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PAGE 10 CEORGLA BULLETIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1964
schema M
Implementing Pope’s
‘Dialogue With World’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
ing has been publicly suppor
ting the concept of “responsi
ble parenthood”, which is em
phasized in the schema on the
Church and the Modem World.
It is also widely known here
that he was chiefly responsi
ble for the section of the
schema in which is found the
treatment of marriage.
It is remembered too that
this was not the first time
Archbishop Heenan and Fath
er Haring dashed. The Bri
tish hierarchy, undre Arch
bishop Heenan's leadership,
issued a statement last Sum
mer reaffirming the tradi
tional Catholic teaching on
birth control and Pius XU's
early condemnation of the con
traceptive pill as a '‘sterili
zer,'’ Soon after it was re
leased, it was reported in the
English press that Father Har
ing had flatly contradicted the
bishops' statement. Then it
turned out that the British
journalists, misled by the
priest's heavy German accent,
had been mistaken-about what
he really said. Later, though,
Father Haring continued to pro
pagate a position that could
hardly be called sympathetic to
the “causa-finita-est" tone of
the English hierarchy's state
ment.
THIS background gave rise
to the suspicion that Archbish
op Heenan was aiming at the
Redemptorist in particular. Al
most immediately, a coffee-
bar quip, Heenan has gone af
ter a ' red Haring”, swept a-
cross Rome, Father Haring, ir*-
cidentally, is well known in the
city, not only as a theologian
but because he conducted a re
treat some months ago for Pope
Paul and members of the Vati
can household.
Archbishop Heenan's drama
tic intervention took place when
the Fathers were still debating
whether or not to accept the
scehma on the Church awl the
Modern World as the basis for
Council discussion. The Eng
lish prelate thought thatitought
to be thrown out and a fresh
start made. He called the
schema a ' set of platitudes"
and stated that if the Fathers
accepted it, it would become a
“laughing stock of the world.”
'THE document is going to
dash the hopes of everyone who
has been waiting for ...it reads
like a sermon.” It is so ob
scure, he said, to be under
stood it will need interpreta
tion — and the interpretation
will be given by the periti who
helped draw it up. 'Y3od for
bid that this should happeni”
He went on to say that * be
tween sessions of this Coun
cil, the Church of God has
suffered a great deal from the
writings and speeches of some
of these periti ...(who) care
nothing for the ordinary teach
ing authority of the bishops —
nor, 1 regret to say, for that
of the Pope.”
It is useless, Archbishop
Heenan said, to "seek advice
only from those who since their
youth have spent their lives in
monasteries, seminaries, or
universities. These eminent
men may hardly know the world
as it really is. The world can
be unpleasant and cruel. These
scholars often have a childlike
trust in the opinions of men in
the world,”
HE suggested then that the
work begin all over again with
a fresh group of advisers drawn
from experienced pa r i s h
priests, husbands, doctors,
scientists, and economists.
Give them thre e or four years
and then let them com.? back
with an acceptable document.
Of course other Fathers were
quick to point out privately that
the issues with which the
schema deals, notably the prob-
len of “the pill,” which in Eng
land is called "Heenan's Bitter
PU1,” are basically theological
and that if bishops don't feel
too sure about their moral as
pects, .housewives are not like
ly to provide the missing light.
Archbishop Heenan's sweep
ing suggestions, however, were
not accepted. The draft as it
is was voted on the next day
and kept as the basis for dis
cussion of the Church and the
Modern World.
THE next day, too, a Bene
dictine Abbot, Benediktus Reetz
of Beuron, Germnay , spoke.
“It is with fear and trembling
that I undertake to speak to
day after having heard it pro
claimed yeaterday that monks
cannot be expected to know
anything about the world," he
began. The abbot reminded the
Fathers then that in all the
12 centuries since Pope Gre
gory sent 70 monks to make
"angels" out of "angels,"peo
ple have flocked to monasteries
with their problems. The monk
does not leave the Church when
he leaves the world, he said—
and the Church still has her own
wisdom.
Reminding Archbishop Hee
nan of the monastic origins of
English Christianity so point
edly was perhaps not exactly
a reply to the Archbishop's
charges, but as a good-humor
ed counter-thrust it was en
joyed thoroughly by the Fath
ers.
NOT al* the Council Fath
ers by any means took Arch
bishop Heenan's low view of the
schema. There were the usual
criticism of the language in
which it is couched and its
lack of precision — but these
have come to be expected every
time a new schema is before
the Council. Some Fathers, de
spite such criticisms, found
"the Church and the Modern
World” an excellent starting-
point.
The opening discussions of
Schema 13 were limited to a
general treatment of it, so there
was little or no debate yet about
the specific issues touched on in
it. That will come later as the
discussion proceeds, and it will
probably continue right up to the
end of the present session,
which Pope Paul has set for
Nov. 21.
THE preliminary discussion
was solidly theological in tone,
involving attitudes toward the
“world” — a word which more
than one Father stated is used
ambiguously in the draft. A
number of them were eager to
point out that in Christian teach
ing the world is used in several
senses — as the physical uni
verse, as the enemy of the spirit
(worldliness), as the home of
manking, as the various civili
zations developed by men, as
all that is not the Church, etc.,
etc. The present schema never
makes explicit what particular
usage it is employing when it
speaks of “mundus.”
