Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

7 • a FIRST OF A SERIES THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 1964 GEORGIA BULLETIN PAGE Footsteps On The Council-Great Decisions BY ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HALL IN AN OUR AWARENESS OF THE CHURCH For two years, we have become conscious of changes in the old Church we know and love. It still stood there, sturdy and serviceable, rather grimy in the urban centers, rather glossy in the suburbs. The structure was basically the same that our parents and grandparents knew. The laity was “under” the clergy in doctrine, morals and worship; the priests “under” the bishops; the bishops ' under” the Pope. All was well. But was it really? In another country, France, the Archbishop of Paris had looked carefully at the Church of the war years, and the world that lay around it. Then, in the 1940’s, Emmanuel Su- hard wrote a series of pastoral letters, — in ‘The Parish Community”, "GrowthorDedine”, 'The Meaning of God”, “Priests Among Men”. What he wrote pierced the hearts of many French Catholics; his influence spread through Europe and America. With the dreams of Christian priests and laymen and the pronouncements of Pope Pius XII, the Suhard thesis became the Catholic blue print for a renewal of the Church. The Second Vatican Council, in its decrees, is energizing the ideals of Suhard and others. Because all is not well. Why do some Catholics resent the efforts of their bishops and pastors to preach full equality and justice for the Negro? Why do scholarly Catholics feel that the Church is not interested in the intellectual questions of our times?' Why do the faithful so often prefer private devotions to the public Liturgy of the Mass? Why did it take so long for our schools to absorb the social guidelines of Leo XIII, the scriptural promptings of Pius XII, the Ecumenical spirit of John XXIII? In opening this third session of the Council, Pope Paul points to the reason: “the humiliating empti ness of our misery, and the crying need we have of His help and mercy.” IftheChurch in the Unit ed States is not understood by those of other faiths (as the presidential campaign of 1960 clearly showed), is it because it is not sufficiently un derstood by us who are its members? The Schema on the Church opened the debate this third decisive session. Pope Paul who put “awareness of the Church” first in his opening address of 1963 and in his first Encyclical, The Paths of the Church, has called this Schema “the weightiest and most delicate of all.” Cardinal Bea, who has come to be reckoned by Catholics, Pro testants and Jews as a fatherly guide, explains the long debate on it by his insistence that it is the “most important document of Vatican II.” What questions does it involve? As Paul VI has stated: ' The hour has sounded in history when the Church,. . .must say of herself what Christ intended and willed her to be. . . .The Church must give a definition of herself and bring out from her true consciousness the doc trine which the Holy Spirit teaches her.” The Holy Father in addressing the council mem bers asked the Church “to study itself or rather probe into the mind of Christ; its divine Founder” so that it may be an “even more fit instrument in the work of salvation for which it was found ed.” But it will not be a tight, inclusive, legalis tic definition. Christ who formed it for all men, on the one hand; and humanity, “to whose service it is committed”, both forbid such a notion. In the beginning, things were different.The con cern of Christ and His Apostles wasfirstwith the internal, spiritual development of the Soul toward God. The Gospel of Christ is studded with passages which call for such interior dedication, the Beati tudes, the Two Great Commandments, the Par ables. “Seek you first the Kingdom, and all these other things will be added to you.” Likewise, St. Paul spoke of Christ’s Mystical Body, not as a legal, external organization, but a body in unity of function and goal. The bishop, the priest, the layman were to serve in a ministry of love. Likewise, St. Gregory the Great, writing to an Egyptian bishop, said: “My honor is the honor of the Universal Church, My honor is the strength of my brothers.” St. Thomas Aquinas called the Holy Eucharist the focal point, the sacrament of unity. No one questioned the need of authority and,obe dience, the preservation of the Word and the neces sity of the Sacraments. But it was not until these were repudiated by some of the reformers of the sixteenth century that a shift in the definition of the Church became noticeable. St. Robert Bellarmine, to whom we owe much for the conservation of the Church’s identity in the post-reformation days, spoke from the beleaguered position of Catholi cism in a chaotic Europe. His definition read: 'The one true Church is the Com munity of men gathered together by the profession