Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6 - January 14, 1971
‘HIT ROCK BOTTOM 9
NCOMP Says Movies Are
More Offensive Than Ever
NEW YORK (NC) -
Movies have hit rock bottom
in offensiveness and public
disgust over this type of fare
is being registered at the box
office.
The conclusions are
indicated in two reports
reviewing the 1970 film
situation--the National
Catholic Office for Motion
Pictures (NCOMP), and
Variety, weekly show
business publication.
NCOMP’s Jan. 15 Catholic
Film Newletter, reviewing the
industry’s output during
1970, asserted “the degree of
offensiveness in the
objectionable fare of 1970
has far exceeded anything
produced in the past.”
Variety, in a compilation
of the top grossing films of
1970, reported there was not
a single X-rated movie among
the top 10. An X-rating of a
film is designed to prohibit
youngsters under 17 years of
age from attending.
Jesuit Father Patrick J.
Sullivan, NCOMP director,
disclosed that from Jan. 1
through Dec. 31, 1970, the
Catholic agency reviewed a
total of 332 movies. Of these,
only 32 were rated (A-I)
suitable for family
entertainment.
In the twice-monthly
Catholic Film Newsletter,
available at a $6 a year
subscription from NCOMP,
Suite 42 00, Chrysler
Building, New York, N.Y.,
10017, films are rated in six
categories--ranging from A-I,
family entertainment, to C,
condemned.
Variety reported
“Airport,” with a G (family)
rating from the industry and
an A-I rating from NCOMP,
was the top grosser of 1970.
Another G-rated film, “Hello
Dolly!” also was among the
top 10, the report said.
The Catholic Film
Newsletter said the 1970
output of 32 A-I rated films
was six more than the 1969
output, but there was a
higher number of
objectionable films, especially
in the C category, where an
all-time high of 59 were
listed, compared to 40 a year
ago.
The Newsletter noted a
substantial decrease in the
number of movies suitable for
adolescents-23 in 1970
compared to 47 in 1969. The
highest percentage of suitable
movies (36.8) in 1970 was
122 in the A-III, suitable for
adults class, while there also
was listed 38 films in the
A-IV class, suitable for adults
with reservations.
NCOMP listed 58 movies in
the B class, objectionable in
part for all, which was an
increase of 10 in the same
category in 1969.
NCOMP said of the 332
movies reviewed in 1970,
there were 12 major
American distribution
companies which released
221.
JAN. 24
Rome Mass
On NBC-TV
NEW YORK (NC) - A
performance of Beethovan’s
Missa Solemnis in St. Peter’s
basilica in Rome with Pope
Paul VI in attendance, will be
presented in a 90-minute
color special on the NBC-TV
network Jan. 24 from 3:30 to
5 p.m., EST.
Franco Zeffirelli, film and
stage director, directed the
porgram, broadcast over the
Eurovision Network last May.
During the performance the
cameras explore the art and
architecture of the basilica,
with particular emphasis on
Michaelangelo’s Pieta.
Wolfang Sawallisch
conducts the Symphony
Orchestra of RAI, Rome.
Solo vocalists are Ingrid
Djorner, soprano; Christina
Ludwig, mezzo-soprano;
Placido Domingo, tenor; and
Kurt Moll, bass. The chorus
of Bavarian Radio is under
the direction of Josef
Schmidthuber. Angelo
Stefanato is the solo violinist.
The solemn Mass was
celebrated in May 1970,
during the bicentennial
celebration of Beethovan’s
birth and also for the 50th
anniversary of Pope Paul’s
ordination as a priest.
An annual concert in
honor of the Pope is
customary, but in 1970 it was
given in St. Peter’s basilica
rather than in the auditorium
in Via della Concilizione.
Thus, for the first time in the
history of the basilica, the
central nave and transcept
were turned into an
auditorium to hold 7,000
guests composed of members
of the diplomatic corps,
personalities from the world
of arts, and a large number of
students, Religious and lay
people.
Beethovan’s M issa
Solemnis is a deeply religious
composition, written, in the
words of the composer
himself, to arouse deep and
lasting religious devotion in
the performers and listeners
alike.
The Jan. 24 program will
be presented by the public
affairs department of NBC
News in association with the
National Catholic Office for
Radio and Television. It is
another production of the
NBC Religious Programs
Unit. Father Raymond Bluett
of NCORT was special
assistant to director Franco
Zeffirelli on this project.
