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GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1964
WIDENING ACTIVITY
New Vatican Secretariat
Reviews Interfaith Contact
BY RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE
Hiitory was made — but some
questions remained unanswered
— when Pope Paul VI announced
on Pentecost Sunday the format
ion of a new Vatican Secretariat
for Non - Christians that will
serve as a liaison between the
Roman Catholic Church and the
more than two-thirds of the
world that is non-Christian*
Catholic leaders have es
tablished contacts with repre
sentatives of non - Christian
faiths in many parts of the
world, and visits by non -
Christian dignitaries (among
the latest was King Hussein of
Arab Jordan) have become in
creasingly frequent,
HOWEVER, tfie establish
ment of the new secretariat,
headed by Paolo Cardinal
Marella, a veteran Vatican di
plomat, marks the first formal
effort by the Vatican to es
tablish closer ties with the
non-Christian religions.
It has not yet been specified
how the new secretariat will
function or what problems it
will take up with the non-
Christian religions, especially
in the Church's far-flung mis
sion fields.
Perhaps the most vital un
answered question is whether
or not the new body will handle
contacts with Judaism as well
as with Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism and other faiths out
side the Christian orbit.
Up till now, the Catholic
Church's expanding ecumenical
dialogue has seen contacts with
Jews entrusted to the Secre
tariat for Promoting Christian
Unity headed by , Augustin
Cardinal Bea, S, J„ although
this body, set up by Pope John
XXIII during the preparatory
phase of the Second Vatican
Council, was designed to deal
exclusively with the Protestant
and Eastern Orthodox
Churches,
IN A STATEMENT last year,
Cardinal Bea stressed, how
ever, that although his body did
not handle relations with non-
Christians "we must hope and
desire'' that it "will find con
crete formulas to foster such
contacts," since this was
"bound up with the question of
the unity of all men of good
will for the good of humanity,"
It was Cardinal Bea's sec-
• retariat which drafted the state
ment on Catholic-Jewish re
lations on which the Vatican
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Council failed to vote at its
second session last year, but
which is coming up at the third
session opening next Septem
ber — this time as a separate
declaration and not, as original
ly, chapter four of the schema
on ecumenism.
It has been reported that
Cardinal Bea would present the
statement (along with another
separate one on religious
liberty, also prepared by his
secretariat) when the Council
reconvenes.
But in other quarters? it "is
considered more likely that the
statement, which has been
amplified to deal with all non-
Christians, will be presented
instead by Cardinal Marella as
head of the new secretariat,
THE CONFUSION arises
from the fact that Pope Paul,
in his announcement, did not
make clear whether the new
body dealing with faiths out
side Christianity would also
include Judaism in its ac
tivities, The pontiff merely
stated that it would have
"analagous structures though
different functions" from the
parallel Secretariat for Pro
moting Christian Unity.
Commenting this week on the
Pope’s new action, Rabbi Marc
H, Tanenbaum of New York, a
well-known authority on Chris
tian - Jewish history and re
lations, saw it as representing
"a development of great
potential historical signifi
cance."
At the same time, he de
clared i t was "unclear as to
what relations this new sec
retariat will have on the pro
posed Jewish declaration, as
well as to the relations with
the Jewish people."
"It is reported on the one
hand," he said, "that Cardi
nal Bea, who has followed the
decrees on the Jews and on
religious liberty, will continue
to have jurisdiction on these
questions. On the other hand,
there are reports that both of
these questions. . . w m ^
transferred to Cardinal
Marella’s new secretariat."
DR. TANENBAUM, who is
director of interreligious af
fairs for the American Jewish
Committee and Jewish con
sultant to the Pius XII Religious
Education Resources Center in
Monroe, Mich., went on to
stress that the decisions as to
whether or not such changes in
jurisdiction will take place
"carries with them most com
plex and far-reaching theologi
cal and human relations con
sequences."
