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4 THE GEORGIA BULLETIN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1967
ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
Chris Eckl
The Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
Publisher
Managing Editor
Consulting Editor
2699 Peachtree N. E.
P. O. Box 11667
Northside Station
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Member of. the Catholic Press Association
and Subscriber to N. C. W. C. News Service
Telephone 231-1281
Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga.
U. S. A. |5.00
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Published Every Week at the Decatur-DeKalb News
“ The opinions contained in these editorial columns are
■" the free expressions of free editors in a free Catholic press. ,
Knocking
Superfluous
“At the present time the
Church seems torn between
those who are impatient with
the pace of renewal and those
who believe the least change
in detail is a danger to the
faith. ’’
These words of Paul Emile
Cardinal Leger reflect the
condition of tension that has
existed in the Church since
the Second Vatican Council.
It has been a trying time for
pope, bishop, priest, nun and
layman.
And the cardinal, in a
speech to a theology confer-
ence at Toronto, offered lit
tle hope for those who pray
the Church will return to its
quiet life. ‘To. be truly
faithful, the Church must
continually renew herself,'*
he commented.
Down
Walls
He said, “We do not have
to destroy the Church to
construct it anew in each
century, but it would be
wrong to believe that each
one of the stones which have
been put in place throughout
the ages forms an integral
part of its structure. We
must have courage to knock
down thenewsuperfluOus wall
and useless tower. But we
must take care to see we
do not disturb the foundations
or obliterate the outlines.”
In knocking down the su
per flous wall and useless
tower, all of us knowthatthe
foundation may be disturbed
at times. But it is a risk that
the Church must take and
is taking.
MS FATHER’S hat protecting him from the sun, a boy plays with a canteen
of water near a sandbagged bunker at a South Vietnamese camp. Children
at the camp are accustomed to playing with war materials. (RNS PHOTO)
John
John Courtney Murray S.J.,
chief architect of the Sec
ond Vatican Council’s De
cree on Religious Liberty,
will be greatly missed by
Catholics, Protestants and
Jews.
His death brings sorrowto
all who have read his books
and followed his career.
However, his clear, pro
phetic voice will be heard
by future generations.
The famous Jesuit priest
worked all his life to show
that the Church can and does
flourish in a pluralistic so
ciety, and does not need a
position of privilege. Be
cause of this attitude, Father
Murray’s works were placed
“under a cloud” by lesser
men in the Church. Vatican
II vindicated his thinking.
Father Murray said re
ligious liberty was more than
Catholics not bringing coer
cion mpon those of other
faiths.
He said religious freedom
is freedom of conscience and
freedom of conscience is to
be positively defined as the
right of a person to the free
exercise of religion accord
ing to the dictates of his
conscience. The object or
content of this right, he said,
is not simply negative--an
immunity, a “freedom
from” coercion; it is also
positive-.-a “freedom for”
action according to con
science.
His works reflected an idea
sometimes forgotten even in
the age of Vatican II-- the
Church does not need a spec
ial place in any society.
When it is sought, she be
comes corrupt.
Questions Americans Ask
The President's current exercises in
brinkmanship have not duplicated the tense
and anxious moments of the Cuban missle
confrontation, but this is perhaps an acci
dent of geography.
The threat of a shooting war less than
a hundred miles off the Florida coast was
more dramatic than the nuclear threat
implicit in the recent escalations in Viet
nam, The distance between Townson and
downtown Baltimore is approximately the
same as the distance between U.S. bomb
drops and the border ofCommunistChina.
The bombing escalation, and the an
nouncement that American forces in Viet
nam will be increased by at least 45,000
men, have been accompanied by Hanoi’s
appeal for greater support from other
communist lands. This appeal is aimed
primarily at the Soviet Union and China.
The bombing policies so far have re
sulted in the death of 1,800 U.S. airmen
in Vietnam. Total U.S. dead in Vietnam:
12,500. The end is not in sight, short of
a non-military settlement.
Attempts at a military settlement, now
costing more than $2 billion a month, have
so far shown no signs of success.