Though these separate mean
ings of the word were recog
nized, it was clear from the
Fathers' discussion that one or
the othe» understanding colored
their various interventions. One
group, for example, insisted on
the treachery and evil to be
found in the world and criti
cized the schema for being too
optimistic and not insistent e-
nough on the permanent pre
sence of sin among men.
Others put emphasis on the
fact that not only the men in
the world but the world itself
has been redeemed and that
“matter” will share in the
eschatological victory of
Christ over death, Still others
accented the close relationship
between Church and world, not
ing that while the Church is
not of the world, it is in the
world and cannot be cut off
from it.
THE most searching inter
vention during the discussion,
and perhaps one of the most
profound interventions deliver
ed since the Council began, was
given by Albert Cardinal Meyer,
the reserved and scholarly
Archbishop of Chicago, whose
prestige grows with each pass
ing day at the Council. Cardi
nal Meyer, aide d by two bibli
cal-minded periti, a lean, as
cetic-looking Passionist priest
named Barnabas Aherne, and a
good-humored Irish-born New
York Jesuit, Francis McCool,
Czech Seminary
BONN (^C) — Nineteen new
students have enrolled in the
Czechoslovak Catholic semi
nary of Litomerice, according
to the German Catholic news
agency, KNA, At present 82
seminarians are already en
rolled in the seminary, the only
one in operation in Bohemia.
set a standard that will be hard
to surpass. Long after many
of the razzle-dazzle contribu
tions to the Council are for
gotten, like Archbishop Hee
nan's front-page intervention,
Cardinal Meyer's words may
live on.
The text is not available.
What the cardinal said, though,
in essence was that like so
much coming from religjous
sources, the “Church and the
Modern World" seemed to suf
fer from a fear of contagion
from the world, as if one some
how had to choose between the
life of the spirit and the life
of matter. The Church, said
Cardinal Meyer, must work in
the world, not against the world
but for it.
HE said he missed in the draft
before the Fathers a sound theo
logical basis for joyful accept
ance of the world and rejection
of the “false dualism” which
would separate soul from body,
the Church from the world,
spirit from matter. In essence,
he said, all of creation goes to
gether. Men, consequently must
realize that their daily work
is a part of the plan of sal
vation. The Redemption was to
tal. It was not a snatching of
man's blithe spirit from the
weight of his body nor did it
imply a hopeless break between
the world o f the spirit and the
world of flesh, matter, and
physical energy. In the divine
economy, Redemption meant
much more than the salvation
of souls. It meant also the re
surrection of bodies and indeed
the resurrection of the physical
universe itself. The universe,
he said, is destined to share
In the redemption of Christ.
It is never, then, a question
of the Church against the world,
but of the Church instructing
the world in its own high des
tiny.
THE vision which moved the
reticent Archbishop of Chicago
to such eloquence seemed to put
the whole schema back into fo
cus, not as a kind of unwelcome
intrusion into the neat, tidy, or
derly universe of the theo
logians but at the center of con
cern for this Council which
was called to “reform' and
“renew.”
There was something of the
same spirit in a statement made
not on the Council floor but at
a later press conference by
Bishop John J. Wright of Pitts
burgh.
Fundamentally, Bishop
Wright said, the Council is
not so much interested in sol
ving the “moral crisis” which
the world is facing in our day
as it is in digging beneath that
crisis to probe more basic
disorders. The Church, the
bishop said, does not pretend
to have all the answers. Still,
the message of the Church, in
a profound way, is the answer.
For what is at stake in the
turmoil of modern man is the
search for meaning. The Church
must take man as he is, and
then tell him — in accordance
with the truth that has been
revealed to her — what his life
adds up to. The Church must
concern itself with the ultimate
whys rather than with packaged
“answers.”
THIS is the spirit in which
some of the Fathers approach
the schema on the Church and
the Modern World, They are
less interested in finding an
swers to the dilemmas facing
modern man than in presenting
him with questions and waiting
for his response. This “dia
logue” with the world Pope Paul
recommended in his first en
cyclical. Toward it the Fathers
of the Council made the first
tentative steps. Those Fathers
who felt that they would be ex
pected to come up with solu
tions to all the problems be
deviling contemporary man
were keenly aware of their own
inadequacy.
Those who interpreted the
charge of the Council as a chal
lenge to the Church to give the
world what is uniquely hers to
give — the message not that
the world can be redeemed but
that it already has been re
deemed — welcome the intro
duction of such a theme into
the world of the Council,
MONTE CASSINO, most famous monastery of Italy, to which Pope Paul VI helicopted
Saturday, Oct. 24, to dedicate the abbey church. The Holy Father also proclaimed St.
Benedict, who founded the abbey and western monasticism, "the patron of Europe.”
Present restoration, following 1944 Allied bombings, is fourth rebuilding in the mona
stery’s 14-century history.
CHIEF JUSTICE
Warren’s Anti- Smut
Position Endorsed
CINCINNATI (NC) — U. S.
