Wednesday, Jan. 29. CATHOLIC APATHY, he as serted, is traced to two main sources: nationalism and a “code morality rather than a morality of commitment.” Per sonal commitment, he stressed, Is needed to combat the prob lem of nuclear warfare. "Love is the strongest force in human affairs,” Mr. Schar per contended. "Christian 'ove can never be overcome by vio lence; it does not suo.umb to violence nor conform to its de mands.” The American PAX Associa tion, a group of Catholics and others so king to promote peace •ind to encourage the application of Christian principles to the question of war, is affiliated with PAX of England. /atican Council statement on the Jews can “be pushed dut of sight and so sink Into oblivion,” in the opinion of a priest who worked on the document. Msgr. John M. Oesterreich- er, a consultor to the Secre tariat for Promoting Christian Unity, said in an interview here that even if the statement as proposed does not return to the floor “it could not be forgot ten.” MSGR. OESTERREICHER, a convert from Judaism, is direc tor of Seton Hall University’s Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies. He was answering questions about chapter four in the schema on ecumenism. Council Fathers did not have an opportunity to vote on the acceptability of that chapter for discussion before the coun cil adjourned Dec. 4. The chap ter deals with Christian-Jew- ish relationships. Msgr. Oesterreicher pointed out that the chapter had been in troduced in the council and therefore “the influence of its teaching will be felt far and wide.” HOWEVER, he did say it is possible that chapterfour “may have to give way to others that in the minds of their pro moters are as urgent, or even more urgent, than this one. “To say that this is possible is not to say that I expect it,” he said. "On the contrary, I continue to hope that the decree will be brought again before the Fathers of the Council and over whelmingly adopted. “But if by some accident it did not come up at the next session, there are other ways to publish it. The Pope could make it his own or a post-con- ciliar commission could issue it as a directive. “THE MAJOR difficulty I see is this: If the majority felt that the decrees on the Jews and on religious liberty should not form part of the schema on ecu menism and wished that they be included in the forthcom ing pro posal on the Church and the modern world, the present drafts would have to be reduced in size and thus perhaps suffer in substance. Still, I am confi dent that the outcome will bring honor to the Church and bless ing to the world.” JERUSALEM, Jordan (NC) — Pope Paul VI, in the opin ion of observers here, went far toward achieving the three main purposes of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land: to promote Christian unity, to foster world peace and to manifest the Church t the world. His efforts for Christian unity were highlighted by his two meetings with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athena- goras of Constantinople, who said the meetings will “become the prelude of a mutual com munion, the dawn of a lumi nous and blessed day, in which future generations, commun— ing in the same chalice of the most precious Blood and Body of the Lord, will glorify the only Lord and Saviour in char ity, peace and unity.” PEACE WAS a recurring theme in virtually all of Pope Paul’s addresses during his three-day visit. At the very beginning of his trip— at the Rome airport before his depar- turs (Jan. 4) —he told the crowd bidding him bon voyage: “In these days, when the sacred lit urgy recalls the Prince of Peace, we will beg Him to give the world this precious gift.” His first talk on arriving in the Holy Land at Amman, Jor dan, also stressed peace. He told King Hussein who wel comed his plane: “Our visit is a spritual one, a humble pilgrimage to sacred places. . . At each one of these venerable shrines we shall pray for that peace which Jesus left to His Disciples.” DURING his visit, in reply to a request from President Lyn don B. Johnson, he promised to pray for the success of America's peace efforts. On his return to Rome (Jan. 6) he recalled his prayers for peace, saying that “at the grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem we have begged for all men of good will the gift of true and lasting peace.” Pope Paul's attempts to show the Church to the world anew were in keeping with the feast of the Epiphany which he cele brated here. TTie Pontiff met the leaders and was cheered by the People of two predominantly non-Christian nations, Jordan and Irael. He sent messages to heads of state of the nations over which his plane flew on his way here. He sent special messages to 220 heads of sta tes— including communist rul ers—and international organ izations. A message to the non- Christian world was a major theme of the principal address of his tour. THE PAPAL Pilgrimage broke many precedents. Pope Paul was the first pon tiff to come to the Holy Land since St. Peter left it more than 1,900 years ago. He was the first Pope to fly in a plane during his reign. He was the first Popeinmore than five centuries to meet with a patriarch of Constantinople. He traveled further from Rome than any pontiff before him. While here he visited and prayed at Christianity's most sacred shrines He offered Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built on the site of Christ’s cru cifixion and burial: in the Church of the Nativity in Beth lehem, erected over the spot where Christ was born, and at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, which marks the place where the Archangel Gab riel told Our Lady she was to bear the Redeemer. HE VISITED the mount of Oli ves and the Garden of Get- hsemane, where Christ suffer ed his agony. He stopped and prayed on the shore of the River Jordan, in which Christ was baptized. He toured Galilee, where Christ preached His Gospel, passing through Canaz where Christ performed His first miracle, and visiting the Basilica of the Loaves and Fis hes, the ruins of a synagogue in Caphernaum built on the foundations of an earlier syna gogue where Christ worshiped. OFFICIAL Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan has been admitted to St, Joseph’s Infirmary, suffering from hepatitis, seemingly con tracted while attending the Second Session of the Vatican Council In Rome, The specialists attending the Archbishop have prescribed complete rest, and his engage ments for January are hereby cancelled. The faithful are urged to frequent prayer for the Arch bishop's speedy recovery and return to the works o f the archdiocese, *** APPOINTMENT Archbishop Paul J, Hallinan has appointed the Rev, Eusebius J. Beltran, Vice-Officialls, to the further post of Vice- Chancellor, effective im mediately. Very Rev. Harold J, Rainey Chancellor Pope Paul VI Patriarch Athenagora* I