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6 Georgia Bulletin, Thursday, May 25, 1967
Vatican Radio Extinguishes
Rumor About Fatima ‘Secret’
VATICAN CITY (NC)—
Quashing rumors to the con
trary, Vatican Radio denied that
Sister Lucia, the only surviving
-seer of the Fatima apparitions,
confided the so-called "secret
message" to Pope Paul VI
during their brief encounter at
the shrine in Portugal.
It noted, however, that the
Carmelite nun had expressed
a desire "to say something to
the Pope alone." The Pontiff
told her "that it was "not the
moment," and said that she
should rather convey any mes
sage to him through her own
bishop.
The French-language broad
cast was in the form of an
interview with Father Paola
Almeida, S.J., the head of Vat
ican Radio's Brazilian section
and a temporary official of the
Vatican Secretariat of State,
who acted as the Pope’s inter
preter when he went to Fatima
to mark the 50th anniversary
of the apparitions there.
"I was present at all con
versations of the HolyFather,"
he said "except the one he had
with (Premier Antonio de
Oliveira) Salazar (of Portugal)
when they were alone and spoke
in French. Sister Lucia met
the Pope only at the platform
next to the papal throne and
near the altar where he cele
brated Mass. The Pope was
sitting and Sister Lucia knelt
before him."
The interviewer asked: "Can
'you tell us all the Pope said?"
Father Almeida answered:
"Certainly. There was no
secret.’ *
Question: "What about talk
of a letter said.to have been
given the Pope by Sister
Lucia?"
Answer: "No, there was no
letter. This is what happened:
Sister Lucia handed the Pope
a kind of leather container, a
flat square box. As she could
not open it she took a penknife
out of her pocket and tried that
way, but it was no use since
she was too excited. I opened
it myself and Sister Lucia pre
sented it opened to the Pope,
who was smiling all the time...
In the container was a pall--
that is to say, a square piece
of linen which is placed over
the chalice during Mass to pro
tect the contents. Sister Lucia
had embroidered it. She also
carried a parchment which was
what we call a 'spiritual
treasure’ listing so many Com
munions, rosaries and sacri
fices offered for the Supreme
Pontiff’s intentions, it is a cus
tomary gift in Religious houses
where there can be only
spiritual ‘treasures.’ ’’
Question: “Was there any
writing, any message on the
parchment addressed as a letter
to the Holy Father?”
Answer: “No—neither on the
parchment nor on the container
nor anywhere else. There
was nothing except what I have
mentioned. Nothing that could
be an expressed communication
of ideas."
Question: "Did Sister Lucia
have any private conversation
with the Pope? Did she talk to
him in private?”
Answer: "No. I was at his
side as interpreter throughout
the conversation. At a certain
point Sister Lucia expressed a
desire to say something to the
Pope alone, but the Pope
replied; ‘As you see this is
not the moment. If you wish
then to communicate something
to me, tell it to your bishop and
he will convey it to me. Have
great trust in your bishop; be
obedient to him.’ The Pope
blessed Sister Lucia as a father
would bless a dear daughter
whom he will undoubtedly never
see again.”
Question: "Do you have
something to add? Is there per
haps a point on which you may
not speak?
Answer: "no, there is ab
solutely nothing secret. During
the Pope’s journey to Fatima
everything took place in the
light of the sun—with the
greatest simplicity. You know
it as well as I. The modern
Church wishes to present but
one thing to the world—truth."
, The precision of thequestion-
ing and of, the answers ..was
obviously intended to banish
once and for all any rumor of
another "secret" like the one
already associated with Fatima.
This refers to the letter con
cerning her visions which Sister
Lucia entrust^ to her bishop
several years ago to be opened
either on her death or in 1960,
whichever came first. The mes
sage was sent to Pope John
XXIII, who, according to the
best information available, read
the "secret” in i960 and de
cided it was not for publication.
In a recent talk in Rome Al
fredo Cardinal Ottaviani, pro
prefect of the Doctrinal Con
gregation, said the letter was
being kept in "one of those
bottomless pits in the Vatican
archives." It has been reported
that he also has read it.
Although there were un
official announcements at
Fatima before the Pope arrived
that he would grant Sister Lucia
a private audience, the officials
who arranged the trip are known
to have deliberately avoided
any private meeting between
the two, largely to avoid spec
ulation about a "secret" or
"end-of-the-world" panic such
as has occasionally cropped up
in connection with Sister
Lucia’s letter.
Community
Relations
Meet Friday
The regular monthly meeting
of the Community Relations
Commission will beatl:30p:m.
Friday in Committee Room Two
of the Atlanta City Hall.
Futher information may be
obtained by telephoning the
commission office at Jackson
2-4463, extension 433 or 434.
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A PRIEST and two deacons kneel before Archbishop Paul J.
