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PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 1964
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
SHVINO OCOROIA’S 71 NORTHMM COUNTICS
Official Organ of the Archidocese of Atlanta
Published Every Week at the Decatur DeKalb News
PUBLISHER- Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
ilfeMBfeb
MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rev. Leonard F. X. Mayhew
2699 Peachtree N. E.
P. O. Box 11667
Northside Station
Atlanta 5, Ga.
Member of the Catholic Press Association
and Subscriber to N. C. W; C. News Service
Telephone 231-1281
Second Class Permit at Altanta, Gd.
U. S. A. $5.00
Canada $5.00
Foriegn $6.50
Election
In heated political fights, even
a plain statement can mean dif
ferent things to different people.
There was no varnish nor cun
ning in the stated policy of the
Archdiocese of Atlanta; "to ab
stain from indorsement of can
didate or party...to speak of mor
al issues simply because they are
moral." Last week’s editorial
Urged against two extremes;
"Meddlesome interference of the
clergy in the parties and candi
dates"--‘‘apathetic or frighten
ed evasion of the underlying mor
al issues."
Most of the letters in reply,
as well as the editorial com
ment agreed with Alfred E.
Smith’s statement of 1928 during
one of the bitterest campaigns the
United States has experienced:
"I repeat my firm adher
ence to the American doc
trine of the absolute Sep
aration of Church and State.
Political activity of the
Church is the negation of
that Separation*’.
But some letters disagreed.
One charged that this was a di
rect slap at a Catholic candidate
already nominated by his party.
Another, strangely enough,
though it was meant to block a
Catholic prominently mention
ed as Vice-President of the oth
er party. A third argued (shades
of 1960) that all Catholics should
be excluded, while a fourth
thought the country needed an
"all-Catholic" party. A fifth
wrote thoughtfully (in large red
block letters) that he couldn't
care less what we thought. For
a religious journal, supported by
those of different parties and
Policy-11
persuasions, a neutral political
stand is not only prudent; it is
just.
But no Church and no person
can long remain neutral in moral
matters. On some moral issues
in a pluralistic society there is a
concensus. On others, private
conscience and the public judg
ment will disagree due to place,
time or other consideration. For
Catholics, the voice of the Church
carries the divine imperatives.
The Church, however, has al
ways been careful to distinguish
between divine law and Eccles
iastical applications of it. Both
are binding, but the latter are
not immutable. Fast and ab
stinence are from God, but Lent
and Friday are of Churchdesig-
nation. Other religious bodies
have their laws, usages and sanc
tions. But none of them can re
main forever silent in the pres
ence of a moral issue.
So the Catholic Church, even in
the heat of a presidential Elec
tion year, will speak out on inte
gration, and a host of other mor
al problems; marriage and fami
ly, education, dialogue with those
of other beliefs; and poverty, vio
lence and corruption in public
life, Eut the Church will not be
entangled with this candidate or
that, this party or that. Each of
them presumably is carrying out
the democratic process with
which we are blessed. Each citi
zen must decide for himself the
candidate and party that will do
it best.
This policy is authentically
Christian, traditionally Ameri
can, prudently practical and ethi
cally sound.
Boring Magazines?
Who reads Catholic magazines
in this country? Quite a few peo
ple, according to the latest Catho
lic Press Directory, The 408
such magazines listed for the
U. S., Canada and the West
Indies have a circulation of near
ly 22 million, U. S, readers
account, for about 20 million of
that total.
Yet, while the circulation of
Catholic newspapers advanced
4,7% over the last year, maga
zines dipped 3.6%, The picture
is darkened by the fact that this
decline has been growing over
the past several years.
The saddest feature is that the
quality of Catholic magazine
journalism has been notably
advancing in the lastdecade. Lis
ten, for instance, to some com
ments from the award citations
given to some of these maga
zines at the May, 1964 Catholic
Press Convention in Pittsburgh.
Many of the award judges, by
the way, were experts inthenon-
Catholic field, such as Columbia
Uiversity professors and editors
from the New York Herald Tri
bune and Cosmopolitan,
. "U, S. Catholic is a fine
and, at times, beautiful Catholic
magazine of general interest,"
, "Excellent articles, marked
by first-class reporting and writ
ing, and the fine pictorial pre
sentations, made The Sign a top
contender,"
, "The Critic, over the years,
has deserved well of the lite
rate American Catholic com
munity."
"In style and content, and in
overall impact and in individual
articles, America maintains an
unusual consistency for a weekly
journal."
"Commonweal undoubtedly
has the best staple of column
ists, in Catholic journalism."
. "The most professional and
interesting magazine in the mis
sionary group is Maryknoll, It
seems to have grasped the fact
that its work is important and its
magazine can be entertaining and
informative,"
Similar praise can be honestly
accorded to other publications
such as Ave Maria, The Catholic
World, The Catholic Layman,
Marriage and The Way.
Any Catholic who subscribes to
general magazines but not to
Catholic magazines because they
are "boring" or "too pious"
needs to take a close look at the*
Catholic field. He’ll be in for a
big surprise.
