Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

t ♦ # 4 0 1 PAGE 8 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1964 STEPPED-UP-PACE Council Zipping Along With Throttle Wide Open CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 regarding the title “Mother of the Church": “If the Church is our Mother, then this makes Mary our “grandmother’’ which is awkward!” 3. “ Pastoral Office of Bishops” Draft Decree, This Decree drew no notable debate. It was generally agreeable to the Bishops and the speakers pointed out only minor defects. 4. "THE BISHOPS and Collegiality” Chapter III of the Schema: The Church, This provoked the fireworks which was fully covered in the press. Since then, there has been wide discussion about the role of Archbishop Parente, Assessor of the Holy Office, who spoke as “the simple Bishop of Thebes (his titular See)’ in support of collegiality of the Bishops, with the Pope, in the government of the Universal Church, Thi3 came as a great surprise because of the strong position against collegiality taken by Cardinal Ottaviani, Head of the Holy Office, There has also been a public expression at the U, S, Bishops’ Press Panel (13 U.S. Experts who “meet the Press” every day at 3:30 p,m,) that the establishment of a kind of “Senate” of the Church international could now be expected. This was the state ment of Archbishop McGucken of San Francisco, National Press Chief for the U.S, Bishops. And it means that the Pope now will probably invite a body of Bishops from around the world to sit down with him to shape general, high level polity for the Church, instead of leaving so much policy-making to the Roman Curia. 5. “RELIGIOUS LIBERTY” STATEMENT This was covered in my last Rome Letter and made headlines and big stories in all the newspapers. Since last writing, the de bate on the question has been completed and I have worked up a count on it, as follows: The Debate on Religious Liberty lasted for 31/2 tense days. Speakers for and against it were about evenly divided, 25 Fathers spoke for the Schema as written in favor of Religious Liberty, 19 Fathers spoke against the Schema as written. Represented by Speakers were: 18 Countries, The Curia, 2 Orders (Gen«) Spain had 6 against; Italy 3 against and 1 for; U.S.A. 5 for. The Roman Curia had 3 against. Generally against: India, Bolivia, Brazil, Poland, China. Generally for: Canada, Chile, S, Africa, Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany, France, Holland, Poland, Vietnam, Ireland, HOWEVER—Bishops speaking for Religious Freedom usually spoke for a large number of fellow-Bishops from the same country. This was not true of those who spoke against it. And the general feeling is that the Schema will be approved “in gene re” when it comes back to the floor for a vote. Still, the pronouncement will induce serious problems for the Church in countries which have a formal “Con cordat” with the Vatican, such as Italy and Spain be cause these agreements guaranteed the Church’s right to many things: a free press, Christian education and so forth. Yet even greater problems will arise if the Church fails, in General Council, to spell out this matter. 6, ’THE JEWS And Other Non-Christians” The gist of this debate was this: “Jews generally - of today, of the time of Christ, even the Jewish lead ers who brought about Christ's death - must be absol ved once and for all of the charge of “deicide”. (“Father, forgive them,” said Christ Himself “For they know not what they do”.)They acted in ignorance. Further, no one may charge a whole race or nation with the faults of some Individuals. Moreover, we must purge ourselves of the anti-Semitic feelings and actions of the past......If Moslems are mentioned, then other non-Christian nations and groups should be mentioned too, as objects of Christian love. Yet there is strong feeling that the Jews, in view of their special role in God’s Providence in preparing for Christianity, should receive special treatment in the Statement. There were very many speakers on this subject but there was not a great deal that any one of them could contribute of an original nature. So they kept repeating each other for a long time. Looks like the final statement will go the above route. 7. “REVELATION” SCHEMA. Here is a revision of the Schema rejected at the First Session because it was written in pre-Pius XII tone and approach. At that time it was called * On the Two Sources of Revelation”. Debate on the revision is just about at the half-way mark, I should think, right now. And the revision is definitely post- “Divino-Afflante- Spiritu”. That is about all I can say about it at the present time. But the signs are good for an up-dated treatment to pass the Council. SO MUCH for the great debate. It has been very definitely inte resting and exciting and many brilliant addresses have been made on all of the above topics. In addition, many colorful figures have risen to speak: Suenens, DeSmet, Cushing, Ottaviani, Ruffini, Parente, Doepfner — time and