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PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1964 CARDINAL SVENENS SAYS Christians Must Awaken To Their Apostolic Duty WASHINGTON (NC)--Chris tianity today stands in need of a “great awakening" among its members to their duty to bring Christ to the world, Leo Car dinal Seunens said here. number of non-Christians. A half a billion compared with two and a half million, flow will we succeed in having each Chris tian bring the message of life to four others?" The Archbishop of Malines- Brussels, in an address at Georgetown University • (May 8), said the passivity of Chris tians is "the fundamental prob lem for the Church" today. ‘THE PROBLEM is of capi tal importance," he said, "One need do no more than compare two figures to realize the fact: the number of Christians, the MOTOR HOTEL *, FREE PARKING • TV ft AIR CONDITIONING • FAMOUS MIAMI BUFFET • ICE ft BEVERAGE STATIONS • COFFEE MAKER. EACH ROOM Hsrrf Donohuu, Umnmgtr Am*rlc«n Expr*,,* Credit Cards Accepted LUCKIE AT CONE ST. || A Good Addreaa In Atlanta Although the duty of Chris tians to be apostles "flows quite simply from the fact of their Baptism," Cardinal Suenens said, "in point of fact our Christian people have not yet come to see that their Christian Baptism is a call to the apostolate." "EVERY CATHOLIC has a duty to be an apostle," he said, "All who love God must try to make others love Him too. All who love their neighbor must try to share their greatest treasure, th e Faith. That is elementary charity." The Cardinal took issue with the standard catechism expla nation of the reason of human PI.AMKNCO DKCOR ^ now collection of tino. nond>foi*vod wrought *n and handcrafted, wood article* with th* romantic touch of Spanish designs to aloaso th* Anftriean taste. Mad* l* Muiis fasloilvsty far PinAmirlein Imports tt*V<*daehtryc (in Buckhoad) IGNATIUS HOUSE RETREATS IV JESUIT PRIESTS Woekend* For Mon And Weekends For Women 6700 Riverside Drive N. W. 255-0503 Atlanta* Georgia 30328 “PET.^you betl” PET MUM COMPANY DAISY DIVISION For Convenient Home Delivery In Atlanta Call 636-8677 OFFICIAL CATHOLIC DIRECTORY ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA ?964 PRICE SI.OO Your Nanto Address... City State . existence: ‘To know, love and serve God." RATHER, HE said, the pur pose of a man’s life is "to know God and make Him known; to love God and make Him loved; to serve God and make Him ser ved." Cardinal Suenens received Georgetown’s 175th anniver sary Medal of Honor from Fath er Edward B. Bunn, S.J., the university’s president. EARLIER THE same day the Cardinal spoke and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the Catholic Univer sity of America, He said the growing appre ciation of "diversity" within the Church requires "minds which are gifted with an extra ordinary degree of suppleness, minds which are, above all else, capable of distinguishing with precision that which Is not sub ject to change from that which is changeable In the Church and in all the elements that go to make her up." HE SAID much of the "heal thy tension" in the Church to day is "rooted in the sensitivi ty of one part of her members to ’the deposit to be preserved’ and in the sensitivity of another part to ’the talent to be develop ed.’ " "Both groups are In the right," he commented. "Both groups have tasks to perform toda y within the pne and only Church." DISCUSSING Pope JohnXXIII’s plan for an aggioraamento—up- dating--of the Church, he said it is "more than a strategic measure aimed at giving the Church a greater hold on men," but instead "looks to the very nature of the Church, to the es sence of her mission on earth," ‘The Church cannot appear unadorned here below," he said. "And yet she finds herself to day dressed in a good number of styles which not only are or seem to be out of fashion, but which may not be genuine gar ments at all. The Church must change them, but without touch ing the substance of her own being and without exposing her self to the danger of existing, for a time, disembodied." CARDINAL Suenens said this task "calls for the most loyal and the most generous of ef forts." "It calls for the grace of the Holy Spirit and an entire ecu menical council if we aye to ad vance, without delay yet without undue haste, In this business of bringing up to date, of discov ering the new cultural forms which are destined to replace, neither too early nor too late, the old", he said. Youths Plan Prayer Day WASHINGTON (NC)— Catho lic college students and youth groups all over the United Sta tes will observe a national day of prayer for human rights on Sunday, May 17— the 19th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that ordered the end of segregation in public schools. A resolution signed jointly by directors of the Catholic Youth Organization, the Nationa Newman Club Federation and the National Federation of Catholic College Students, ob served: "It is only through prayer that the final answer to man’s Intolerance toward his