of the true faith, com munion in the same sacraments, and under the government of legitimate pastors, and principally the one Vicar ofChnstonearth, the Roman Pontiff.” Every word of that is true — but it does not go far enough. It held the line against the attacks of heresy, but it does not serve today. It puts empha sis mainly on external conformity: outward pro fession, outward sanctification and outward obe dience. The new Schema on the Church has eight chap ters: The Mystery of the Church, Written in language rich in Scriptures, this chapter places the Church in its proper relationship to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Mystical Body of Christ is beauti fully and effectively described, starting with St. Paul and carrying us down to the encyclical of Pius on that subject. The whole chapter makes a little silly theexpession, “I belong to the Catholic Church.” As you read it, your response will prob ably be: “I am the Catholic Church, apart of it.” The People of God, Here the Fathers will dip into the Old Testament and God’s covenant with His people. Members of the Church are defined in these terms, adding a clarification of the phrase “the priesthood of the laity,” and showing how the sacraments make possible and enhance this priesthood. The gift of charisms, special revela tions possible to every order of the Church, will be carefully explained.The Schema closes with re freshing words on the place of non-Catholics and non-Christians in the overall use of the term, “the people of God.” The Hierarchy. Only in an abstract, text-book sort of manner will the old charts on the Church’s government now survive. The whole sense of this debate will center on Service and Ministry, be cause the Son of Man came to minister, not to be ministered to. The sharing of the responsibility of the Pope with the bishop is called *'collegiality”. This is examined in terms of Christ, Peter and the other Apostles, then the application is made to the Church today, Christ, the Pope and the Bishop. The three—fold task of the Episcopacy—-teaching, sanctifying and ruling, is to be explored. At the urging of a number of bishops, notably Archbishop William Conway of Armagh, Ireland, a much-need ed section on priests has been added. The Laity: It used to be said that only two can ons out of some 2200 in Canon Law referred to laymen, and the only available definition was “a person who is not a cleric.” Articles 30-38 now . spell out the all-important role of the laymen in the Church, defining him in much more positive terms, underlining his dignity as a member of the People of God. His apostolic life, his witness of Christ, his royal service of Christ the King, his relation to the hierarchy—all these topics are in cluded. The older role of layman in the choir, classroom and collection basket (still very neces sary) and his newer role as lector and commenta tor in the liturgy (even more necessary) will sure ly be enhanced as the decrees of Vatican II begin to take effect. The Universal Vocation to Sanctify: Religious Orders, The Eschatology of the Church (her heavenly destiny), The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Mystery of Christ and the Church. These chapters each has a logical place in this vital Schema, and the thinking Catholic will want to follow the debate, and study carefully the final form of the decrees. In next week's article, a summary of some points of the debate will be given, with special attention to the interests of our people. Already, Cardinal Suenens has objected to the procedure for the beatification of Saints: too long, too expensive and too centralized. Fathers of both the Eastern Rite and Western Rite have claimed that the Holy Spirit is underemphasized. The Cardinal said the chapter on Eschatology en riched the whole Schema, but an Archbishop said it should be totally omitted because it said nothing not already known. And, although the chapter deals with the Church in heaven, two bishops thought it should include hell. The Church — in hell I There are new procedures now, and more effi cient presentations. Certain features of the Ses sion are disappointing—the restrictions of the U.S. Press Panel, the outside pressures and inside leaks about the statement on the Jews. But there are very encouraging signs: the opening concele- brated Mass of the Pope and twenty-four Bishops including our own Archbishops Shehanand Krol; Pope Paul’s stress on collegiality; the new word against civil interference in concordats; the pro gressive work of the new Liturgy Consilium. Only one topic seems to have earned a “non placet” of practically all the Bishops. They don’t like the new hour of opening the coffee-bar, 11 a.m. In the earlier Sessions, the counter provided all sorts of coffee, and (I was glad to note) Coca- Cola plus light pastries. It was a great place to gather and discuss the Schemata especially while one Council