again. And on each occasion the coffee-shop was deserted and the seats almost filled. Yesterday a most important vote was taken. But, somehow, it got by the press who seemed to have been cought napping. T WAS the explicit declaration of equality for the People of God as regards dignity and rights regardless of nationality, race, sex or social condition. This was the statement on which I had made an intervention at the Second Session. And itwas passed in the form the U. S, Bishops had asked for. But instead of appearing in Chapter II of the Schema: The Church, where it was last year, the statement appeared, in stead, this year, in Chapter IV: On the Laity in die Church. THE NCWC picked up the story quickly enough. But the secular press seemed so absorbed in the debate going on at the moment on the floor (on the Jews and other Non-Christians) that the vote on Chapter IV came as a kind of sleeper. At least none of the re porters at the press panel seemed to be aware of what had been voted on, for none asked a question about it. Odd notes: The New York Tribune went speculating the other CORRESPONDENT SEES Greatest Challenge Ahead For Council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 gard irenicism as weakness, ecumenism as men have been disappointed and are frequently bitter about the way things are going in Rome. Evelyn Wa ugh, the English Catholic nove list, for example, on more than one occasion has publicly ex pressed his disapproval and asked the bishops for “more of the same please” in their efforts to strengthen the Church. BUT the general reaction throughout the world. Catholic and non-Catholic, has been en couraging. Anyone who has sat in the press building down from Saint Peter's and has listened to hard-bitten journalists from all over the world studiously asking theologians’ opinions on the sources erf revelation knows that there is a tremendous in terest of the right kind in the Council. As Eh-. Albert Outler, a Protestant observer, said once, the remarkable thing is that the lead has been taken by a Church long deemed passe and irreformable. At their best, the Fathers of the Council have given brilliant evidence that the spirit of the Gospels still lives in the Church. Take their discussions about the declaration on the Jews. By and large, it was a model of evangelical charity. As such it was a bafflement to a few Catholics who have nur tured anti-Semitism in their hearts. To such persons there seems to be no explanation for the genuine Christian senti ments expressed by the Coun cil Fathers other than their gullibility and susceptibility to alleged Jewish “plots.” IN the absence of facts to sus tain their theory, they simply manufacutred them. For ex ample, it was recently reported in Le Monde, the Parisian daily, that Fathers of the Coun cil had been circularized by a group identifying itself only as a body of priests. The anonymous group warned the bishops aga inst being taken in by Jew ish propaganda. They also singled out a number of priests active in Council affairs who have Jewish backgrounds. The conciliar Fathers were warn ed against these priests. It was suggested that they might be “plants.” Among those named were two prominent members of the clergy well known to Ame ricans— Msgr. John M. Oes- terrelcher of Seton Hall Uni versity, Newark, N. J., and the Canadian Augustinian theologi an, Father Gregory Baum. The same letter cast doubt on the leading ecumenist of the Church, the Jesuit Cardinal Bea. Cardinal Bea, who was bom in Germany, it was suggested, has been a Jewish “agent” all along. But it is of major significance that no one here took this face less letter seriously. The priests named were more amused than hurt by it and the bishops treated it with the dis dain it deserved. AS an effort to renew Catho licism, great progress has al ready been made by the Coun cil, and more is in the offing. One need only recall the shocked reaction to Hans Kueng’s first book on reform and renewal to see how far along the Church has come. When, in that book, Father Kueng, the brilliant young Swiss theologian, suggested that the Church needed an internal “re formation” and overhaul of out moded customs, canons, theolo gical methods, and restric tions on freedom, there was a cry against him throughout the Catholic world. He was accus ed of being not only a boat- rocker and trouble-maker but a crypto-heretic, to boot. BUT Father Kueng, rather than hi s critics, turned out to be the better prophet of what the work of Vatican II would be. Only two decrees of the Coun cil have been formally proclaim- by the Pope to date. The lesser of these, the decree on com munications, admittedly added little to Pope John search for aggiomamento. At best it was a collection of banalities and re vealed the inability of its au thors to deal creatively and at the same time realistically with its challenging theme. Since its proclamation last December it has been largely, and mer cifully, forgotten. THE explanation for this fail ure is that