Newspaper Page Text
GEORGIA BULLETIN, THURSDAY, APRIL 18,1968
cl
Bishop Bernardin Talks About
A r ri. r\r not Havinn said this, however.
(EDITOR’S Note: Bishop Joseph
L. Bernardin has replied to
questions of National Catholic
Reporter on his views of the
Church and his job as general
secretary of the United States
Catholic Conference. He was also
interviewed by Floyd Anderson,
director of the National Catholic
News Service. Following are some
of his comments in the
interviews.)
How do I see authority?
My
Church
crisis?
views regarding the
crisis. Is there really a
In a sense, the Church is in a
crisis. There are various
cross-currents at work which
seem to be opposed to each
other. As a result, there are
tensions and conflicts' in many
areas. We can speak, for example,
of a crisis of authority or a crisis
of faith-just to mention two.
But I am basically optimistic
about what is happening in the
Church because I see it in terms
of growth, development. If the
Church is to speak in a relevant
way to the people of every age-if
the Gospel is to be effectively
related to people as they are now
and not as they were 50 or 100
.years ago—then she cannot
become static. As our knowledge
and our understanding of the
human situation increase, so must
there be certain adaptations in
the way our faith is presented. It
is inevitable that in the process
some tension will be created. To
me this is a sign of life and
vitality, not decline.
The existence of authority
poses no problem for me. The
human situation, if it is not to be
chaotic, demands authority. The
Church is no exception. This is
why from the very beginning
authority has been a part of the
Church’s very make-up.
But the way in which
authority is used is another
matter. It should never be used
for one’s own personal ends. It
should instead always be
exercised for the benefit of those
over whom one has been placed
in a position of leadership.
Authority, in other words, is a
form of service. This means that a
person normally consults or
listens to those whom his
decisions will affect; he tries to
avoid as much as possible making
decisions which are arbitrary,
unilateral.
I. believe that if this approach
is used, many problems can be
solved before they become real
crises.
BAUGH & McELVEEN
PHARMACY
Prescriptions — FREE DhLIVERY
810 North Highland, N.E. -- TR 6-8836
ATLANTA, GA.
Casualty
• Health
SOUTHERN AGENCIES INC
insurance underwriters
• SR-22 Filings
• Automobile
• Fire
•Life
Insuring Southern Progress Since 1949
James R. Westlake, President 83 Cain NE... 525-6822
Johnston’s Home Furnishings
SEE OUR NEW SPRING
MERCHANDISE
CONVENIENT TERMS
5441 BUFORD HWY CL. 7-2011 DpravUle, Ga.
correctness of it rather than
imposes something for which
they are not prepared.
In the process of changing our
emphasis, the impression may be
given at times that the bishops’
authority is being eroded. But I
see this as a procedural, rather
than a substantive change. My
experience has been that people
generally want their bishops to be
real leaders in the Christian
community.
Should the leadership of
bishops be more credible?
Rather than make any
comparisons, I would prefer to
say simply that the leadership of
bishops must be credible. If it is
not, then it would be dishonest
and this is certainly foreign to the
mind of Christ.
or not. Having said this, however,
I hasten to add that we have only
begun to scratch the surface.
Much more needs to be done.
What priorities do I see in my
work (or job) as Secretary
General?
What -4s the
professionals?
future of lay
Is the concern of the bishops
too intra-mural? Some, for
example have criticized the
recent pastoral on the Church as
concentrating too much on the
hierarchy.
Is the authority of the bishops
being eroded?
Not really. I think that we are
learning to use our authority
differently. We are involving
more people in our
decision-making. We are
becoming Inore aware of the
necessity of exercising true
leadership-that is, a leadership
which convinces people of the
If this question is in reference
to the bishops concentrating too
much on their own prerogatives
and not enough on the other
segments of the Church, for
example, priests, laity, etc.
There may be a few bishops
who are too concerned about
their own prerogatives, their own
status and authority. But if this is
true, they are certainly in a
minority. Most of the bishops
whom I know are vitally
concerned about their priests and
people. They spend most of their
time and energy serving them.
