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THE CATHOLIC PRESS « 1 Ecumenical Movement Holds Primary Religious Interest BY MONSIGNOR DANIEL MOORE To my knowledge neither of the terms used in the title has ever been neatly defined as to nature and purpose. I presume, however, that the read ers know what I’m about. The ecumenical move ment holds the primary religious interest of the day and, at the invitation of your editor, I would like to investigate the relevance of the Catho lic Press to the success of the cause. Ecumenism might aptly be described as that movement which, under the guidance and inspi ration of the Holy Spirit, seeks to realize the de sire of Our Lord expressed in the 17thchapter of St. John’s Gospel, ‘That they all may be one.” I KNOW of no Christian denomination which reverences the word of God as it is found in the Scriptures and strives to fulfill it that does not have at least a mild interest in the ecumenical movement. Some groups are intensely interested and actively engaged in exploring every avenue that might possibly lead to Christian concord. CATHOLIC PRESS MONTH This is the first in a series of 12 articles on the Catholic Press written exclusively for The Georgia Bulletin by leading editors throughout the country. Msgr. Moore is the editor of the St. Louis Review, official newspaper of the Archdio cese of St. Louis. This, as everyone must know, was not the case only a decade ago. Protestantism and Catholi cism were two air-tight compartments. Not only were there essential theological differences (as there still are) but there was no discussion of differences and a reluctance to cooperate even in permissible areas. It looked like an eternal stand off, with each side eager only to find the faults of the other. The latter years of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII revealed some change. For example, His Holiness received the German Lutheran Bishop, Otto Dibelius, without any of the formal ceremon ies that usually surround a papal audience. It was Pius’ way of recognizing the Bishop’s stature in his own Christian community and it did not go un noticed. BUT, OF course, the real thaw set in during the reign of Pope John. In his long years of service in the Vatican diplomatic corps he had met and be friended many a non-Catholic. His relations with them were obviously warm for he respected good faith wherever he found it. The awesome position of Supreme Bishop to which he was elected in 1958 failed to alter in the least his fundamental friend liness and, asaresult, the world witnessed the un usual spectacle of not only non-Catholic but also non-Christian religious leaders visiting the Vati can apartments of Pope John in ever increasing numbers. The convocation of Vatican Council II and the es tablishment of the Secretariate for the Promotion of Christian Unity with Cardinal Augustin Bea as MONSIGNOR MOORE its president put the Roman Catholic phase of the ecumenical movement on a firm and lasting foun dation. BUT, WHILE we are absorbed with the present, it is interesting and practical to recall that there have been ecumenical efforts in the past. The schism that separated the Eastern Churches from Rome in the eleventh century was obviously a ma jor concern of the Church. Two “Councils of Union” were held, one in the thirteenth century (Lyons, 1275) and one in the fifteenth (Florence, 1439) which were partially successful in restor ing unity, but the unity was never really effective. The reason, as Cardinal Bea remarked in an ad dress he gave in Paris last year, was because the clergy and laity were not sufficiently prepared for union. The leaders and the theologians were in agreement but indifference, lack of understanding and desire so permeated the rank and file that a successful ecumenical movement was Impossible. There is an obvious lesson contained in these chapters from history. If the current ecumenical movement is going to move forward, if the results it eventually achieves are going to be effective and lasting, then the understanding and interest of the Christian masses, clergy and laity alike, must be fostered and nutured, I AM SURE we could all think of a variety of ways in which this might be done but there are few CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 1 of Atlanta SERVING GEORGIA'S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES VOL 2 NO 6 ATLANTA, GEORGIA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1964 $5.00 PER YEAR Official LENTEN REGULATIONS Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 12 and ends at the midnight between Holy Saturday, March 28, and Easter Sunday, March 29. LAW OF ABSTINENCE: 1 Ash Wednesday, February 12 is a day of complete abstin ence; i.e., every baptized Catholic who has reached his seventh birthday is not permitted to eatmeat, or soup or gravy made from meat. All Fridays of the year are likewise days of complete abstin ence. 2. There will be one day of partial abstinence during Lent: - Ember Wednesday, February 19 Accordingly, everyone who has reached his seventh birthday, is permitted the use of meat only once - at the principal meal. LAW OF FAST: 1. This obligation binds everyone who has reached his twenty- first birthday, and has not yet reached his fifty-ninth birthday. Those so obligated are permitted only one full meal at which meat may be served. Further, meat