the Fathers of the Council were preoccupied with more pressing theological mat ters and did not give it the attention it deserved. Absent- mindedly, they let a golden op portunity slip through thelrfin- gers. But the liturgical constitu tion, proclaimed on the same occasion, was a brilliant ac complishment. To the degree that is is put into practice, it will reorient Catholic piety from an individualistic and sometimes sentimental pre occupation with personal salva tion to a broad social aware ness that the Church-at-prayer is the people of God broad so cial awarnesss that the Church- at-prayer is the people of God sharing the highest spriitual ex perience open to man on earth. PUBLIC attention has been largely fixed on such dramatic changes as the shift from Latin to the vernacular in the Mass and Sacraments. Much more important, however, is the spirit of the document, which promises to enrich the worship of the Church, heighten the meaning of the Sacraments, and dissipate the incomprehen sibility and frequent boredom which so many Catholics for so long have associated with the performance of their sacra mental “duties.” The draft on Divine Revela tion, which at this writing is under discussion, is equally promising. Though its themes are abstruse and highly theo logical, it has strong implica tions not only for the future intellectual life of the Church and ecumenical work but for the growth of a Biblical mind-set among the Catholic people, as well. This proposed decree opens the possibility of unfold ing, for Catholics, the riches to be found in the sacred Scri ptures and shifting their reli gious thinking away from the long-cauonized “propositional mode, by which faith becomes assent to a series of syllogis tic counclusions, to a more Biblical turn of mind, which puts its emphasis on the Christian experinece as an “encournter” between God and man. AS the Abbot of Downside (England), Dom Christopher Butler, O. S. B., noted, the schema on the sources of re velation which is of great in terest to theologians may be practically incomprehensible to the untrained. Coming im mediately after the lively dis cussions of religious liberty and the declaration on the Jews, the debate on it seemed like something of a let-down to many. Still, for the futue of the Qiurch, its importance cannot be exaggerated. The schema is concerned with three basic matters: 1. The idea of revelation: 2. The con sequences of revelation; and 3. The uses of the Bible. THE schema, formerly known as “sources of revelation,” is now simply “On Divine Reve lation.” The title change from the 1962 schema indicates a shift in emphasis from the apologetical, catechism tone critized then to the current preservation of revelation as the “perennial and life-giving word still active in the Church.” Two key words in the treat ment of revelation are Scrip ture and tradition. The auth entic interpretation of tra dition is entrusted to the m^tg- isterium of the Church, includ ing the interpretation of sacred Scripture which is not outside tradition but forms part of it. Under guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church gains an ever-increasing comprehens ion of the mystery of salvation^ There are no new revelations, but what has already been re vealed can be better under stood as the Church progres ses on its journey through time. THE first session of the Council, in 1962, got bogged down in an argument about whether the sources of revela tion were to be found indepen dently in the Bible and In the tradition of the Church or whe ther the revelation communic ated through tradition was also ultimately rooted in Scripture. Thus a variant on the Prote stant-Catholic theological bat tle of the Reformation about Scripture was renewed in the aula of Saint Peter's. The present schema bypasses that issue entirely. It was felt that theological specula tion had not matured enough for the Council to take a firm position on the matter and that it would be well to let the theo logians work on it longer. In the meantime, the Biblically- oriented faction— who were once held highly suspect by the Holy Office as possible devi ants from orthodoxy— are free to continue their studies, to up hold their position that Scrip ture and tradition are intima tely related, and to question the other doctrines, which have been widely held for the last 400 years — but, Father George Tavard insisted, no longer than that. AS it now stands, “the sour ces of revelation” is in keep ing with the thought of John Henry Newman, he great Vic torian cardinal, whose classic theories on the development of doctrine were questioned in his own day. It gives expres sion to the idea that revelation is not so much a matter of words as of the “salvific”ac- tions of God in history, which are recorded in the books of the Bible and preserved by tra dition. The Biblical accounts themselves, the document affir ms, must be understood in their literary, historical, linguistic, and theological contexts. The supreme revelation of