fellow man will be found." They urged that members pray and work for "legislation which seeks to recognize the dignity of man, the brother hood of men under the faith- hood of God, and the establish ment of laws which protect the human rights of all men." Not Mere Copies ST. CHARLES, 111. (NC)-- Catholic colleges and universi ties can never become '"mere copies of secular schools’’ turning out people "well versed in profane knowledge but medio cre in the knowledge and prac tice of their Faith," it was stat ed here by Albert Cardinal Mey er of Chicago. ACCORDING TO THE MARONITE LITURGY—Twenty-one priests of the Maronite Rite gathered around the "Mary Altar" in Washington's National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. May 3. to concelebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Maro nite Liturgy in Arabic and Syriac. Auxiliary Maronite Bishop Francis Zayek. of Brazil: Father Robert Jshaheen of Danbury. Conn., the Maronite priest he ordained the previous day there, and Father Elias El Havek. rector of the Maronite Seminary. Washington, and other priests of that rite are shown on that happy occasion. ELIMINATING DISTORTIONS Examine Religion Texts In Light Of Ecumenism BY RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE That Catholic textbooks on religion have been found to con tain some ’’negative and dis torted’’ references to Protes tants, Jews and other non-Cath- olic groups made headlines in the press this week. But the story was not a "negative" one; it was, in fact, a positive re port of a highly important na ture. It was a sign of the times — another contribution by a ma jor religious body to ecumenism and interreligious understand ing. FOR THIS three-year study of Catholicism’s texts was made by Catholics just as a simi lar study involving Protestant texts was conducted by Protes tants and a current investiga tion of Jewish volumes is be ing carried out by Jews. The self-examination of Cath olic religious texts was under taken at St. Louis University, a Jesuit institution, by nun- researchers and writers under the supervision of a noted Jes uit educator. As was true of the Protestant study, completed ini 1963, it pulled no punches. Of the many textbooks used by U.S. Catholic schools, at least one made this reference to Jewish rejection of Chris tianity: "The Jews as a nation refused to accept Christ, and since His time they have been wanderers on the earth with out a temple, or a sacrifice, and without the Messiah.** ANOTHER, IN a reference to Latin America, said that "Pro testantism and communism have hindered the Catholic Church in South America.’’Still another applied to leaders of the Protestant Reformation such terms as "adulterous ty rant. . .self-satisfied monarch . . .obstinate heretic. . .’’ The older the textbook the more likely it will contain neg ative or distorted data, the re searchers found, and they urged publishers to withdraw offen sive material. As was found in the study, "Faith and Prejudice,*’ by Dr. Bernard E. Olson, of Protes tant religious education mater ials, the Catholic survey show ed that the blatant charge and counter-charge type of writing is rare compared with that which omits or gives quick and inadequate reference to other faiths. IN HIS BOOK, Dr. Olson, a Methodist clergyman, associat ed with Union Theological Sem inary, cited this quotation from a Protestant religious text: "Luther said a heathen with the necessary wisdom and abili ty is to be preferred as a rul er to a godly man who lacks any qualifications. A good Christian may not make a good official. To elect a man merely because of his creed shows poor judgment. However, a Christian should not vote for persons whose religion makes them dangerous to the welfare of the sute. Roman Catholics are pledged to further the in terest of the Pope above all other interests. Mormons, atheists, certain religious fana tics, Communists and other radical groups are apt to en danger the welfare of the state.’’ Such references are regarded as hangovers from another era, but the experts stress a need for all religious bodies to re study their religious curricula and the texts employed. SAID FATHER Paul C. Rein ert, S.J., president of St. Louis University, in announcing the Catholic study: "(In preparing textbooks) the problem of identifying in a posi tive manner with other reli gions are more difficult and complex than those of identify ing with other racial and ethnic groups. "Although racial prejudice may be America’s most press ing social concern, interreli gious relationships pose mere complex problems in the prepa rations of religious teaching texts... "This is understandable, since the religious textbook is where each group sets forth its own faith and recounts its own history. Critical judgments regarding other faiths may be unavoidable, but great care must be exercised to prevent bias and prejudice from dis torting teaching materials." FATHER REINERT said that the "self-studies’* by Protes tants, Catholics and Jews "are designed to