Hallinan (top photo) Saturday at the Cathedral of Christ the
King. Ordained to the diaconate were Jacob Bollmer, left,
and Raymond Horan, right, while Father Anthony Curran,
center, was ordained a priest. In the center photo, Father
Curran kneels before the archbishop who asks if there is any
reason why he should not be ordained. In the bottom photo,
Bishop Joseph L. Bemardin lays his hands on the head of
Father Curran, who said his first Mass at St. Anthony’s the
next day and will be an assistant pastor at St. Thomas More.
Miami Man
Against Bill
For Abortion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NC)--
Joseph M. Fitzgerald of Miami,
testifying for the Miami diocese
"and my own family," opposed
a bill relaxing Florida’s law on
abortion.
Appearing before a Florida
Senate committee, he said the
state should not authorize the
taking of a child’s life to get
rid of the social evil of illegal
abortion mills.
He was referring to testimony
by the m edical examiner of Dade
County, Dr. Joe Davis, who
maintained that abortion mills
exist because of public toler
ance of them, on the ground
there is genuine medical need
for abortion under some cir
cumstances.
The proposed bill would per
mit abortion to preserve the
mental or physical health of the
mother, to prevent the birth of a
child who would probably have
grave and lasting mental or
physical defects, and to pre
vent birth following rape or in
cest. The bill has cleared two
House committees and oneSen-
ate committee.
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6 Remarkable Accomplishments’
Cited In Liturgical Renewal
WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS)—
The National Conference ofCa-
tholic Bishops, satisfied with
the progress of the liturgical
renewal, criticized those who
"have .simply refused to em
brace the renewal,"
In a pastoral statement, the
bishops said:
‘The accomplishments of the
past few years have been re
markable, as evidenced by the
contrast in liturgical practice
between 1963 and today. Now the
understanding must be deepen
ed, to make us ready for greater
growth and changes in the litur
gical forms and much more im
portant, in their meaning for us
as followers of Jesus.”
The pastoral statement was
approved in substanc » by the en
tire body of the NCCB when it
met in Chicago, April 11-13.
Its release was withheld until
May 18 to allow incorporation
of amendments in the text made
by the bishops during their dis
cussion.
Because of this time lapse,
one comment in the statement
is outdated: “If it becomes
possible, with the Holy See’s
permission, to use our own
language in the Canon...”
On May 7, the Sacred Con
gregation of Rites granted per
mission for the Canon of the
Mass to be recited aloud in
the vernacular. An English
translation of the Canon of the
Mass is expected to be ready
for use in the U.S. on the First
Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3, 1967,
The bishops, in their state
ment, called unauthorized lit
urgical innovations “diversion
ary.’
"Furthermore, this kind of
unauthorized initiative is divi
sive of the Christian commu
nity,” the bishops stated. “It
can create fragmented commu
nities which are closed and nar
row, ultimately out of commu
nion with their brethren and with
their chief liturgist, the bishop.
Liturgical norms support and
strengthen the unity that must
exist in the Body of Christ,
without destroying lawful var
iety and diversity.”
Concerning those who are re
sisting liturgical change, the
NCCB said:
"There is no excuse for in
difference among the pastors
of the flock, and, if we must
reprove the innovators, we must
even more strongly and posi
tively urge priests— pastors
and assistants, secular and re
ligious, old and young—to ful
fill our common hopes of re
newal.”
There is room for approved
experimentation, the bishops
said. In all cases, the consent
of the local bishop is needed.
"Parish differs from parish,
occasions and circumstances
differ, and no single, rigid pat
tern of liturgical celebration is
now possible or desirable," the
NCCB statement advised.
The bishops exhorted priests
to take advantage of liturgical
possibilities open to them "for
planning lively and intelligible
celebration.”
’The liturgical program is a
positive effort of the Church,”
they said. “It demands a wil
ling approach, a humble open
ness to change on the part of
all. It demands great insight
so that ritual and external
change will not become a new
formalism.
"The liturgy must be a deeply
religious experience of clergy
and lai,ty. It must express faith
and piety and bring us all to a
greater awareness of full
Christian responsibility.”
The bishops welcomed the
development of dialogue and
communication on the subject
of the liturgy among all levels
of the people of God. Their
statement concluded:
"If we must at times urge
patience and defend order in the
community, our words should
never be interpreted as hesi
tation or reluctance concerning
liturgical renewal."
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FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH 366 5TH AVE.. N.Y.. N Y. 1 OOO t
Spring is here. Summer is around the
corner. It is time to kick off shoes, run
barefoot. But these homeless children
huddle together for warmth. 100,000
like them in their city of Calcutta have
no shoes—no choice of where to sleep—
no bed other than the street.
When you finish picking up your shoes
at night, remember millions like these
around the world. The Holy Father has
300.000 dedicated men and women
working in the Missions to give shelter
to the homeless in Christ's name. Dear
Monsignor O'Meara: Here is the price
of one pair of shoes that I can do with
out. Rush it to where it is most needed.
NAME!/
address: .
y
IN ATLANTA YOUR DIRECTOR IS REV. NOEL BURTENSHAW. 2699 PEACHTREE RD.. N.E.. NORTHSIDE STATION.