course, in which all is fulfilled, is to be found in the life of Christ, who is the revelation in whom God manifested Himself. The new schema encourag es Catholics to read the sac red Scriptures in both their pri vate and public worship. It en courages the work of modern Scripture scholars and the col laboration of Catholic scholars with biblicists of other faiths. Finally, it authorizes joint Pro testant-Catholic versions of the Bible based on modern scholar ship, especailly in those new nations where no translations have been available. THIS stress on the Bible will surely strengthen ecumeni cal ties between Christians. It will enrich Jewish-Catho- lic understanding as well; the Church's theology of the fu ture — influenced bythe Semitic caste of thought found in the Scriptures— will be more com prehensible to Jewish thinkers than the alien Hellenic emph asis of Catholic thought also was. Moreover, the existential flavor of Biblical thought also seems much more tongenial to secularist thinkers than the Graeco-Roman presentation erf Catholic doctrine which has for so long dominated the Church’s seminaries and universities. The favorable votes for ep iscopal collegiality, the doc trine by which the bishops will be given a larger share with the Pope in the governance of the entire Church, can also be counted as a big step for ward in reaching the aims of the Council. Acceptance of the “colle giate” principale brings Catho lic thinking closer to Eas tern Orthodox conceptions of the bishops’ role. It diminish es somewhat the persistent Protestant notion of Catho licism as a kind of religious dictatorship presided over by a despotic Pope. In addition, the wider representation within the ruling body at Rome of the dif ferent families of mankind, which can be counted on to re flect a wider concern and more “open” attitude than the classi cally “clerical” directors of the Roman Curia — this too Is appealing. The implementation of “collegiality,” in a word, is sure to have a vast ecumenical, and perhaps wholesomely pas toral, effect on the life of the Church. ALL these changes will effect the dialogue between the Church and the world which Pope Paul called for. The first attempts at that dialogue will be coming before the Fathers soon, when the crucial schema 13, On the Church and the Modem World, is presented to them. Another touchy questions. It could go either way — be another hap less communications decree or speak meaningfully to modern man. But one thing is cer tain: If the declarations on re ligious liberty and on the Jews and other non-Christians had not been received as they were by the Fathers of the Council, who approved of both of them and sent them back for strength ening since they arrived here in mid-September, the third aim of the Council —to speak mean ingfully to contemporary man— would have been put out of range. The schema on ecumenism, to which these fateful delcarations were attached, established a model for speaking to the world: “openness” without essential compromise; firmness about principale without arrogance or self-righteousness; a lively aw areness that the estrangement of centuries cannot be comp letely healed overnight, without hopelessness. IF the Church’s attempts to establish a dialogue with the modem world are as fruitful as its earier effort to break through to its non-Catholic Christian brethren, Vatican II will go down in history as the greatest event in a thousand years of Catholic history. The greatest challenge, the, is still ahead. TO WORK IN MASS MEDIA—Father Gustavo Perez, (left) director general of the Catholic Institute for Social Develop ment in Colombia and Father Thomas F. McMahon, (right) a Maryknoll Misaioner who is going to Bogota to work in the undertaking. The institute has been set up to do re search and to carry out pilot projects. day on the possibility of Pope John's canonization at the close of this Session, without the usual drawn out procedure. Most of us expect it to come some day, but it is hardly on the agenda for this Session......No definite word yet about the close of this Session. However, it seems almost certain that we will leave Rome to re turn home on November 21 .But rumor is guessing about wheth er the Council will close permanently at the same time. Favoring this guess is the rapid pace at which the debates and voting are moving ahead. Against it is the time-element, the vast prepara tions of documents, and so forth. So the best rumor at the moment is that the Council will close in November, as far as debating and voting is concerned, but that we will all be brought back in the Spring for a solemn closing and for signatures to the finishing documents Well, speriamol THE WEATHER is still very warm in Rome as October enters the scene......We have had the most amazing weather I have ever experienced in my life: since August 16 I have seen only one rainy day during my travels to New York, Ireland, England, Scot land, France and Italy Prices here have risen 10% since last year