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PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1964 COUNCIL ASSESSMENT Historic Consensus Achieved By Fathers BY JOHN COGLEY Religious News Service Special Correspondent During the third session, the Ecumenical Council reached its maturity. The bishops in Rome began to achieve a distinct iden tity not as prelates called in from here, there, and the other place but precisely as Fathers of this particular Council. A consensus was reached, in gen eral terms, of what the present needs of the Church are and of the direction in which the Cath olicism of the future will move. The unpredictable change that takes place when a group gets together for prolonged dialogue no longer seemed as strange as it did even last year. In short, the Council, which began as an idea in the mind of Pope John, which first came together in un certainty and confusion, and which was over many meetings a collection of individual pre lates, each moved by a separate vision, now has an existence of its own that transcends the im portance of any particular Fath er. It is even possible to imagine an entirely new body of bishops attending the fourth session without the Council itself taking any sharp turns. EARLY IN the third session, Archbishop John Carmel Heen- an of Westminster (England) explained the increased pace of the Council progress by saying that the Fathers were more ex perienced now and had over come some earlierdifficultie3. That was undoubtedly true, but it was not the total explanation. More important was the emer gence of the conciliar consen sus — the recognition by all but the most obtuse that, whatever their disagreements, the Fath ers of Vatican II were intent on pursuing Pope John’s goal of aggiomamento and of relating the ancient doctrine of their Church not to textbook abstrac tions but to the present world and to the actual men and wo men now living in it. The ultra-conservative Fath ers were once, and not long age either, merely a minority with in the Council, to be accounted for numerically -- the losing side noted in a series of votes. The change now is that this minority has become a dissi dent group opposed to the con sensus that quietly became evi dent as the Council pursued its work. Consequently, the only truly significant disagreements now are between the Fathers who share this consensus. They may, for example, argue about whether terminaldeacons may marry or whether married men may become terminaldea cons. This sort of disagreement is difference within a consensus that terminal deacons are nec essary and desirable in the modem Church. But one who does not go along with the whole idea of restoring the diaconate is upholding opposition of a dif ferent kind and has moved out side the conciliar consensus al together, He is, as a result, more an annoyance than a threat. THE SAME would be true of any Father who argued against the whole concept of Religious Liberty and faithfully echoed the wholehearted intolerance of a previous age. If any such Fath er were still to be found among the 2,300 in Rome — and it is unlikely that such a one could be found, even among those op posed to the present schema on Religious Liberty — his opposi tion would be much more radi cal than that offered even by a Cardinal Ottaviani or Cardinal Browne, who acknowledge the rights of conscience but argue that a ’’Catholic state” should restrict non-Catholic prosyle- tism and the public, though not the private, manifestation of er roneous religions. It is possible, then, to sketch the broad basis of the conciliar consensus coming out of Vatican II. In the earlier catch-all cate gories of "progressive” and "conservative,” it is over whelmingly "progressive.”The conservatives were outvoted on practically every single issue up before the Fathers and did not gain a single significant vic tory. A few of their maneuvers, to be sure, enjoyed a certain kind of success, at least tem porarily, but it may not even be going too far to say that even here the "progressives” were victorious. FOR EXAMPLE, the two maj or efforts of the die-hards in the Roman Curia and their al lies during the third session came to nothing, though they caused a great deal of anxiety when they were first discover ed. When, in October, it was learned that both Religious Lib erty and the statement on the Jews were being relocated and subjected to a review by a com mittee of hand-picked arch conservatives, 17 "progres sive” cardinals managed to get Pope Paul’s assurance that there would be no tampering with the controversial docu ments. Later, at the end of the session, when even the prelimi nary vote on Religious Liberty was put off, thus theoretically endangering the document's very survival, there was the famous "bishops’ revolt,” led by American prelates.The Holy Father did not accept the pro testing