CATHOLIC REVIEW-BALTIMORE
Same Old Pitch
GEORGIA PINES
By The Rude Bridge
BY REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN
One month after I was ordained I arrived at
my first assignment as a priest in Savannah,
Georgia. The first time I had ever seen a palm
tree in my life was on this initial trip south. I
might add too that the first thing I remember
ever seeing in Georgia was a bridge connecting
South Carolina to Georgia over the Savannah River.
Neither the palm tree nor the
bridge impressed me very
much. The tree looked like a
refugee from a hurricane and
the bridge closely resembled
one of those structures put
together by children with a
Tinker Toy set.
THE FIRST trip south over-
the George Washington Bridge
in New York, the bridge over
the Deleware River and the Chesepeake Bay Bridge
had impressed me with their structural beauty
and imposing sights. The entry in Georgia, how
ever, was a different story. 1 suppose that I should
not be too quick to be critical though because
many years since this old bridge has been re
placed by the Talmadge Memorial Bridge which
now gives a sort of panoramic view of the Savannah
skyline to the visitor as he approaches this port
city.
What prompted me to write about this subject
of bridges today I cannot exactly say. Possibly
the fact that the other night as I crossed one of
the five bridges over Lake Lanier I happened to
have my auto radio turned on. It seemed that
every announcement the announcer made was about
war, troubles and distress all over the world. I
looked out of my car window and below me the
moon was shining on the beautiful blue waters
of Lake Lanier. The lake was dotted with tiny
lights shining from the cabin cruisers and house
boats along the shoreline. It was certainly a sight
of serenity in a troubled world. Problems seemed
miles away.
I GUESS the fact that bridges are now built with
an eye for beauty as well as practicality makes
them a structural marvel on our landscape. Time
was when a driver crossing a bridge did not
dare to lift his eyes from the road without grave
fear of an accident. Then too, our state had a
few covered bridges where it was impossible to
see anything except the opening on the far side
of the bridge.
I'm sure that many Georgians can remember
the terrible task of crossing the bridges from
Savannah leading out to Tybee Island. The road
itself was a terrific challenge and the bridges
presented a hazard comparable to a sand trap
in front of a green on a par 3 hole.
THERE ARE still a couple of places left in
Georgia where the only mode of transportation
over a river is a ferry or barge. It makes for
picturesque scenery but allows for its own dangers
on rainy and windy days. At any rate it is a far
cry from the convenience and speed of die pre
sent day interstate highways.
I’ve always wondered why bridges could not
be constructed permitting a parking area where
travellers might get a few minutes rest while
observing the scenery. It seems that it would be
a safety feature on our highways. I know that
bridges have often been the scenes of tragic
suicides but the fact that all bridges have "NO
STOPPING" signs on them has not prevented
these sad occurances.
THE ONLY toll bridges I have ever known to
exist in Georgia were the bridges outside of
Brunswick and the one on the causeway leading
to Jekyll Island. The tolls have since been re
moved and while we .cannot brag about some of
our bridges we do take pride inthefact that, save
one, we do not have tolls on our bridges. The
only exception that I know of is the bridge out to
the Golden Isles.
Whether the absence of tolls contributes to the
lack of finances and consequently the lag in
Georgia’s road and bridge building I do not know.
I do know, however, that most motorists would
just as soon pay a toll if this would expedite the
building of our highway and bridge system. After
all, the difference would be saved in gas con
sumption between stop-and-go driving and ex
pressway system driving.
AT ANY rate the "first impressions" of
Georgia are bound to be changed when the inter
state highways leading into our state from every
direction are completed. But pity the poor
motorist who decides to get off the "beatenpath"
and explore some rustic and quaint parts of the
state. He is liable to find himself on a bridge
like the one on Johnson - Ferry Road in Fulton
County which accomodates only one car at a time
and is posted with signs; "Load LimitXXX Tons."
I wonder if it would support a car and house
trailer together?
PRECARIOUS PAKISTAN
Your World And Mine
BY DR. GARY MACEOIN
Pakistan, July 27; —Among all the freakish
consequences of the precipitous ending of the
colonial era after World War II, there is no
more curious anomaly for the twentieth century
than Pakistan. The fifth most populous state
in the world (after China, India, U.S.S.R, and
United States), it consists of two parts separated
from each other by 1100 miles. The larger and
somewhat more developed
segment lies to the west of
India, running north and south
from the Indian Ocean to
Afghanistan, Soviet Russia and
China. On the other side of
India, and bordoring Assam and
Burma is the smaller but more
densely populated segment
which contains nearly half of
the state’s 95 million people.
Poverty and ignorance are
abysmal. Illiteracy is more than
abysmal. Illiteracy is more than 80 per cent.
Ther is one doctor for every 15,000 people (one
for / 70 in United States), The calory availability
of 1810 per inhabitant is far below the minimum
standard established by the United Nations to
maintain health.
The two parts of Pakistan are not bound to •
each other nor distinguished from the adjoining
parts of India by race, culture, historical ex
perience or language. Neither is there any com
munity or complementarity of their economies.