may be taken only at the principal meal of the day. 2. In addition to the main meal, two minor, meatless meals are permitted - sufficient to maintain strength, but together in quantity, they may not equal another full meal. 3. Eating between meals is forbidden./However, liquid nourish ment may be taken at any time without prejudice to the Lenten Regulations. Liquids include milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea (even with cream and sugar), alcoholic beverages, etc. 4. All weekdays of Lent are days of fast. There is no obliga to fast on Sundays. When health, or the ability to work would be seriously affected, through the observance of these regulations, then the law ceas es to oblige. In doubt about the obligation to fast, kindly consult your pastor or confessor. N. B. A dispensation is hereby granted from the law of fast for Saturday, February 22, George Washington’s Birthday; Tuesday March 17th, in honor of Saint Patrick, and for Thursday, March 19th, the feast of Saint Joseph. VERY REV. HAROLD J. RAINEY CHANCELLOR BISHOP PROPOSES Pope As Spokesman For All Christians MUNICH (NC) A German Bis- hop suggested here that on questions of vital importance for all humanity the pope should become Christianity’s spokes man after consultation with a world organization made up of representatives of various Christian Churches. Representatives of non- Christian religions, men of good will in other fields of end eavor and perhaps even sincere atheists might be included in such a council, said Auxiliary Bishop Walter Kampe of Lim burg at a public meeting. He said that no individual churches but a world body re presenting all shades of Chris- tan opinion should express its views, and this should be done jointly through the pope. With the realization that the Church is the conscience of mankind, ”a front of men of goodwill” could be established. Bishop Kampe said. POPE PAUL DECREE This lively interest stems from the fact that “in the earth ly liturgy we take part in a fore taste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle. We sing a hymn to the Lord’s glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army. Venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them. We eagerly await the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with Him in glory’’ (Article 8, liturgy constitution). FOR THIS reason the souls of the faithful worship God, the principle and model of all holi ness, in such a way as to be, in this earthly pilgrimage, “imi tators of the heavenly zion” (from hymn of Lauds of the Feast of the Dedication of a Church). North Carolina Prelate Following is a translation of the text of Pope Paul Vi’s motu proprio Sacram Liturgiam, on implementing the ecumenical council's liturgy constitution. The many documents on lit urgical questions thathavebeen published and are well known to all demonstrate how it was the ceaseless concern of our pre decessors in the supreme pon tificate, of ourselves, and of the holy shepherds to preserve dili gently, to cultivate and to renew the sacred liturgy according to need. Another proof of this soli citude is given by the liturgical constitution which the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council has approved by general consent and which we in the solemn public session of Dec. 4, 1963, order ed to be promulgated. A STARTLINGLY modern design for the proposed new St, Mary’s Cathedral in San Franscisco is shown in this model. The immense white hyperbolic paraboloid, 17 stories high, will be square at its base and taper to a cruciform. The $7 million structure will replace the historic red-brick St. Mary’s Cathedral which was destroyed by fire in Septem ber, 1962. *JUSTICE FOR ALL’ Liturgy Motu Proprio Text Asks Civil Rights Laws RALEIGH, N.C, (NC)—North Carolina’s Catholic Bishop has called for a purging of unjust laws and customs affecting Negroes and passage of new laws guaranteeing every citi zen impartial treatment. Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh wrote in a pastoral let ter, to be read in all churches on Feb. 9: “NOW IS THE time for Americans to use their moral influence on law-enforcing bodies to assure our country of the execution of just laws, which will assure us of peace, the tranquillity of order.” “We live in the most criti cal age of our national his tory,” the Bishop wrote. “Our form of government, based nn Judeo-Christian ideals em bracing liberty and justice for all, is in its final test of ma turity.” THE BISHOP SAID he pre pared his letter in response to Gov. Terry Sanford’s request that the state’s churches mark Feb. 9 as “Good Neighbor Sun day.” “Although every day should be a good day for improving race relations, even among Catholics there could be some improvement in this regard. Therefore, we are happy to join with all our separated brethren observing ‘Good Neighbor Sun day,’ ” he wrote, IN THE MEANTIME, the North Carolina Catholic, news paper of the Raleigh diocese, will call in its Feb. 9 issue for the Knights of Columbus to change its regulation which per mits four members in an in dividual council to block the admission of qualified Negro candidates. ‘THE CONVENTION should also pass a resolution declar ing that all North Carolina coun cils would not only accept but actively seek qualified Negro members. By so doing, they would prove their organization