In this connection, one Vati
can source was reported as say
ing that i t would be difficult
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for a secretariat to function if
it tried to foster close relat
ions with both the Jewish and
Muslim faiths. The smoulder
ing Arab-Israeli tension and
antagonism, he said, could well
mar the secretariat's work.
On the other hand, Rabbi
Arthur Gilbert, staff consultant
to the National Conference of
Christians and Jews' Religious
Freedom and Public Af
fairs Project, just returned to
New York from Rome, cited of
ficials of the Vatican Council
as looking with great hope on
"the wider reconciling role"
they would be able to play in
virtue of the fact that both
Muslims and Jews are includ
ed in the secretariat headed
by Cardinal Marella.
SOME JEWISH commentators
argued that Judaism should be
dealt with within the scope of
Cardinal Bea's secretariat
rather than being treated in
the new secretariat just as any
other non-Christian body.Their
argument: the Jews are a chosen
people of God, and share a
closer relationship with Chris
tians who hold to the Old Testa
ment tradition.
RANCH EXPERIMENT
Trappist Dairy
Benefits India
CHURCH IN THE “HALF-ROUND”—Recently completed in the Diocese of Covington,
Ky., is this ultra-modern Church of St. Catherine of Siena, at Fort Thomas. Statue of
the patron saint surmounts the entrance.
FOR MIDDLE EAST
It was not expected that
any startling or dramatic de
cision would be made by the new
Secretariat for Non-Christians,
especially since its methods and
limitations will come into focus
only gradually. One of its first
steps, it has been suggested,
may be to invite non-Chris
tian observers to the Vatican
Council's third session, but this
is still regarded as a remote
possibility.
One thing seems clear. The
new secretariat will in no sense
be an instrument of proselytiz
ing, despite the fact that in his
homily in St. Peter’s Basilica
announcing its formation, Pope
Paul deplored the fact that "in
numerable peoples and entire
continents are still outside
Christian evangelism,"
The Pope spoke instead of
"the solicitude that impels the
Church to come to loyal and
respectful dialogue with all
souls, with all forms of modem
life, with all expressions, social
and political, that are willing to
receive it on a plane of ab
solute sincerity and true
humanity."
IN NAMING Cardinal Marella
to head the new secretariat,
Pope Paul chose a 69-year-old
Italian who is a specialist in
Eastern religions and spent 16
of his 37 years as a Vatican
diplomat in Japan. In Asia, he
acquired a close knowledge of
the Eastern faiths and wrote
a book of his experiences there,
entitled "Visions of Hope."
Cardinal Marella was Papal
Nuncio to France when he was
elevated to the College of Cardi
nals by Pope John XXIII in
1958, and later named Arch
priest of St. Peter's Basilica.
He served as Pope Paul's
Legate at the opening and bles
sing of the Vatican Pavilion of
the New York World’s Fair.
He is familiar with the United
States, having served for 12
years before going to Asia on
the staff of the Apostolic De
legation in Washington, D. C,
Christians Fear New
Arab Charter Cultural
In a final word of caution.
Rabbi Tanenbaum said it was
of "the utmost prudence not to
speculate idly over such an
important decision until the
facts themselves are clari
fied and until the theological
and related implications are
fully defined and crystallized."
"In simple words,” he add
ed, "this new action of Pope
Paul could be as great a re
versal in Christian-Jewish un
derstanding as it could be an
advance."
Meanwhile, an informed
Catholic source in New York
said the question as to which
of the Vatican secretariats
would handle contacts with
Judaism might well be decided
on the basis of whether the Jews
should be treated exclusively
as a religious body or as
a group posing both sociological
and religious challenges.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Christian
communities in the pre
dominantly Moslem nations be
longing to the Arab League are
gravely worried about a Charter
of Arab Cultural Unity ap
proved by the league’s coun
cil, its top executive body.