There may, of course, at times be
some question as to how a bishop
can best serve his priests and
people. But as far as intent is
concerned, in my opinion the
bishops would rate rather high.
Some have criticized the
recent collective pastoral as
concentrating too much on the
hierarchy. There may be some
validity to that criticism. But I
think that generally the pastoral
was needed to clear the air
regarding certain matters. Now
that that has been done, we must
go on to speak to other vital
issues which are demanding our
attention. I am confident that
this will be done.
If this question is in reference
to the Bishop’s over-concern for
the Catholic community and
under-concern for the
community at large.
I think that in the past we
were too concerned about the
Catholic community. While we
were certainly sensitive to the
needs of others, most of our
efforts were spent taking care of
the needs of our own. The
Church, of course, was not the
only institution that had this
mentality. Even nations were
affected by it.
There has been a marked shift
in this attitude within the Church
in recent years. The Council has
been responsible for this to a
large extent. Recent encyclicals
like Pacem in Terris and
Populorum Progressio have also
been instrumental in changing
our orientation. This change is
becoming more and more evident
in the many practical
Church-sponsored programs
designed to meet the needs of
people whether they are Catholic
I won’t be able to answer this
question fully until I have
worked with the U.S.C.C. for
awhile and gotten my feet on the
ground.
However, there are two areas
certainly which should have a
high priority:
The Conference, in my
opinion, needs to involve many
more people in its work. While
the bishops are directly and
primarily responsible for the
U.S.C.C., if it is truly to be a vital
force in the American Church, it
must involve every segment of
the Church in its planning and in
the execution of its plans.
Otherwise, it will function in a
vacuum and could well be out of
touch with the real problems of
today. It is my understanding
that provisions will be made for
an increased degree of
non-episcopal involvement in the
reorganization of the U.S.C.C.
The Conference must find
new ways for the Church to help
resolve the many social problems
which exist today. If our religion
is to be credible then it must
address itself to the urgent needs
of the entire community. It’s not
enough to make statements or to
issue pastorals. We must come up
with specific programs and we
must be willing to fund these
programs. And this will
undoubtedly require that we
re-evaluate many of our present
commitments; that we take a
hard look at our resources to see
how they can be used to best
They will be used more and
more. We can’t accomplish the
mission of the Church unless
everyone plays his proper role.
This means that more and more
positions must be assumed by
competent, well-trained laymen.
In the past, bishops and priests
played many roles which were
not properly theirs. While this
may have been necessary at the
time, surely it is not now.
In this day of increased
freedom, emphasis on grassroots
initiative, etc., should there be a
further centralization of the
bishops, authority in the
U.S.C.C.?
The reorganization of the
U.S.C.C. (and whatever further
centralization of authority it may
entail) is surely not designed
(intended) to stifle local initiative
or responsibility. Quite the
contrary. One of the purposes of
the reorganization is to make it
possible for the Conference to
give better service to the dioceses
so that they can develop and
expand their programs and
activities more effectively. By
providing these services and by
coordinating local efforts and
pooling resources where
necessary or feasible, the Church
will be able to make a much
greater impact on society.
What is your view regardmg
the pace of the renewal?
Generally, I have been
satisfied. I feel that wfe have
moved ahead considerably.
However, I must admit that at
times it has been spotty. There is
some evidence too that the
advantage. This will not always renewal generally has lost some
be easy. In many cases, it will of its momentum. It would be a
require a change of mind and mistake to slacken our efforts
heart. But it must be done. now. We still have a long way to
—'-mmm go before the renewal as
What is my hope for further envisioned by Vatican II is
lay influence in the Conference? completed (if it ever can be). For
bishops especially to lose then
enthusiasm now would be
tantamount to abdicating then
position of leadership, to turning
1
t is absolutely
necessary-provision is being
made for it.
FRED REED, INC.
CUSTOM FRAMING
RESTORATIONS
1158 Peachtree, N„E. 892-0482
best wishes
TUXEDO
PHARMACY
3659 Roswell Road - 233-2112
Lenox Square - 233-4497
1943 Peachtree Road - 355-7333
ATLANTA, GA.
a
o
0