Father at the microphone was saying what had already been stated a dozen times. Maybe the 11 a.m. opening is a move to dis courage the Bishops. We'll know, if this becomes the last Session. BRANAN & SCHMITZ REALTY CO. 4641 Roswell Rd. N. E. Atlanta, Georgia 255-7770 BUYING OR SELLING A HOUSE? contact Branan & Schmitz for qualified personal service! Specialists in AREAS I & II - Residential Sales - Acreage - Insurance - Leases' POPES PRIMACY INVOLVED Collegiality Is Major Issue In Current Council Debate HnJuAance in all iti jjOsunj! ty i£i uMiitten, we wsute it . . . Sutter & McLettan 1422 RHODES HAVERTY BLDG. JAckson 5-2086 WHERE INSURANCE IS A PROFESSION NOT A SIDELINE What’s The Good Word "Beat Kitchen Drudgery” Make A Date.... It’s Fun To Eat Out And Then Go To The Game St. Pius X High School v/s Russell High School •The St. Pius X Athletic Assn. Is Sponsoring A Fish Dinner Friday Oct ober 2nd At The School Cafetorium 10 M To Help Equip The Concession Stand At Joe Bean Stadium Dinner Starting At 5:00 P.M. And Serving Until Game Time Adults *1.25 Students .75 BY PATRICK RILEY (N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE) VATICAN CITY—The pros and cons of collegiality—the supreme power of the College of Bishops to teach, rule and sanctify the Church— came vividly befor e the council Fathers in a capsule debate organized by officials of the council (Sept. 21). The outstanding point at issue was whether this teaching would weaken or endanger the Pope’s primacy in any way. BISHOP Frane Franic of Split, Yugoslavia, declared that it would. Archbishop Pietro Parente, number two admini strator of the Congregation of the Holy Office, denied this. Both men spoke on behalf of the council’s Doctrinal Com mission, which drew up the draft of th e constitution **De Ecclesia” (On the Church ), in corporating the concept of collegiality. This departure from the cus tomary procedure inpresenting a schema was ordered by the council’s coordinating commis sion, the presidents and mode rators. Instead of the usual an nouncement explaining the schema as it stood. ARCHBISHOP Parente pre sented the commission’s de fense on the subject of colle giality while Auxiliary Bish op Luis Henriquez Jiminez of Caracas presented the com mission’s defense of a perman ent and non-celibate diaconate. This debate occupied so much of the council’s time that only five council Fathers were able to continue regular debate and only four of an announced six votes could be taken. THE FIRST speaker in the regular debate was Paul-Emile Cardinal Leger of Montreal who said paternalism in the hier archy is outmoded. He got ap plause when he urged that the council consider revising $e dress and titles of clerics. The first vote was on the text stating that the bishops are the successors of the apostles and the Pope is the successo r of St. Peter. This was passed by 2,166 to 53 with one null. THE SECOND vote was on a passage declaring that the apostles were organized in the manner of a college with Peter in charge, to exercise the mission of salvation in the world. This passed by a small er majority—2,012 in favor, 191 against, with three null. In the course of the meeting, Archbishop Parente informed the council Fathers that two of their number had died earl ier that day—Archbishops Josef Gawlina and Leone Nigris, both of the Roman curia. Recalling that Archbishop Gawlina had spoken before the council in praise of the Blessed Virgin only four days earlier, Arch bishop Parente voiced a pray er that the Polish prelate would be received by her in heaven. EUGENE Cardinal Tisserant, dean of the College of Cardinals and Chairman of the council of the presidency, complained that certain council experts were violating the restrictions imposed on them by giving con ferences and that some mem bers of the doctrinal com mission had distributed litera ture criticizing thestatements that were to be presented that day on collegiality. Archbishop Pericle Felici announced that the doctrinal commission had requested that Bishop Franic’s statement list ing objections to chapter three of the schema be presented along with the statements in de fense of it. FRANZISKL’S Cardinal Koe nig of Vienna, who introduced the statement defending the text, declared that the two statements, for and against, were not to be understood as majority and minority reports from the doctrinal commission. He said the entire commission had approved the text of both statements. (However, Bishop John J. Wright of Pittsburgh, a mem ber of the doctrinal com mission, told newsmen at a meeting of the U . S. Bish ops’ Press Panel, that Bishop Franic “spoke in a great part for himself. It was not s mi nority report. It was the mind of the commission unanimously that Archbishop Parente’s re- latio (statement) presented the mind of the commission.” (Bishop Wright said than Bishop Franic asked if he could state the “difficulties