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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1964)
PAGE 2 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 Otla niatt MOTOR HOTEL • FREE PARKING • TV ft AIR CONDITIONING • RESTAURANT • ICE & BEVERAGE STATIONS • COFFEE MAKER. EACH ROOM C. O. Multay, Manager American Express Credit Cards Accepted | CONE AT LUCKIE ST j A Good Addra%% in Atlanta 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 Terence 0 Brien v 4/ KNOWS LIFE iiVL INSURANCE Suite 715 270 Pchtr. Bldg. N.W. Atl. Ga. 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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.