worthy of the name ‘frater nal,’ ” the paper will say. Pole Draft Flop BERLIN (NC)—A Polish gen eral said in Warsaw that con scription of seminarians has boomeranged because there has been “an alarming increase in religious feeling” in the mili tary units in which they served, it was learned here. The Knights, it will say, are in a “uniquely favorable posi tion” to become leaders in the cause of racial justice. BISHOP WATERS’ letter ask ed; “who could imagine that nearly 186 years after 1776, our nation would be plagued by major injustices based on race or color, involving some 18,000,000 Negro - Americans, 10% of our nation’s population?” The Bishop noted widespread racial demonstrations, often begun with order but ending in violence. Yet, he said, this is a nation believing in law. “OUR GOVERNMENT has al ways been government of law, rather than government of men. It is important, there fore, that we have just laws and teach our citizens to obey them. Otherwise, civil disobe dience practiced by large num bers will increase the lawless ness of our people so woe fully brought on by Prohibition days. “It is necessary at this time in our history to go the whole way to remove the last vestige of every unjust law and custom and to frame laws which will guarantee every citizen impar tial treatment,” he wrote. For these reasons it is aopa- rent to all that it is our upper most concern that all Chris tians, and especially all priests, should consecrate themselves first of all to the study of the already-mentioned constitution and from now on, resolve to im plement its individual prescrip tions in good faith as soon as they enter into force. And since it is necessary by the very na ture of things that liturgical laws should take place lmme- daitely, we earnestly exhort shepherds of dioceses that with the help of the sacred minis ters, “dispensers of God’s mysteries” (constitution, Ar ticle 19), they should hasten to act in order that the faithful entrusted to their care may un derstand, to the degree permit ted by age, by the conditions of their own life and by their mental formation, the strength and inner value of the liturgy and at the same time partici pate very devoutly, internally and externally, in die rites of the Church (constitution, Ar ticle 19), Meanwhile, it seems evident that many prescriptions of the constitution cannot be applied in a short period of time, es pecially since some rites must first be revised and new litur gical books prepared. In or der that this work may be car ried out with the necessary wisdom and prudence, we are CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Senate Rejects Tax Credit Bill FOLLOWING A PAPAL audience in the Vatican, Pope Paul VI presents, among other gifts to West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, a medal commemorating the pontiff’s trip to the Holy Land. Shown with them (center) is Msgr. Federico Callori di Vignale of the papal household. COLLEGE EDUCATION WASHINGTON (NC) — The Senate defeated by a 48 to 45 vote following sharp exchanges in debate a proposal to permit those paying for a college edu cation to subtract a portion of the expense from Federal in come taxes. The plan was put forward Tuesday by Sen. Abraham Rib- icoff of Connecticut as an am endment to the Johnson ad ministration’s $11.6 billion tax cut bill. THE Johnson administration fought the proposal vigorously, claiming it would be too costly. Three of the Democrats who co sponsored the bill with Ribicoff voted against it: Sens. Hubert: Humphrey of Minnesota, Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Frank E. Moss of Utah Their votes would have secured its passage. The vote upheld an earlier vote in the Senate Finance Com mittee which rejected the Ribi coff amendment after hearing Treasury spokesmen say its cost of $750 million a year now and nearly $1.3 billion annually by 1970 would force a cutback in the bill's individual Income tax reductions. Papal Retreat VATICAN CITY (NC)--Pope Paul VI and cardinals of the Roman curia will go into week long retreat beginning Feb. 16, the first Sunday of Lent. All papal audiences will be sus pended until the retreat ends on Feb. 22. THE amendment would have permitted a tax credit of up to $325 a year for college costs. It would have permitted the credit for expenses at any col lege, public, private or church- related. During the debate, Sen. Wayne Morse of Oregon, chair man of the Senate education subcommittee, attacked the Ribicoff proposal, by permitt ing credits for costs of church- related colleges. Ribicoff responded to Morse: “You are injecting this issue- no one else is.” MORSE charged that pre sidents of religious colleges - “are putting on a terrific drive to get this amendment passed.” Morse’s reference apparent ly was to the support of the Ribicoff proposal by the Asso ciation of American Colleges, whose membership is about 900 liberal arts colleges, many of them church-related institut ions. Ribicoff’s proposal would have permitted a credit of 75% of the first $200 in costs, 25% of the next $300 and 10% of the next $1,000. In addition, as a^ person’s income rose, the am ount of credit would drop. Opponents charged in the de bate that colleges would raise tuitions to benefit from his bill. Ribicoff responded that “the fact is that tuitions go up wher- ( her tax relief is granted or not.