in all the stores and hotels in Rome. After all, this is probably the First Sessionl......Bishop Greco made a fine inter vention the other day on behalf of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, asking that it be mentioned, by name, in the Schema the Pastoral Office of Bishops. He was also the first Bishop ever to have his picture taken in movies while he was speaking, because the rule against picture-taking was relaxed just before he rose to speak. Said Archbishop Felici, the announcer, in Latin: ‘After all, we want our bishops beautifully recorded in colorl Cardinal Newman was, as usual, away ahead of his time in re gard to debates at the Council, just as he was ahead of his time on the care of students at non-Catholic colleges and many other mat ters After all, he was living (as a man of 70, with 20 years of life still ahead of him) when the First Vatican Council convened. Newman was a great ecumenist and always kept up good relations with his Anglican friends......He was a pioneer in the theory of the development of doctrine which is all the go at the Council now and he went down the line for Religious Liberty 100 years before it hit the Aula last week. Archbishop Felici, the announcer, continues to get off a few good cracks between announcements at the Council: Tired of ’ Excel- lentissimi Domini” and ‘ Veerabiles Patres” in addressing the Fathers, yesterday it was “Omatissimi Patres”! And noticing that, after 11 a.m. when the speeches became repetitious, many seats were vacant because Fathers had gone to the coffee- shop, the Archbishop addresses “Venerabiles Patres - qui adsunt et etiam qui sunt in diaspora!” .Then, today, impatient to get the session started, he cried out: *Exenut Omnes — cum omni festinationel’ (P.S. Get your parish-priest to translate!) The Non-Catholic Observers are here in force, and I have got ten to know a few more of them: Dr. Caird of Oxford, England, Dr. Baker of Glasgow, Scotland, and a number of others. I met them at a dinner the Paulist Fathers in Rome gave the other even ing and they are finding this session of the Council most interest ing. Even Constantinople is represented this time as are a number of the Eastern Orthodox communities which at first had held off sending Observers. WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW'S SISTER? A SISTER WELL DRESS DIFFERENTLY 100 years from now, understand her own vocation better, be in closer iouch with lay people. Moreover, she will he "imhued with a deep sense of the social nature of her vows.” . . . Top o r f«HaIs of 400 religious orders e-reed on these noints not loner aero. *■* T h"v me* in Cincinnati to discuss O* ** the ‘Sister of the Future” . . . Wc think, of course, of our Sisters over seas. and wc wonder what will lie- come of them. They are under privileged. sometimes even under- . fed. Nevertheless, they care for Tht Holy Path# s Minton Aid lepers without fear, give unwanted for the Oriental Church orphans a mother’s love, teach pagan youngsters about God. —Where would the mission Church be without our native Sisters? ... To train young novices, “form” them for the rigors of mission life, the SISTERS OF ST. JO SEPH IN KAI-PUZHA, southern INDIA, need a simple chapel. Can you send them $1. $2. $5. $10? . . . The chapel (a wonderful memorial for a loved one. by the way) will cost only $4,800 altogether. Whatever you can give, will be a token of your thanks for what Sisters have done for you and yours. Write to us now. □ □ □ □ □ □ □ HOW TO TRAIN A SISTER Sl-a-month '$12 a year) pays your membership dues in MARA’ S BANK, our sponsors’ club for training native Sisters. $3 supports a novice for about a week. $5 buys shoes for a Sistcr-to-bc. $7.50 provides incidentals for one year. $10 is the cost of a Sister’s habit. $12.50 supports one Sister for a month. $150 supports one Sister for a year. □ $300 pays the entire cost uf a Sister’s two-year training PERMIT THE HOLY FATHER TO DECIDE?—That’s wha you do when you send us a gift for the missions “no string! attached.” THERE'S A CHILD FOR YOU IN BETHLEHEM, a littl gtt! who has no mother or father . . She’s being eared for b Sisters in the PONTIFICAL MISSION ORPHANAGE. Wouli you llke a d°I* he r- Pay her expenses <$10-a-month) niontl by month? We H send you her picture-and. when she’s oh enough, she II try to write to you. Just drop us a line. HER E dldh!fl^’ AT LEAST ’ MY FRIENDS.” —NOV EM * d ^ th<? SOUL S IN PURGATORY, is less tha tho \f \ 0ur m ^n»ry priests will be pleased to offe ini- «k >0U request • • • Simply send us, with your offer .uf’, of > our deceased loved ones ... Ask us. toe about GREGORIAN MASSES (Mass each day for 30 day without interruption). Dear Monsignor Ryan: Enclosed please find Name Street City . for Zone .... State lii12earKst(Riss!onsjMi FRANCIS CARDINAL SPILLMAN, President Jotopk T. tyoo, Not'l Wc'y S©o4 all oooioraoicatioot to: CATHOLIC NEAR FAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION SIR Mod!*©* Avo. at 42*4 St. Now York. N. Y. 10017