help make textbook writers, religious educators and clergymen more sensitive to the problem of prejudice in religious texts." Catholic research — and this was true of Protestant texts, too -- revealed that religious texts contained far more "posi tive references" to Jews than to other Christian bodies. "Negative” comments about Protestants tended, the St. Louis study disclosed, to con centrate on historic religious conflicts — Protestantism’s doctrinal differences with the Catholic Church; the Reforma tion; and areas of present day Catholic-Protestant competi tion. In his study of Protestant textbooks, Dr. Olson reported that "protestants are more preoccupied with other reli gions and picture them less favorably. They are less dis posed, as our findings clearly indicate, to make negative judg ments about racial and ethnic outsiders and more disposed to identify sympathetically with their prblems and aspira tions." JUST AS the Protestant sur vey showed that the Catholic Church occupied rhe lowest po sition in textbook references from the standpoint of men tions, the Jesuit-directed sur vey revealed Catholic texts place Protestantism in the same category. Both religious groups (or, more precisely, their writ ers, editors and publishers of religious texts) have been weak in covering the other Christian body. And both devoted much more study and space to rela tionships with the Jews, with the Negro and with other mino rities. The authors of the St. Louis University study have recom mended that Catholic texts avoid generalizations, oversimplifi cations and over-all judgments of an entire group. In teaching about Protestants, it advocated that Catholics reject the "apo logetic” approach, one aimed at destroying Protestants* reli gious arguments, and adopt, in stead, a "kerygmatic” method stressing the positive virtue of love of God and neighbor. FATHER TRAFFORD P. Ma- har, S.J., the project supervi sor, held that research into Catholic texts revealed that "intergroup communications still need much more attention. If the many groups in our hete rogeneous society are going to prepare our children to live more intelligently and con structively, much more time and attention must be given to human relations and integroup knowledge and skills. "It is hoped that these re search projects will serve as a stimulus to school people in the great work of preparing child ren to live harmoniously in the democracy that is the United States of America." The interreligious coopera tion plays a major role in such studies was evident in the way the Catholic texts story was released — simultaneously by a Jesuit university and the American Jewish Committee, pioneer U.S. organization dedi cated to combating bigotry and advancing human rights. THE JEWISH agency helped finance, and assisted, the Pro testant and Catholic projects; it also is a moving force in the study, soon to be released, of Jewish texts investigated by Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadel phia. A similar survey has been authorized by the National Council of Churches’ Division of Christian Education and Bur eau of Research and Study. It envisions intensive research to analyze education materials as possible breeding ground for prejudice. Many denominations, members of the Council, are participating or contributing materials for study. Dr. Olson is directing the project. According to the prospectus, the NCC survey will examine not only textbooks, but all areas of communications between in structor and student, including films and other audio-visual teaching aids. Studies of what children read and what they must study are undergoing continuing scrutiny by public, private and parochial schools and by Sunday Schools. Difficulties are presented in ever field, from routine ele mentary school civics to the production of catechisms. Re cently, Dr, Judah J, Harris of New York released a three- year-study on "The Treatment of Religion in Elementary School Studies." Dr, Harris’ research was compiled for the ‘HISTORIC’ Methodists Hear Bishop Wright PITTSBURGH (NC)--Bishop John J. Wright of Pittsburgh told the quadrennial general conference of the Methodist Church here that "blood is thicker than water" when it is the Blood of Christ and that we can therefore welcome each other as Christians. "What is also true,” he said, * is that precisely as Chris tians, and despite the differen ces among us, we share a dif ference from the spirit of the world. "IF IT IS true, and it is, that we remain divided from one another by differences in faith that cannot be ignored,"he con tinued, "it is also true, and not less basic, that we share, pre cisely as Christians, a differ ence from the spirit of the world. That shared difference must be intensified and unite us ever more deeply and intimate ly in the face of certain athe ist humanism, a spirit of secu larism which wants no part of the Christ who must be all and in all for us." Bishop Wright was the first Catholic bishop ever invited by a Methodist general conference