bishops* "urgent, very urgent, most urgent" request that he countermand the decis ion. But he did give his assur ance that Religious Liberty would be at the top of the agen da in the final session of the Council and he thereby assur ed its survival. It is already clear that it has the votes nec essary, so it is almost certain to be passed. The statement on the Jews, of course, is stronger than ever and has already been substantially approved by the Fathers. So it has gone ever since the Council began. The "progres sives” have enjoyed one land slide after another. Their mark is on all the documents already formally proclaimed (with the exception of the mediocre Com munications Decree) and of those sent back for revision before final consideration, every single one has been re turned in order to make it not less but more conformable to the "progressive” mindset. rT USED TO be said, early in the Council when some Fath ers were trying to escape ack nowledging that there were clearly identifiable "progres sive” and "conservative” blocs in Rome, that these terms were meaningless since many Fath ers were progressive in one matter and conservative in ano ther. If that were true, though, It would be hard to explain the constant string of victories for the liberal faction. It is not at all certain that even Pope John was as "pro gressive" as the Council has turned out to be. Whether he envisioned the clean sweep this party would win must always remain a matter of conjecture for the beloved Holy Father himself might well have changed many of his views as the Coun cil proceeded. But, whether it was accurate so to portray him or not, John has been the patron of the "progressive" forces all along — and it can be said that Vatican II has been not only the "pastoral” and "ecu menical” Council Pope John desired but a "Johannine” Council as well. It is impossible to imagine such a consensus emerging from a Council held under Pope Pius XII's direction, or indeed of any of his predecessors. Be cause Pope Paul VI followed John, there has seemed to be no contradiction between his pontificate and the Council.The present Holy Father, however, had he followed directly after Pius XII, would probably not have made such a complete break with the past. Such a break seems totally foreign to his way, his manner of looking at things. If the remarkable John, then, turned out to be the liberating force for the Church at large, it might also be said that he liberated Paul himself from the frozen ideas of the Papacy which he might have in herited. It seems perfectly nat ural that Paul VI should preside over a "progressive"Council. Now it seems perfectly natural. The idea would seem prepos terous to those who knew Car dinal Montini even a half dozen years ago -- and probably not least of all to Cardinal Montini himself. THE DISTINCTIVE mark of Vatican II is that it has been not a combative Council but a conciliating gathering, heal ing old wounds, calling off an cient wars, and reaching out, with its predominant notion of the Church as a community of love, to all men — historic friend and enemy alike. Pope John made it clear that he did not want his Council to be con cerned either with proclaiming new doctrines or denouncing new heresies. Like the Pope who convoked it, it was to be eminently positive and show the face of the Church’s love for all men. This wish of the Holy Father has been widely obser ved. As a result of Vatican II, mankind has been drawn more closely together. Catholicism has sought out and emphasized its points of agreement rather than its differences with Ortho doxy, Protestantism, Judaism, AFTER 30 YEARS Galileo Book Ban Lifted At Vatican ARMENIAN KITE Mass was celebrated in St. Peter’s basilica (Nov. 18) by Armenian Patriarch Ignace Pierre XVI Batanian in the presence of Pope Paul VI and the council Fathers. Islam, and other religions. At the same time, it has made efforts to call off the meaning less and useless war thatCath- olics have carried on with mod ernity for so long. At Vatican II the Church has earnestly tried to speak to modern man — to share his concerns —to under stand his anguish — to sympa thize with his aspirations — to communicate with him in words he can understand — and to show a new appreciation for his ac complishments. This belated attempt has of course not been entirely successful yet. Mod ernity is not so easily achiev ed that just by taking thought even the Church can catch the ear of contemporary man. But the start has been made, and the contemporary world for the first time in living memory and for long before that has begun to take Catholicism seriously. This is only a beginning. Much remains to be done. But, con sidering the situation only a de cade ago, the change in attitude is amazing — both on the part of the Church and of the con temporary world. This is no mean achievement for Vatican