Pakistan exists for one and only one reason,
namely, the Moslem religion professed by about
three quarters of the inhabitants when the state
was created in 1947. This proportion is much
bigger today through the subsequent flight of some
ten million non-Moslems to India and their re
placement by some seven million Moslems from
India.
LIKE THE other Moslem states which have
entered the comity of nations siijce World War
II* Pakistan has had difficulty in reconciling the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
‘OPEN WINDOWS’
Now They
Want Screens
BY GERARD E. SHERRY
It is undoubtedly an over simplification to ac
count for the Conservative mind of so many
churchmen by referring to Church history; but
undoubtedly being beset by heathens without and
heretics within produced this Conservatism.
Handing on the faith is an awesome and precious
responsibility, and we , the present heirs, are
grateful that our an
cestors, spiritual
and physical, were,
zealous enough in
preserving it for us
pure and true.
The primitive
Church grew and de
veloped, it did not
remain static; it is
not today as it was on Pentecost. Since that time,
numerically and spiritually the Church has matur
ed, Its members have been of all races, all colors
and from every strata of society. In growing up in
Christ, Christians can never be the same; there
must always be a reaffirmation of faith and empha
sis on vitality.
When good Pope John ascended the Throne of St.
Peter, he issued a call for a Council of reform and
renewp 1 . This Vatican Council is still working at
its task. The Council Fathers, our Bishops, have
begun to express themselves about reforms and
changes within the Church, We have the magnifi
cent document on the liturgy promulgated by
John's successor, our present Holy Father, Pope
Paul VI. It is agreed by all that liturgical reform
is the first step in the renewal of '“Aggiornamen-
to” within the Church.
Pope John spoke of all this as opening the win
dows ‘To let some fresh air into the Church".
Many Catholics were delighted and seized on the
phrase as apt and timely. They held it aloft with
great hope that the Church and its leaders would
both conserve and adapt in communicating with
both modern man and his world.
Alas, Pope John’s call met with silent reserve
from those who wished to conserve everything and
adapt nothing. During his reign as Pope, they re
mained curiously silent neither encouraging nor
yet hindering "Aggiornamento.’’ However, since
Pope John's death last year, there has been a
subtle campaign to downgrade him as a great Pon
tiff and reformer. It is hardly ever a direct attack,
but is nearly always through comparison with Pope
Paul. John is painted as native and imprudent,
whereas Pope Paul is pictured as an intellec
tual with great wisdom. What bothers me is
that history shows that no two Popes are alike
and that it is most un-Catholic to play of one
against another as if it were a mere game of
politics when in fact the establishment of Christ's
Kingdom on earth is at stake.
It’s got to a state where last week someone
suggested that the windows had been open much
too long and should at least have screens. The
complaint being made is that the "Open Window"
policy has let in some "queer birds" and has
given too much freedom to many within the Church.
Nuns and Seminarians are being warned against
these alleged dangers on an unprecedented scale
as if there was an epidemic of rashness within
the Mystical Body. Some seem to lose sight of the
fact that the Church is primarily a Divine Institu
tion and that the Holy Spirit is a reality
The new encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam
Suam, (His Church) will no doubt be used to
bolster up the argument of our more conserva
tive Bishops and laymen. The document is basi
cally a plead for a greater vigilance in defense
of the Divine Deposit and a caution against too
much adaptation which could water-down basic
truths. The conservative mind within the Church
is especially pleased with Pope Paul’s strong
condemnation of communism.
One of the leading conservative laymen went
even further—in his syndicated column last week
Bill Buckley suggested that Pope Paul had taken
a much stronger stand on the Red menance
than had Pope John. Indeed, with his usual ability
to play on words Buckley says "The new Pope
has shown himself an extremist in defense in
the word of God."
Buckley refers to "The enigmatic silence of
Pope John" on communism. It is true that the
Holy Father was not always direct in naming
names. But this was not because Pope John
was any weaker in his stand. It was merely that
he was trying a new method, a new approach, in
order to ease the lot of those millions of fellow
Catholics, fellow Christians, behind the Iron and
Bamboo Curtains. Pope John's methods achieved
some results. There was a slight thaw which
resulted in the release of some bishops, priests
and laymen who were behind bars. Pope John
never expected to do much more than this any
how, and he obviouslyfeltthatmerelycondemning
communism was not sufficient — somethingmore
had to be done.
Pope Paul says it differently, but his aim is the
same as that of his immediate predecessor and
all the other line of Pontiffs going back to Peter.
Pope Paul's new encyclical speaks favorably of
"The dialogue between the Church .ndthe modern
world". . . ."Us existence and its urgency." He
speaks of his "Heartfelt desire that the Church
and mankind should meet each other and should
come to know and love each other."
What dialogue between ourselves and with our
separated friends is possible through a barrier,
be it made of mythical screens, or through con
fusing accidentals with essentials? How can we
meet and come to know each other with screens
in the way? Once the screens are in position, the
natural follow-up is the closing of the windows.
Perhaps this is what some churchmen want. Then
we will be safe again, locked In and Isolated
from contamination by the world. But isn’t the
world our environment? Isn't it the world that we
are asked to conquer for Christ?
REAPINGS
AT
RANDOM