Church leaders in the Mid
dle East have pointed out that
the charter makes no pro
vision for freedom of religion
~or thought, seems to aim more
at Moslem than at Arab unity
and is strongly influenced by
politics.
THEY ADD that the charter
endangers Catholic schools and
they accuse it of totalitarian
aims since it seeks to bring
all schools in Arab League
countries into one single
regimented educational sys
tem.
The charter was first ap-.
proved by a majority of the
ministers of education of
league countries at a meet
ing in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb.
29, Also approved at that time
was the establishment of an
Arab organization similar to
the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organi
zation. Both proposals were
submitted to the league coun
cil for ratification.
During a meeting in Cairo,
the council approved (May 21)
the charter and the proposed
Arab UNESCO, But no steps
have yet been taken to put them
into effect because several
league members — Lebanon,
Morocco and Saudi Arabia—
asked for modifications of the
charter, which are now being
studied.
AMONG league members,
most concern about the charter
is felt here in Lebanon, the only
Arab country without a Moslem
majority, although even here
Moslems make up close to 50%
of the population. At the Baghdad
meeting, the Lebanese delegate,
Edouard Honein, a Christian,
voiced reservations about the
charter, saying it seemed to
him to be incompatible with the
sovereignty of individual league
members.
Although the charter pro
vides that Arab League nations
will seek to educate youth to
have "an attachment to re
ligious principles," Christian
leaders point out that for most
people in Arab countries "re
ligion” means "Islam," They
add that the charter says noth
ing about teaching young people
to respect the religion of others.
They also note that Article 15
speaks of cooperative efforts
by league nations to propagate
"Islamic Arab culture," and
have expressed fears that this
phrase indicates that the
charter's real aim is to seek,
through a so-called Arab cul
tural unity, a pan - Islamic
political unity.
MIDDLE EAST Christians
say another indication that the
charter is strongly motivated
by political considerations is
its preamble’s call for support
of all who oppose "the world
forces of evil represented by
colonialism and Zionism."
Church leaders are sharply
critical of what they call the
totalitarianism and exaggerat
ed nationalism of the document.
They note that its preamble
states that "unity of thought
and culture’* is the "basic
foundation on which Arab unity
rests." This may mean, they
say, that differences' of
opinion on religious and cultural
matters will be regarded by the
Moslem majority as opposition
to Arab unity and hence as
treason against Arab
nationalism. Christians fear
that if they are right about
Arab unity really meaning
Moslem unity, Christians will
be looked on as second-class
citizens or even foreigners in
Arab countries.
One of the most disquieting
things about the charter, Church
leaders say, is its position on
education. They note that it
makes no provision for freedom
of education and say that this
may mean that Catholic and
other private schools will have
no place in league nations.They
add that while public education
in Arab states is neutral in
theory, it is Moslem in practice.
The only way, they continue,
for Catholic students to learn
about their Faith is to go to
Catholic schools. If these are
forbidden, Christianity is in
danger.
OPPOSITION has also been
expressed against the charter’s
provision that schools may use
only approved "nationalized"
textbooks.
The Christian position was
summed up by a Christian
Lebanese journalist, Nabih Abi-
Zeyd, who wrote in Revue du
Llban a week before the league
council approved the charter:
"Our way is not the one
shown to us (by the charter)
... We are not for unity of
thought, but for its diversity;
not for unity of culture, but
for its plurality; not for unity
of education but for its free
dom, the freedom which the
Lebanese constitution takes
care to point out is one of the
essential manifestations of the
rights of man and the citizen.
"The charter could un
doubtedly be an excellent in
strument for collaboration in
all domains of culture, but it
would first have to be purged
of ideological trash to which,
for its part, Lebanon refuses
to subscribe."
PHILADELPHIA
MADUPETTY, India (NC) --
Here in the range country of
Kerala state in south India,
Trappist monks have put their
own stamp on modern govem-
ment-to-govemment technical
cooperation.The result is a ma
jor cattle ranch experiment.