Americans are concerned abouttheloss
of life and the dissipation of national re
sources. They are concerned about the
apparent failure of South Vietnamese of
ficials to absorb democratic concepts.
Americans have shown repeatedly
throughout history a willingness to sacri
fice in behalf of the freedom of others.
This is no longer the real question in Viet
nam, however, because there is no evi
dence that the sacrifices there will be
productive within the next year or the next
several years - if then. And the sacri
fices must be pondered in relation to the
prospect of a much wider war involving
much more destructive weaponry.
The developing sense of disillusionment
in this country was reflected last week
when two major polls showed that only 39
per cent of the nation approved of Presi
dent Johnson’s stewardship. The Gallup
and Harris polls disclosed that Mr. John
son’s standing was at its lowest point.
The moral questions relating to Vietnam
must be applied not only to world-wide
responsibilities, including those to the
people of Vietnam. They must be applied
also to American responsibilities toward
the men in our own armed forces. They
must be applied to those men and their
parents, wives and children.
THE CATHOLIC REVIEW
(Baltimore)
GEORGIA PINES
Dr. Bill Collins from the University of
Georgia is a youthful man possessing a tre
mendous amount of energy and dynamic
convictions. This human dynamo really
operates at full force whenever he talks
about the Continuing Education Center lo
cated at the University of Georgia.
And it is no wonder because back in
1957 he was part of
the team that con
vinced the Kellog
Foundation to in
vest more than $2
million in this pro
ject and since that
date Dr. Collins has
been a part of the
team that sees to it
that every facility is
used to its maxi
mum potential.
FR. KIERNAN
The idea of a continuing education cen
ter is not altogether new, however. This
particular form of continuing education
began since the close of World War. If but
its roots began with short agricultural
courses for farmers and other university
connected adult education programs.
I first met ET. Collins back in 1963
when he invited a group of police chiefs to
Athens to discuss the possibility of es
tablishing an annual workshop for chiefs
on the executive management level. The
"idea” caught fire and now has been ex
panded to include courses for superior
officers, supervisory personnel, and cour
ses in human relations. A Crowning glory
came this year when a degree course was
established in the University System for
police science.
Dr. Bill visited the Rotary Club of West
End last Friday and spoke. His opening
remarks, I think, were challenging. I
forget the exact quotation but I do remem
ber that instead of speaking about *’hls
university” or ”his Cpntinuing Educa
tion Center” he spoke about ’’your Con
tinuing Education Center” and "your
university”. He made all of theRotarians
really feel that they had a genuine interest
In the center and whether or not they had
ever seen it, really didn’t matter, because
when this "human dynamo of enthusiasm”
finished, we all felt as if we were mem
bers of the Board of Trustees I
I was amazed when I realized the num
ber of institutes, seminars and lectures
that went on over there in Athens ever
year. I was more than amazed when the
good doctor quoted statistics about the
various businesses and professions which
make use of the center every year for the
purpose of in-service training, refresher
courses, and the learning of new techni
ques.
Courses are even offered for newly
elected members of the General Assembly
in parliamentary procedures. And while
we were talking an executive from one of
the savings and loan associations here in
Atlanta came up and thanked Dr. Collins
for the opportunity he had had in using
the center.
But why is all this necessary? Well
for one thing the average age in this
country is now 33. Most of the men in
executive positions and supervisory ca
pacities are well over that age. They need
"refresher courses” just to keep upwith
the younger personnel joining their or
ganization. If we think this is bad, it is
estimated that at the turn of the Century,
just 33 years from now, the average age
in this country will be a teen-ager of 19.
Dr. Collins cited the fact that when he
was studying sociology, years ago, he was
taught that at this particular age wewould
be experiencing a population stagnation.
Well, that fact speaks for itself, but at the
same time the center is affording an op
portunity for an individual to readjust his
learning and weed out some mistakes.
Closing his talk about "your center”,
he quoted an expression recently made by
the new president of the University of
Georgia. Once again, I forget the exact
quote, but it had to do with the fact that
every 15 years we all reach a halfway
mark in learning. Meaning, of course,
that no matter what our profession is or
our occupation in life might be...we all
need a re-training session every year.