lingering in the mind of a few.”) BISHOP Franic’s objections were directed against the con cepts of the sacramentality of the episcopate and episcopal collegiality and the restorat collegiality and the restorat ion of a permanent diaconate, eith married or celibate. He admitted that most theologians agree the epis copacy has sacramentality with the impression of a distinct character. But he felt the ques tion was not yet sufficiently settled for a conciliar state ment. TURNING to collegiality, he said the doctrine stated in the schema does not safeguard the Drop Usual Act Of Contrition SAGINAW, Mich. (NC)—Pen itents in the Saginaw diocese no longer are asked to make an act of contrition in confession. Instead the priest asks: “Are you truly sorry for these sins and do you intend not to commit them for the future?” An affir mative answer is taken as an ex pression of the required dispo sition of sorrow. The penitent then listens as the priest re cites the absolution in English. English now is used in the administration of all sacra ments and sacramentals in the diocese. teaching on papal primacy of the First Vatican Council. If the bishops were to receive full and supreme power from Christ Himself by virtue of their episcopal consecration, and are sharers even on a su bordinate level of this supreme power, a diminishing of the Pope's primacy would be in evitable, he held. The schema uses Scripture and tradition to buttress its teaching that the episcopate power has supreme power by divine institution, Bishop Fran ic said. But he asserted that the schema’s basic Scriptural proof from St. Matthew, (18, 18) fails to establish that the power there given to Peter was also given to the apostolic college unit ed to its head. He said the Pontifical Biblical Commiss ion, in its reply to a question on this very point, backed him up. (In May Archbishop Felici asked the Biblical commission to give its opinion on whether the Bible offers sufficient basis for doctrine of collegiality. The commission had four days in which to reply. In an opinion saigned only by those of its consultors who live in Rome, the commission said it is not clear that the Bible gives foundation for the doctrine of collegiality.) BISHOP Franic said “many Fathers” are convinced that tradition offers no proof for collegiality. All arguments marshaled from tradition in the schema were known to the early Church fathers and teachers, and especially to the popes, yet all affirm that only the pope has fqll power received im mediately from Christ, while the bishops take power im mediately from the pope and only indirectly from Christ. Bishop Franic rejected the distinction that these Popes were speaking only of the exer cise of jurisdiction and not of the jurisdiction itself. HE ADMITTED that the pro- CONT1NUED ON PAGE 8 MEMENTO OF COUNCIL OPENING—The gold-lace stole showm above was worn by Pope John XXIII when he opened the first session of Vatican Council II in St. Peter's Basilica on October 11, 1962. Only shortly before his death, Pope John directed that the stole be sent to the United States as a gift to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C. The stole has been on loan from the Shrine for exhibition in the Vatican Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. . . x v. •: tfflflwi ••• x. . x%. v .%•.\. Seminary Fund Remember the SEMINARY FUND of the Archidocese of Atlanta in your Will. Bequests should be made to the “Most Reverend Paul J. Hallinan, Archbishop of the Catho lic Archdiocese of Atlanta and his successors in office". Participate in the daily prayers of our semi narians and in the Masses offer ed annually for the benefactors of our SEMINARY FUND. JUHAN'S CLEANERS Expert - P*r*onaB*ed Bcrrlc* Olven to RVery Garment Coming Into Oyr Plant in n. Mai* at. ro. Oada— Pvt Oa. •Rujr Vt.ur aiax Prow Has" * man METZIL. Owner MAX'S MEN'S SHOPS o4 Peachtree Industrial llvd. Chamhtee RJata (hopping Center Phone eSl-UU *TS Peachtree. N E. Phone TP e-flJM — At lOUi *t. prei inspectionYcall CE. 7-W94 Strvint Atlanta Since 1912 • PRINTING ^ •LITHOGRAPHING COMRax/vy 550 FORREST ROAD, N. E., ATLANTA, GEORGIA • TRinity 5-4727 Office Equipment Business Machines Sales-Service-Supplies PHONE 525-6417 PHONE 525-6417 172 WHITEHALL STREET, S.W. ATLANTA 3, GEORGIA •dee StucU& WEDDINGS PORTRAITS COMMERCIAL BLACK - WHITE AND NATURAL COLOR 1164 N. HIGHLAND AVE., N.E. ATLANTA, GA. TR 6-3716 WE SPECIALIZE IN FINE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY. OUT OF TOWN ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED IGNATIUS HOUSE RETREATS IV JESUIT PRIESTS Weekends For Men And Weekends For Women 6700 Riverside Drive N. W. 255-0503 Atlanta, Georgia 30328 C you Can Eat!! shrimpMlobster 2 75 j CROSS ROADS j 3 75 “Where Peachtree Meets Spring” Complete Sea Food Menu Free Parking— TRinity 5-2288 and Your Favorite Beverage OPIN DAILY 'TILL MIDNIGHT-MKM»ft AMERICAN EXPRESS