Chief Justice Earl Warrendrew
praise from Citizens for Decent
Literature for his stand on the
enforcement of anti-obscenity
laws.
In an official statement is
sued from its national head
quarters here, CDL’s executive
committee endorsed Chief Jus
tice Warren’s opinion that de
termination of the “fact of ob
scenity" is “the prerogative
of the individual states."
THIS leaves the legal deter
mination of obscenity to the lo
cal community, the statement
pointed out.
“Warren’s admonition that
the court has seen ill-prepared
prosecution cases allowing por-
nographers to go free,” the
statement continued, “coin
cides with CDL's position that
proper, well-prepared law en
forcement and prosecution pro
tecting civil liberties are
vital."
THE CDL statement under
scored Chief Justice Warren's
comment that if cases were well
prepared and conducted with ap
propriate concern for consti
tutional safeguards, courts
would not hesitate to enforce
laws against obscenity.
“With this in mind,” the
statement concluded, “CDL
is urging increased prosecu
tion. It should be borne in mind
that the court recently upheld
conviction of two paperback
pomographers.”
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CLASSIFIEDS
FOR FAST SERVICE
Charles Weltner
1962-1964
Accomplishments
DEFENSE “A world safe for democracy requires a strong, vigilant and alert America. Our surest weapon for peace is preparedness
■ Supported all legislation in the field of defense. ■ / oted against any amendments that would weaken our defense and space programs.
■ Voted for the House Resolution supporting the bombing of Viet Nam bases.
COMMUNISM We must support our allies. We must shore up our neighbors against Communism. We are the leaders of the free world
...with all the responsibilities that position implies. ■ Supported the military assistance program to help our allies in their fight for
freedom. ■ l oted for aid to our allies, which General Lucius Clay has called “one of the most important weapons in our Cold War arsenal.”
FOREIGN MARKETS Exports are a solution to the Nation's gold outflow problem. They also promise enlarged profits, expanded mar
kets, and increased employment for Atlanta and the South.” ■ Supported in Committee and in the House the extension and expansion of the
Export-Import Bank. • Assisted in the establishment of direct Atlanla-Paris-London air service and towards Atlanta Airport's designation as
an international port. ■ Helped establish the Atlanta Export Workshops to help businessmen enter the export field.
EDUCA TION Through education lies the answer for the South's economy in a period of rapid technological change... making more and
beltei jobs for Georgians. ■ Supported the Health Professions Assistance Act and the Nurse Training Act to expand facilities for medical,
dental, nursing, and related colleges and to provide loans to health profession students. ■ Voted for the Library Services Act to provide
beltei public libraries in urban and rural areas. ■ Supported the National Defense Education Act which includes college and graduate stu
dent loans and teacher training. ■ Arranged the Atlanta Conference on Jobs, Education and Automation.
JOIIS l am a free enterprise man. I believe that the private sector of our economy offers the only hope of a continued expansion to provide
new and better jobs for all Georgians. ■ Voted for the tax cut bill which will release $11 billion to the private sector of our economy.
■ If orked with local and state economic development groups to gain new payrolls for Georgia.
MANPOll ER TRAINING “The rapid advances in science and technology require new eforts in education and manpower training.”
■ / oted for the Vocational Education Act to provide training in new skills needed in the industrial South. ■ Supported the Manpower
Development and 7 raining Act which have already resulted in new training programs for 1,500 Fifth District citizens.
URIIAN PROGRESS Cities are the home of the majority of Americans. We must attack urban problems of air and water pollution,
transportation, and slums. ■ Supported the Clean Air Bill to solve the problems of air pollution. ■ Voted for the Water Resources Act to at
tack icater pollution in our state. ■ Arranged the first meeting of the President's Water Pollution Control Board in the South to discuss pol
lution in the Appalachicola-Chatlahoochee-Jlint Rivers. ■ Supported in Committee and voted for the Urban Mass Transit Act to provide
tapid transit for Atlanta. ■ Voted for the Housing Act to provide slum clearance and urban renewal.
II lule serving you in Congress, Congressman Weltner worked hard in other areas not covered in the 1962 platform.
■ Obtained appropriations for a navigational study of the Chattahoochee River and a flood control study for the Metropolitans Creeks Basin.
■ Arranged for the Southeastern Region Consumer Affairs Conference to be held in Atlanta.
■ Assisted in expanded aerospace research reflected in a new $1 million space sciences building for Georgia Tech.
■ Worked closely with local and federal officials to obtain through urban renewal the site for the new auditorium.
■ Opposed legislation that would increase the cost of foodstuffs and goods to the consumer.
■ Voted for mental health legislation to help those who cannot help themselves.
Leadershi p • Abi I ity • Cou rage
John McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives, savs this about Congressman
ff eltner. There is no member of Congress u ho has made more progress in the period
of time he has been a member than Charles ff eltner. He eniovs mv confidence and re
spect, and the confidence and respect of his colleagues. He reflects great credit . . . not only
on the people of the Fifth District of Georgia, but also on the nation through his ability
and courage."
Vote Again! Win Again November 3rd!
Governments proper function
is service to the people!”