That is if we want to keep up with current
trends.
Want Money For Migrants
DURHAM, N. C. (RNS) — The North
Carolina Council of Churches has called
for donations to continue religious work in
migrant labor camps, pointing out that
federal funds financing much of the secu-
*lar program cannot be used for ministerial
activity.
Dr. Samuel S. Wiley, executive secre
tary, pointed out that the migrant pro
gram , begun in 1951, provides housing,
clothing, food, etc., for migrant workers
and their families, plus day care and other
training for children; and that, in addi
tion, the council conducts a Chaplaincy
program ministering to migrants’ spirit
ual needs.
He said the program was expanded in
1965 by a grant from the Office of Eco
nomic Opportunity, with the funds being-
administered by the Council.
Where Are Spokesmen
For Conservatives ?
By Gary MacEoin
It has just been my good fortune to spend
four days with 25 young American priests
engaged on a re-evaluation of their per
sonal and social vocations after several
years of pastoral work. The group was
quite mixed, some college and high-school
teachers, some pastors here intheUnited
States, some missionaries homefor vaca
tion from Africa.
Most -» though by no means all — live
comfortably with the profound changes that
have occurred in the
Church since they
were seminarians, .
changes which af
fect their status,
their work and their
lives. If I had to
spread them out on a
theological and ide
ological spefctrum
of "left" and
"right,” I’d put a substantial majority
left of center, with some pretty far left
and impatient with the slowness of im
plementation of the letter and spirit of
Vatican II.
MACEOIN
Because Of this, I am intrigued by a
point that came up several times in the
course of discussions we had about the
Catholic press in the United States. Itwas
noted and agreed that a substantial pro
portion of both clergy and laity in this
country are somewhere between conser
vative and reactionary in their attitudes,
but that all the important organs of Cath
olic opinion operate in the other half of
the spectrum, some of them quite far over.
The result is, of course, an absence of
reasoned dialogue on the issues which di
vide the Catholic community. There is no
lack of conservative publications, but even
the most conservative members of our
group did not challenge the consensus that
they appeal more often toprejudicethanto
reason, thereby harming the cause they
seek to advance.
A similar situation was observable in
Rome during the Council. It was fre
quently noted that the minority opposed
to the changes sought by the vast majority
of the Fathers was inclined to rest its case
on its ability to manipulate the Council
structures more than on the intrinsic
merits. By doing so, they often did
themselves less than justice.
There were exceptions, the outstanding
one being Cardinal Ruffini of Sicily, a re
markable man who last month went to his
reward. An extremely talented person,
Ruffini was a lifelong student, a Scripture
professor, a censor for the Holy Office,
who at 57 began a new life as a social re
former when namedarchbishop of Palermo
at the end of World War II,
For all his advanced social ideas, Ruf
fini remained theologically rigid. He was
the leader of intransigence from the start
of the Council. His arguments were not
always valid. Emotion was more evident
than reason in his opposition to the state
ment on the Jews, and he did his own
theological knowledge less than justice by
arguing against the use of the word "de
cide” on the ground that it is impossible
to kill God.
In general, nevertheless, his erudition
and intelligence shone through. And he
scorned all behind-the-scenes maneuvers,
carrying on his fight on the floor of St.
Peter’s. He was generally excellent in
his appeals to the Scriptures, a tactic
which won grudging admiration from the
other side, one of whose main theses was a
call for more attention to the inspired
word.
The impact of Cardinal Ruffini on the
Council was in consequence extremely
positive. While the manipulation of power
tended to produce documents with internal
inconsistencies and unresolved contra
dictions, the confrontation of views for
ced the majority to justify its positions,
to take into account what was legitimate in
the attitudes of the minority.
It seems to me that we could do with a
few Ruffinis in the Church in the United
States right now. Both sides would benefit,
if those who oppose change or sight after
the good old days would only make a
greater effort to get across to the in
novators. I, for one, am fully willingboth
to listen and to argue back.