It all began in 1961, when
Swiss Ambassador to India Dr.
Jacque- Albert Cuttat paid a
holiday visit to Belgian-born
Father Francis Matheu, O.
C. S. 0., at his priory of
Kurishumala Ashram— the
Hermitage of Mount Olivet.
FATHER Matheu asked for
Swiss help for a pet scheme
of the Ashram— the building of
a Western-type diary farm. At
3,000 feet above sea level, the
Ashram and its surroundings
had a climate well suited to
farm animals of foriegn breed.
And grassy open land was no
porblem in these scarcely in
habited regions.
The monks themselves had
been experimenting in farming
every since the Ashram, India’s
only Cistercian monastery,
was set up in 1956. They first
turned to pineapple farming and
then to diary farming and had
plans to bring stud bulls and
cows from England at the time
of the ambasador’s visit.
BUT DR. CUTTAT turned
their drams into reality. He act
ed on Father Matheu’s sugges
tion. Three governments, of
Switzerland, India and Kerala,
collaborated in the $2,000,000
farm project, reputedly the only
one of its kind in the country.
Last month saw the projects’
formal inauguration in the pre
sence of ministers of the three
governments, Dr. Cuttat and the
Archbishop of Trivandrum.
Present plans are to develop
the project in two stages—the
first on 500 acres of land which
will be turned into a dairy'
and fodder farm and the sec
ond on 11,000 acres in near
by Peermade.
How badly Kerala needs an
undertaking of this nature can
be seen from the fact that
the availability of milk and
milk products in the state today
is hardly 1 1/2 ounce per per
son. This, in spite of the fact
that there are over 3,000,000
cows and other cattle in the
state.
The reasons for the great
divergence, of course, are pri
mitive dairying methods, ab
sence of good fodder and the
Hindu aversion to beef-eating
which has the effect of prolong
ing the life of useless cattle.
Father Matheu is the prior
and one of two foreign monks
in the Ashram, so called be
cause of its close affinity with
the hermitages of Hindu Rishis
(holy men). The other is Father
Bede Griffths, originally from
England, a cofounder.
Clothed in the saffron-color
ed robe of the Rishis, the monks
live a life of utter simplicity
In a one-floor tenement like
building where they do all the
work themselves. Again like the
Rishis, they abstainfrommeat
and fish, shave their heads and
go bare foot. They eat squatt
ing on the floor from earthen
vessels.
Their prayers and hymns are
mostly in Malayalam, Kerala’s
native language.
Religious Leaders Unite
In Race Justice Appeal
Brazilian Priest Shortage Noted
BELEM, Brazil (NC)—There
is one priest for every 5,550
Catholics in Brazil, as compar
ed with more than seven priests
for a comparable number in the
United States.
These figures were released
here by Auxiliary Bishop Tadeu
Prost, O. F. M., of Belem fol
lowing a survey. He noted that
Brazil has 32% of the popu
lation of Latin America but
only 27% of the priests.
.The proportion <$f one Brazi
lian seminarian for every
41,000 Catholics also rates the
country low in this category,
he said, adding that Brazil or
dains 350 priests each year
but has an immediate need for
60,000.
He said Brazil suffers further
because the language barrier
(Portuguese is spoken) keeps
Spanish priests from Brazil,
even though they form the maj
ority of missionaries work
ing in Latin America.
Franciscans
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NC)— The
45th annual Franciscan Educa
tional Conference will be held
at Bell*m3in$ College here Aug.
10 13.
PHILADELPHIA (NC)—This
city’s religious leaders have
appealed in their first joint
statement for local churches to
pray and work for racial jus
tice.
"Racial discrimination can in
no way be justified. It is in fact
immoral to refuse to associate
with other persons solely be
cause of race," the leaders
said.
Archbishop John J. Krol of
Philadelphia read the joint
statement at the conclusion of
a special Mass (June 5) in the
Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.