II. THERE IS every reason to believe that the mood of the third session of the Vatican Council will carry over to the fourth session. In any case, it is too late now for any perma nent reversal or return to the pre-Council Church. Too much has been said on the Council floor by the Church’s highest spokesmen. Their consensus, which individually even they probably did not suspect was their true belief until they came together, is now too obvious for serious challenge. During the third session the Fathers discussed many impor tant matters — like religious liberty, birth control, atomic war, the priesthood in the mod em world, the religious orders, the lay apostolate, non-Chris tian religions, the missions — which will come up again. At the end, the Holy Father and the Council Fathers proclaimed three historic achievements — the decree on the Church ("De Ecclesia”) and those on ecu menism and the Oriental Chur ches. Of these three, the greatest was "De Ecclesia." This was the Church’s meditation on it self — the Church’s own answer to the question, "What are You?" THE DECREE will last for a thousand years. Nothing more important or more profound can come out of the Council. Every thing in the future of Catholic Christianity will, one way or the other, be linked to this most fun damental doctrine. No matter what he does in the future, Pope Paul will have his place in his tory if only because he was the pontiff who proclaimed it. If the Fathers were never to be call ed back to Rome, they would have gained a place in Catholic glory because it was they who conceived of its importance, who wrote it, refined it, and finally passed it in Council. Nothing the Council can do in the future will outrank "De Ecclesia"' in significance. For this reason alone, then, the third session, whateverdis- appointments might be tied in with it or whatever disputes it might have left unsettled, was a magnificent success. It was during these weeks that the Fathers finally recognized the consensus that gave them their historic identity. Without that identity, "De Ecclesia” could never have been passed. With out "De Ecclesia” the consen sus could never have been achieved. With both, Vatican II has already fulfilled Pope John’s highest hope. VATICAN CITY(NC)—Thirty years ago this book could not have been published I Sounds like an ad for some sensational novel, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. It is a true state ment about an Italian monsig nor—a professor of Church his tory at Rome’s great Catholic Lateran University-whosebook on the great scientist, Gali leo, was classified as “inop portune.” IRONICALLY the book, "The Life and Works of Galileo," has been published with the im primatur of the vicar general of Vatican City, Bishop Peter van Lierde, and published under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy of Science. Its author is the late Msgr. Pio Paschini, a professor at the Lateran University for 50 years. In 1913 he took the chair of Church history at the univer sity after its former holder, Prof. Ernesto Buonaiuti, had been dismissed on charges of favoring modernism, a heresy condemned by Pope Pius IX. During this time Msgr. Pas chini became friendly* with Father Angelo Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, and they re mained friends for life. In fact, Pope John made a special visit to the bedside of the dying mon- signor and knew well the his tory of the unpublished man uscript. THE LATERAN history pro fessor in the early 1930s com pleted a 721-page study of Gali leo which has been described by present day critics as a * ‘courageous and objective study." He submitted it for an imprimatur but was advised not to publish the work because the times were "inopportune." Ap parently the inopportunity cen tered on the fact that the Church and pope at that time were un der attack from the Italian Fas cists and ecclesiastic authori ties felt the book might be ex ploited to attack the authority of the pope. Msgr. Paschini accepted the advice and the manuscript lay CHARGES ‘UNTRUE* REPORTS Council Official Flays Press unpublished for 30 years. How ever, with Pope John on the papal throne, the by-then aged scholar had a powerful friend. The occurrence of the fourth centenary of the birth of Gali leo proved "opportune" for fin ally letting the work see the light of day. In the work Msgr. Paschini notes that Galileo failed to de fend his teachings before the Inquisition and actually denied them. At the same time he found that personal enmities played a part in the treatment given to Galileo and that the essen tial wrong in the trials of the great scientist consisted "in the stiffening of erroneous positions by the Inquisition judges. The Italian weekly news ma gazine, Vita, summed up the publication of the work as "a milestone in the process of rapprochment, of collaboration between faith