Lack Of Confidence
In LBJ Or Nation?
By John Cogley
The latest Gallup and Harris polls indi
cate that President Johnson's popularity
has sunk to a new low. Only 39 percent
of the American people approve of the
way he is handling his job.
The racial outbursts and setbacks in
Vietnam are offered as the reasonwhy the
President's Great
Society has ended up
a nation torn 1 with
dissension, riddled
with dissatisfaction,
and plunged into
near-despair. It is
hard to recall a time
when there was so
much discourage
ment, so littlecom- COGLEY
mitment to the present, such small faith
in the future. The general feeling of fu
tility is inevitably reflected in disillusion
ment with the White House.
In 1952 Mr. Truman was rated even
lower than Mr. Johnson is now. Only 31
percent approved of the way Truman was
doing his job at the end of his term. The
general feeling was that it was "time for
a change.” Mr. Eisenhower was standing
in the wings ready to take over, however,
so the doldrums were not as significant
as they now are. Today, in spite of Mr.
Johnson’s lack of support, he is still
favored over all his potential Republican
opponents. The feeling seems to be that
bad as the present is, the future offers no
better promise.
each of his predecessor’s in his own way
a genuine leader.
Perhaps more significant, though, is
that during his administration, the nation
reached a certain moment of truth, for
which he is not personally responsible.
The trends and tendencies of the last
thirty-odd years seem to have reached a
terminal point where rhetoric is failing,
slogans are collapsing, and grim realities
must be faced.
We have reached such a point in the
American dilemma created by our talking
one way about freedom and democracy and
treating our racial minorities another way.
The horrors of the Negro ghettos were not
the product of the Johnson years. The
utter disillusionment with "liberty and
justice for all” that has burst into vio
lence ticked away like a time-bomb through
all the years of the Roosevelt, Truman,
Eisenhower and Kennedy terms. It is
simply not fair to suggest that Mr. John
son’s being in charge is the reason the
inevitable conflagrations are takingplace.
On the international scene, the burdens
of imperialism have been growing through
all the years since we became seriously
bemused by cold-war slogans. If we are
now hopelessly bogged down in a guerrilla
war half way across the earth, with stead
fast enemies and uncertain allies, it is
mainly because Mr. Johnson followed the
logic of the nation’s earlier Commitments
and accepted the expansive duties to police
the world that not long ago we thrust upon
ourselves.
The question, then, appears to.be: How
much should be blamed on Mr. Johnson
personally and how much on the nation’s
loss of confidence in itself? Is the de
spair focussed basically on the Adminis
tration, or is it fundamentally a feeling
of hopelessness about America's ability
to solve the problems facingit? Probably
it is both.
Our present hopelessness, then, may
not arise from Lyndon Johnson’s inade
quacies so much as from our own indif
ference to the evils allowed to grow in
the ghettos, to which we shut our eyes,
and the irresponsible anti-communism
permitted for so long to replace creative
political thinking, especially during the
frivolous McCarthy era when the Voice of
reason'was stilled.
Mr. Johnson, whose ability to "get
things done” in Congress- was fabled,
lacks the qualities necessary for national
leadership. He has no significant per
sonal following. He does not possess
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ability to inspire
confidence, Harry S. Truman’s capacity
for arousing affection, Dwight D. Eisen
hower’s gift for creating trust, or John
F. Kennedy’s charisma. His talents are
narrowly "political,” and they have
turned out to be not enough. Mr. Johnson
is more sophisticated than Rooseveltwas,
more knowledgeable than Truman, more
talented than Eisenhower, and consider
ably more experienced than Kennedy; but
he lacks the special qualities that made
THOUGH HOT a member
OF THE ORIGINAL
) TWELVE, THE CHURCH
HAS ALWAYS NUMBERED
ST BARNABAS
T AMONG THE APOSTLES
BECAUSE HE WAS
DIv/lNELY CHOSEN
TO ACCOMPANY
STPAULohhis
MISSIONARY
JOURNEYS.