MORE THAN a score of other
Christian clergymen and civic
leaders attended the Mass cele
brated by the Archbishop to
launch a Catholic Crusade of
Prayer for racial harmony and
religious unity. The cathedral
was crowded to the doors.
Archbishop Krol said he read
the statement at the special
urging of Methodist Bishop Fred
Pierce Corson of Philadelphia,
president of the world Metho
dist Council, and Episcopal Bis
hop Robert L. DeWitt of Penn
sylvania, both of whom were
present at the service.
Signed by 10 Christian and
Jewish leaders, the statement
said that concern over "the
deepening of racial unrest and
misunderstanding" in Philadel
phia impels all religious faiths
to speak out and reaffirm what
they believe in common.
THE statement made no spe
cific mention of racial incidents,
but unrest here has included a
dispute earlier in the year over
"blackface" makeup worn in
the traditional Mummers’ par
ade and abuse of a young Negro
couple who moved into an all-
white suburb.
The statement said that "all
men have the same Father,
Creator and Lord of life, in
whose image all have been cre
ated, whose purpose for all men
is fulness of life."
"Every man may truly be
called ’neighbor* and ’brother*
of his fellow man, whom he
must therefore indeed re
spect," it said.
"We call first for prayer,"
it said. "Let each religious
community implore Almighty
God to bestow His gifts of unity
and love upon us, without which
there can be no real harmony
among men."
EACH religious community
was asked to "work for its own
inner conversion and the re
newal of all its members."
The leaders said that they
are "mournfully aware" there
is no spectacular answer to
racial injustice.
But they said that if "the or
dinary and seemingly insignifi
cant kindly deeds and gentle
courtesies of dally life" were
multiplied "a million times
each day," this would "most
certainly bring about the heal
ing influence of the Divine Pres
ence and teachings to bear up-
IN CONGRESS
on the disorders and injustices
which afflict us."
The statement also asked
those "who feel themselves the
objects of injustice" not to al
low this feeling to grow into
hatred and bitterness.
"THIS IS truly to be defeat
ed," the statement said. "We
entreat that resentment not be
leveled against whole groups
of persons who may not bear
personal responsibility for the
injustices which exist."
At the Mass, the sermon
was delivered by Auxiliary Bis
hop John J, Graham of Phila
delphia who said the prayer
crusade means the Catholip
community here "is expressing
in the most meaningful manner
it can the abiding desire itfeels
to bring to bear on the divisions
and unrest among us all that it
has to give."
Committee Approves
Anti-Smut Measure
WASHINGTON (NC) — The
House Post Office Committee
has approved unanimously
.(June 4) a revolutionary bill
empowering recipients of mail
to force a halt in delivery of
material judged "morally of
fensive."
Sponsored by Rep. Glenn Cun
ningham of Nebraska, the meas
ure is aimed at cutting off the
repeated delivery of unwanted
smutty literature or suggestive
advertising, especially that sent
youngsters.
THE BILL would permit a
person to return mailed
material the individual held to
be "moral.y offensive." The
complaintant could request the
Postmaster General to notify
the sender that no more un-
solicited mail is to be sent him.
If mailings continue, the
Postmaster General would be
empowered to seek a court
order to stop them and request
lhat further violations result
In contempt
proceedings.
of Federal court
Cunningham has pushed hard
for such a measure. One of his
children was subjected to un
solicited mailing of smut
several years ago. The Con
gressmen has said subsequent
investigation convinced him
that, youngsters are being sent
such material wholesale.
The Justice Department has
not endorsed the measure, not
ing that it saw constitutional
and practical problems,
especially with the provision
that the government is obliged
to enforce each citizen’s idea
of what is * morally offensive."
Cunningham has said there
is some possibility mail
patrons might try to stop de
livery of political or religious
matter on grounds that it
is morally offensive, but he
did not rate this as a major
problem.