to address it. The occasionwas described by both Bishop W, Venon Middleton, resident Methodist Bishop of the Wes tern Pennsylvania area, and Bishop Fred P. Corson of Phil adelphia, president of the World Methodist Council, as "histo ric." BISHOP CORSON introduced Bishop Wright as "one of the outstanding theological inter preters of the ecumenical movement." He told the 868 Methodist delegates from throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa that "what we are doing John Wes ley in his way is approving too." John Wesley was the founder of Methodism. Another 2,000 observers were in the gallery of the Civic Arena for Bishop Wright’s ad dress. that we entrust one another with our confidences." With regard to the latter, Bishop Wright alluded to the presence of Methodist obser vers at Vatican Council II and underscored how intimately they had shared the "secrets" of the council. "THEN AGAIN, as Christians we are more even than friends," the Bishop declared, "since among all people blood is thick er than water, and among Chris tians the Blood of the Saviour is involved,.,We welcome one another as Christians." Bishop Wright emphasized that there are "many, deep and basic doctrinal differences’* between Catholics and Metho dists, and he said it would be "dishonest and un-Christian to deny this." ’THESE DIFFERENCES,"he commented, "involve our very concepts of the Church itself, sometimes even of Chrlst.They therefore involve differences in faith, in the cult that is the lit urgical expression of faith, and all things so close to conscience that we must avoid any confu sion in their regard, lest, in deed, we give scandal, the last thing in the world we would wish to do as Christians, es pecially to the little ones of the flock." Bishop Wright based his de scription of "the Christian dif ference from the spirit of the world” on an early Church anonymous document, the Epis tle to Diognetus, detailing the ways in which Christians dif fer from the rest of mankind, BISHOP WRIGHT declared that "the difference that we have in common, that power we have to hold the world together as Christians, comes precise ly from the difference that be lief in Christ must bring into the way of thinking, the way of loving, the desires, the deeds, the very lives of those who bear His name." BISHOP WRIGHT welcomed the Methodists ’ as a neighbor”. In fact, he continued, the wel- com is "much more than this; it is the welcome of a friend— for we are friends, in that we share one another’s concerns, that we like the same things, The Bishop remarked that "although we cannot compro mise faith by confusion in cult and liturgical prayer, we can longingly and lovingly unite In the prayer the one Christ taught us.” The Bishop then recited the Lord’s Prayer, DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS—At a special convoca tion at Catholic University of America, May 8, the honorary decree of Doctor of Humane Letters was conferred on Jo seph Cardinal Suenens, Archbishop of Malines-Brussels and Primate of Belgium. He is shown here (center) at the ceremonies with Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle (left), of Washington, chancellor of the University and Auxiliary Bishop William J. McDonald, rector of the University. Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Jewish service organization. HE FOUND that some 120 school texts ignored the reli gious pluralism of U.S. life, generally favored Protestan tism over Catholicism and Christianity over Judaism, and showed some bias in treatments of religious persecution, Mus lims and various phases of the Reformation. B’nai B’rith's report said such a study has needed to "stimulate improvement of the treatment of religion as his tory" — one designated to pro duce texts giving American youngsters ”a better under standing of our culture and a better background for the solu tion of intergroup tensions." Intentness of the world’s re ligious leaders to remove mis understanding and unnecessary "negative” approaches about other religions is perhaps best shown in the case Involving two Popes and Judaism, Jews were pained because the Catholic Good Friday liturgy contained the phrase’‘Oremus pro perfidiis Iudaeis” (Let us pray for the perfidious Jews). The late Pope Pius XII in structed that the Latin phrase be translated as “Let us pray for the unbelieving Jews.” SCHOLARS in the U.S. noted that innumerable Catholic au thorities had held that the prop er translation of "perfidiis” was "lack of faith,” or rather a lack of Christian faith. In 1959, in a move hailed by Jewish leaders throughout the world, Pope John XXIII order ed the word "perfidiis” strick en from the liturgy. Now Cath olics, on Good Friday, say: "Let us pray for the Jews,” For much the same reason — to remove misunderstanding, to promote goodwill and inter- religious friendship — Pro testants, Catholics and Jews in the U.S. are scanning their re ligious textbooks to spot and eliminate that which is "nega tive and distorted" about those of other faiths.