The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current, November 26, 1964, Image 2

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V. T PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1964 END OF SESSION Vatican II Decisions Make Pope’s Role More Difficult BY JOHN COGLEY Religious News Service Special Correspondent The Ecumenical Council al most from the beginning has been subjected to swift changes in mood. At the end of the 1963 session, for example, the at mosphere was pessimistic. Many of the progressive bis hops, periti and observers shared the attitude of the Amer ican newsmagazine which ask ed, "What went wrong?” in an account that suggested the Council was being hopelessly sabotaged by Curial stalemate and Pope Paul’s unwillingness to act. The gloom was thick as but ter in the closing hours of that session after it became certain that religious liberty and the statement on the Jews would be put off. There were all kinds of rueful admissions that the steam had gone out of the Coun cil, which had seemed so prom ising only a year earlier. AGAIN, AT the end of this year s session, there were dark hours after the Council Presi dents decision not to call even for a preliminary vote on re ligious liberty. In spite of a record of progressive accom plishment that would have seemed stupendous only two years ago, the third session also appeared to be conclud ing in a spirit of defeat. The clear will of the Council Fath ers was again being frustrated by bureaucratic decision and the tactics of stalemate on the part of the Council’s Rome-bas ed conservative managers. And, again, the Pope refused to in terfere. It was a measure of the Fath ers' annoyance that 1,400 of them, led by American bishops, appealed directly to Pope Paul, asking him to contravene the Presidents’ orders. This move was made, it is useful to re call, not by ybdthfu} enthusiasm but by sober, matnre, cirdurri- spect prelates, like the cautious Archbishop of Chicago, Albert NELSON RIVES REALTY 3669 CLA1RMONT ROAD CHAMBLEE, GEORGIA REAL ESTATE, INSURANCE sales, rentals Residential and COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PHONE: 451-2323 C & S REALTY COMPANY Specialists in Commercial and Industrial Real Estate” Suite 200 Henry Grady Bldg. Atlanta 3, Ga. Warehouses, Stores, Mfg. Plants, Acreage, Shopping Center Dev., Subdivision Dev., Industrial Dev., Insurance 524-2052 MIKE & STEVE SERTICH Cardinal Meyer, whom nobody in his right mind would ever describe as imprudent or’ rash. The Holy Father, as all the world soon learned, turned down the request, although he assur ed the unhappy Fathers that re ligious liberty would be the first topic under discussion in the fourth and final session of the Council. ACTUALLY, ALL is not lost — any more than the declara tion on the Jews was lost after it was carried over to the thi *d session. The Fathers vot ?d overwhelmingly for a strong »r version of it a year later. Many in fact will now acknow ledge that they are happy the original did not turn out to be the official Council version. What was lost, however, was the unalloyed sense of accom plishment which the progres sive majority of the Fathers might otherwise have enjoyed as the third session was being brought to a close. Had the Holy Father complied with their re quest to countermand the con servatives' delaying tactics, the third session might have come to an end on a note of pro gressive triumph. That, though, was not to be. Only hours before the closing ceremonies, there was undis guised bitterness among many of the Fathers, and reports had circulated that the Pope was seen weeping over the divi sions among them. To say the least, the last-minute crisis took some of the edge off a re markable Council session, which ended with the proclama tion of three revolutionary de crees. POPE PAUL remains an enig matic figure, who walks the lonely road of the leader with little comfort and less support. Paul is not at this point a popular pontiff, it must be ack nowledged frankly. He does not elicit either the kind of spon taneous affection given to John XXIII or the awed respect which Pius XII demanded and received without effort. The bishops themselves, and certainly the press , blow hot and cold on him. Before his election, he was unquestionably the favorite of the progressives. Since his coronation, he has not fulfill ed all their hopes of what he might be, however. Privately, many of them talk about him as a Hamlet,” a procrastina tor, a Curialist-at-heart, and a willing victim of conservative scare-mongering. "Whoever talks to the Holy Father last mtmM ■mra | FRANK PATRICK COMPANY FlV'V^tVAViflS ■■■ only 522950 will buy • *«WVIC« . IUMLIH TYPEWRITERS • ADDING MACHINES 04 LINDEN AVE., N. E. ATLANTA, GEORGIA PHONE: 073-3791 mm n. IBWIWDIBI Stenorette THE WORLD’S MOST APPRECIATED DICTATING SYSTEM PHONE TODAY FOR DEMONSTRATION WITHOUT OBLIGATION HYNES COMPANY 172 WHITEHALL STREET, S.W. ATLANTA. GEORGIA PHONE - 6417 has his way,” is one common explanation for his sometimes puzzling decisions. The conservatives, for their part, are no more enthusiastic about him. They know the Pope's heart Is with the progressives and are convinced that a more decisive Pope would never have permitted the Council to go as far as it has down the road to aggiornamento. In a word, neither side In the classic division