and science. The fact that after a ban lasting nearly 30 years, it should be published by the Vatican and at the end of the third session of the ecumenical council is not without a precise significance." Human Relations Council Meeting* Set For Monday David Carey, Executive Di rector, Atlanta Council on Hu man Relations, will be the fea tured speaker at the monthly meeting of the St. Martin’s Hu man Relations Council in the Scout Room of the Cathedral Auditorium on Monday, Decem ber 7th, at 8 p.m. Mr. Carey will speak on the "Emory - Druid Hills Section Fair Housing Program”, ex plaining the norms for the At lanta Council’s educational pro cedures on housing. The St. Martin’s Human Re lations Council is the Arch diocesan affiliate to the Nation al Catholic Conference on In terracial justice. Monday’s meeting is open to the public and non-members will be wel come. VATICAN CfTY (NC)-—The secretary of the ecumenical council, Archbishop Pericle Felici, has lashed out at "un true, inexact and incomplete" press reports regarding the third session’s uproar over the religious liberty schema; Without naming names, he al so drew a bead on "certain par asites” who express ideas which are "far from serving truth, foster confusion and in subordination.” ARCHBISHOP Felici was speaking at a special conference he had called for diplomats, ecclesiastics and others (Nov, 27), a meeting which he said was "conversation among friends.” 'The balance sheet of the council is positive beyond ex pectation,” he said, "not only because three documents of great importance were approv ed, but also because it has been possible to examine all the schemata on the agenda. All this enables us to look foi> ward to an intense, but brief and final fourth session.” If the third session could have been extended until about Dec. 8, he said, "another three or four documents could have been given final sanction in public session. Among these most probably would have been the document on religious free dom, long awaited on many sides.” REGARDING this last docu ment and the emotional ex changes in the council when it was denied a vote by the presi dent’s decision during the ses sion’s last week, Archbishop Felici deplored the reporting of the event "by certain press services which do not have, par ticularly as regards the secre tariat general, the necessary ***** Qj* L— Ml FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON NAME BRAND SWEATERS AND OTHER ITEMS 50% OFF GIFT WRAPPED FREE th# Iwaetuiombcr 2136 CANDLER PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER DECATUR 284-3983 VISIT OUR OTHER LOCATION 9- STEWART LAKEWOOD CENTER 2803 Lakewood Avenue PHONE: 766-5565 A USE \ OUR 1 * LAYAWAY I ^Cf PLAN / serenity of judgment.” He* said the final draft of the document was presented to the secretariat on the evening of Nov. 11, and "could only be dis tributed to the council Fathers on Nov. 17 for the voting which was to take place on Nov. 19.” EXPRESSING hope that the interim between sessions will aid reflection and deeper exam ination of this and other docu ments, he said, smiling, "Any reflection will be a help to everyone because in the end even those who wanted the sche ma on religious liberty approv ed at this session would have disliked haste.” He spoke of the "deplorable but inevitable phenomenon” which he said accompanies every ecumenical council, but which in this one has acquired "even greater proportions.” "Just as at the foot of the strongest and healthiest trees mushrooms grow which are not equally healthy; just as in the midst of the good corn weeds grow—so on the occasion of the council, which is the work of God, and outside that council, ideas spring up and voices are heard which, although they may be beautiful in appearance, far from serving truth (they) fos ter confusion, insubordination and error. These are the para sites of the council. "rT IS AN evil in part nec essary, which must be borne with patience, mindful of the Gospel precept: 'Let (the weeds) grow.’ This patience may be for some a motive for medita tion.” Archbishop Felici gave sta tistics on the third session, in cluding the facts that 50 miles of tape were used to record the session, 800,000 words were spoken and 327,000 votes tabu lated. Referring to the council’s concluding session, he said: "We have full confidence in the Fathers of the council who, as sisted by the Divine Paraclete will bring about the triumph of the spirit of Christ, the spirit of Faith, humility, obedience and charity. We have immense trust also in the head of the council, to whom Jesus has en trusted the task of confirming the others and being their guide. To him, Vicar of Christ, visible stone in the mystical edifice of the Church and therefore the source of unity and solidarity, goes all our devotion, g ratitude and love. 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