of the Council Fathers can claim the Pope for itself. For he has given and he has taken away from both sides. Even when he has acted, he has moved too slowly to impress partisans of either persuasion. While neither party feels total ly abandoned by him, it is also true that neither finds in him an unambiguous champion. THESE, then, may be the darkest hours for Paul VI, as he steers the barque of Peter through the treacherous waters of Consiliar passions and hon est disagreements. But it may also be true that he is precise ly the kind of man the Church needs at this time of ferment and change. For it is clear that the task he faces is to hold the Catholic community together, to make certain that the Pope re mains the father of all, and slowly to insure that there is a viable transition from the old to the new as the Church faces up to the difficult implications of Pope John's aggiornamento. What looks like indecisive ness may be, rather, leader ship of a high order. What ap pears to be Hamletic uncer tainty may be, instead, the cau tion of an ecclesiastical states man who knows only too well the dangers lurking in "uncondi tional surrenders” and "total victories.” Time alone will show whether Pope Paul has the stamp of gen ius that only a few now suspect is his. In the meantime, he is inevitably subject to misunder standing, misinterpretation, and that special misery of the fath er who has to head a family of divided children. SO FAR, his record is quiet ly excellent. The Vatican Coun cil has had its ups and downs of course. The will of the ma jority from time to time has been frustrated, but what has actually come out of the Coun cil, formally and officially, has been ail that the progressive majority might have desired, and considerably more than they dared to hope for two years ago. With die exception of the slap dash communications decree promulgated in the last ses sion, the pronouncements have been forward-looking and pro found. And the progressives have only themselves to blame for letting the mediocre com munications decree slip by them. They did not bother their heads with it by and large. Some did not even read it before they voted on it, they will now admit. The three pronouncements issuing from the diird session, along with the liturgical consti tution of the second, will change the face of Catholicism, THE LITURGICAL document APPROVEDTEXT FOR THE ORDINARY PARTS OF THE MASS PERTAINING TO THE PEOPLE provides for a renewal of spir it at the most profound level. The historic De Ecclesia (on the Church) answers the most basic Self-Understanding. De Oecu- menismo (on Ecumenism) re presents a reaching-out on the part of the Church Catholic to all men of Christian faith. Fin ally, the decree on the Orien tal Churches, in the same spirit, is a healing document whose ul timate significance may be his toric. These accomplishments, it must be acknowledged, were all brought to fruition under the pontificate of the present Pope, It is doubtful that had Pope John lived, even he, for all his char ismatic gifts, would have had any better record. Pope John, it is painful to re call, was not only the object of vast affection but also of sus picion and disdain in the Church, It is no secret in Rome that many highly - placed Vatican prelates felt that his policies were disastrous and utterly doomed to failure. A few even spoke of revolt against them, blaming their shortsigthedness not on the saintly old pontiff himself but on the men around him, who were portrayed in the right-wing clericalist press as villains leading the Church as tray. THERE IS no talk of this kind now, under Pope Paul. John once expressed surprise that a Cur ial prelate refused to carry out his bidding. ”1 never believed anyone would ever say no to the Pope,” he was quoted as say ing. Pope Paul made the mis take of asking the Fathers to en dorse the schema on the mis sions a few years later. By a large vote they turned him down, A few weeks later, almost half the bishops of the Council asked him to withdraw the Council Presidents' order to defer Re ligious Liberty completely to the next session, and he turned them down. It is doubtful though that he was quite as surprised by the action of the bishops in saying no to the Pope as John had been, by the refusal he got. For, with the proclamation of collegiality, the relationship between Pope and bishops has subtly changed. There is more actual equality now, though the supremacy of the Roman Pontiff remains un challenged, In the future there is sure to be more give-and- take and consequently more ten sion, more compromise. The Holy Father will be a less re mote, less awesome figure as the excessive papalism of re cent history fades away. Pope Paul is the first pon tiff of this new era. If he is more criticized than his pre decessors, the change may re flect nothing more than the fact that he has caught on so well t o the developments in the Church. His authority is no\bit . smal ler than that of his predeces sors. The changes are to be found in the matter of its ex ercise, which will be less ”ab- solutistic,” less "papalistic,” There are hints of this in the tentative, “conversational” tone of his first encyclical. In the meantime, as these changes are brought about, the Pop 's role is a difficult one— and an exceedingly lonely one. Kyrie Priest: People: Priest: People: Priest: People: Priest: People: Priest: Gloria For Use in Popular Missals, Missal Inserts, Prayerbooks, Cards, Leaflets, etc. The Liturgy of the Word of God Entrance Rite Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, Have mercy. Priest: Glory to God in the highest. People: And on earth peace to men of good will. • We praise you. We bless you. We worship you We glorify you. * * 7 e We give you thanks for your great glory • Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. • Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son. • Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father • You, who take away the sins of the world’ • have mercy on us. • You, who take away the sins of the world • receive our prayer. • * You, who sit at the right hand of the Father • have mercy on us. • For you alone are holy. * You alone are Lord. • You alone, O Jesus Christ, are most high, • + W Amen e H ° Iy Spilit ’ in the gIory of God tbe Father. The Prayer (Collect) Priest: Dominus vobiscum. People: Et cum spiritu tuo. Priest: Oremus... . per omnia saecula saeculorum. People: Amen. The Word of God ■ -*' 1 *** ;r.r •>. i' j dia - »</.*. -... -w. --.,y „ i „„ . , Epistle Server (at low Mass) concludes: Thanks be to God. Gospel Deacon (or Priest): People: H dead *° me 3g3in gl ° ry t0 '’ Udge the Iiving and the And of his kingdom there will be no end. • A "I !u^ l - e ' e in lhe Holy Spirit ' ,he Lord and Giver who proceeds from the Father and the Son. • W gbHf!ed h6 * r With thC Fath6r 3nd the Son is adored and and who spoke through the prophets. • And one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. • I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. • And I await the resurrection of the dead. • -pAnd the life of the world to come. Amen. The Liturgy of the Eucharist The Preparation of the Gifts Offertory Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit. Priest: Let us pray. Prayer over the Gifts (Secret) Priest: ... per omnia saecula saeculorum. People: Amen. Preface Priest: People: Priest: People: Priest: People: Sanctus People: The Eucharistic Prayer Dominus vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo. Sursum corda. Habemus ad Dominum. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. Dignum et iustum est. Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. • Heaven and earth are filled with your glorv * Hosanna in the highest. • 3 K y ' he w Ho comes in the name of the Lord. • Hosanna in the highest. Conclusion of. Canon Priest: ... per omnia saecula saeculorum. People: Amen. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. Deacon (or Priest): +A readingfrom the holy Gospel according Peo P le: Glory to you, O Lord. Server (at low Mass) concludes: Praise to you, O Christ. Creed Priest: I believe in one God. People: Th «^lheralmighty, maker of heaven and earth, • and of all things visible and invisible. • And I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ • the only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages. • God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. • Begotten, not made. • of one substance with the Father. • By whom all things were made. • W hea f v°en“- me " a " d f ° r ° Ur salva,ion ca ™ down from A Mar h y: by ,he s P‘rit of the Virgin and was made man. • He was also crucified for us • suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. • An Scr™tu'res *5 ird day rose again ' wording to the "lhe Fa n th*e d r. i -" , ° hCaVe " a " d !its at »" right hand of The Eucharistic Banquet TW Lords Prayer >*> R , n '** ‘ivaaiawttssMi'ini. People: Our Father, who art in heaven, • hallowed be thy name; • thy kingdom come; • thy will be done on earth aa it is in heaven. • Give us this day our daily bread; • and forgive us our trespassea • aa we forgive those who trespaaa against us; • and lead us not into temptation, • but deliver us from evil. • Amen. DREXEL High's Tattler staff recently entertained members of St. Joseph High's Hawk staff, exchanging ideas on journalism. The visitors, with their advisor, Sister Ann Peter, CSJ, were taken on a tour of Drexel, This was followed by a discussion period, conducted by Tattler editor George Terrell. Frayer far Peace Prieat: ... per omnia saecula saeculorum. People: Amen. Priest: Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. People: Et cum spiritu tuo. Agnus Del People: Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, • have mercy on us. • Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, • have mercy on us. • Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, • grant us peace. Gn Requiem Masses: . . grant them rest. . . grant them rest grant them eternal rest.) Communion of the Faithful Priest: Behold the Lamb of God. • behold him who takes away the sins of the world. People (three times): Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. • Speak but the word and my soul will be healed. Priest: The Body of Christ. Communicant: Amen. Postcommunion Prayer Priest: Dominus vobiscum. People: Et cum spiritu tuo. Priest: Oremus ... • • • per omnia saecula saeculorum. People: Amen. Dismissal Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit. Deacon (or Priest): Go, the Mass is ended People: Thanks be to God (In-Requiem Masses Blessing Priest: People: May they rest in peace. People: Amen.) you ' ,he Fa,htr ' and lhe Son Amen.