“In spite of the widespread
opinion that 1970 was not a
banner year for quality
entertainment NCOMP’s
analysis of these 221 releases
reveals that at least 37 films
could be considered superior
motion picture fare--a
reasonably good creative
record for any year. Few of
these films, however, were
suitable for children,” the
Newsletter said.
NCOMP said the major
American distributors
released 67 objectionable
movies in 1970, “almost a
third of their entire product.”
“This record may explain
in part the moral concern of
many about the direction
that current film making has
taken,” NCOMP said. “This is
not simply a question of a
quantitative comparison with
the past; the degree of
offensiveness in the
objectionable fare of 1970
has far exceeded anything
produced in the past.”
Pope Blasts
Kidnapings
VATICAN CITY (NC) -
Pope Paul VI called the
kidnaping of diplomats
“shameful blackmail.”
Speaking Jan. 9 at the
annual audience for the
diplomatic corps accredited
to the Holy See, the Pope
deplored the “shameful
criminal attacks” on
diplomats by those trying to
force governments to yield to
their political demands.
OHIO PRELATE SAYS
Christian Families
Could Change Nation
CINCINNATI (NC) , -
Christian families were
challenged to change the
nation by keeping religious
values uppermost in home life
by Archbishop Paul F.
Leibold.
The Cincinnati archdiocese
leader, preaching at a Mass in
St. Peter in Chains cathedral,
said solutions to problems
and pressures of family life in
today’s society cannot be
found by running away from
■them.
“Our challenge as creators
of Christian families and our
unique apostolate in the
family life vocation is to live,
to apply, and to teach the
lessons of Christ and His
family first in our family,” he
said.
“Honestly face the
problems of the family in this
our day, and set on a course
to solve them. Solve them in
the only way that can assure
the present and the future of
our American family, that is,
in the loving sacred Heart of
Christ, in the values and in
the kind of total giving love
of which His Heart speaks,”
he continued.
The archbishop said the
Holy Family didn’t withdraw
from “the problem-ridden
world of their day, when
poverty was a way of life,
when impersonal civil
governments could order
couples to move to satisfy the
pride of the emperor, and
when threatened opposition
was stamped out by
wholesale murder of the
innocents.”
Problems of war, inl'laion,
pollution and crime are
secondary to those which
affect the family, “the very
root of our existence as a
community of men,”
Archbishop Leibold said.
He emphasized as family
life deterioration, the high
divorce rate which affects one
out of four marriages in the
U.S.; decline in the birth rate
from 30 per 1,000 in 1910 to
17 per 1,000 in 1969;
acceptance of abortion “as a
routine solution to one’s
immediate personal
problem,” and the estimated
half million teenage runaways
each year.
<
Only a few hours before he
received the diplomats, the
British ambassador to
Uruguay, Geoffrey Jackson,
had been kidnaped in
downtown Montevideo. It
was the latest in a series of
kidnapings and political
crimes against diplomats
normally guaranteed
immunity while carrying out
their special duties.
Within recent months, four
persons have been murdered
by insurrectionists or political
rebels and many others
kidnaped and held hostage
for a period of time. The four
murdered were Pierre
Laporte, Quebec minister of
labor; German ambassador to
Guatemala Karl von Spreti,
former President Pedro
Aramburu of Argentina and
an American police adviser in
Uruguay, Dan Mitrione.
In a strong reaction to the
political-diplomatic
kidnapings and murder, Pope
Paul told the diplomats that,
although he cannot invoke
sanctions, he intends to raise
his voice “to protect the
exercise of your high mission
from shameful criminal
attacks, such as have occurred
recently ...”
IN DETROIT
WOMAN LOOKING through glass doors. The success of the recent liturgical changes depends on
how well the ordinary person understands and accepts them. (NC PHOTO)
Worship And The World
A Progress Report
By Father Joseph
M. Champlin
How well have the laity
received those revised rites
for Mass, baptism and
marriage introduced in most
dioceses of our country on
last Palm Sunday? It is a bit
premature to judge, but a
swift survey taken in August
by the Federation of
Diocesan Liturgical
Commissions points to rather
widespread and positive
acceptance of them.
Chairmen and secretaries in
these official worship units
were asked to indicate
whether the laity had
received each innovation
“very well, well, indifferently
(or) poorly.” A relatively
large proportion of dioceses
responded -- 113 - and none
marked “poorly” after rhe
Order of Mass, lectionary,
baptism or marriage. A few (7
to 18 on various points)
noted an indifferent reacion,
but heavy majorities felt that
lay people in their areas had
accepted the renewed services
either “very well” or at least
“well.”
I anticipated less happy
results for the sign of peace.
The Federation’s sampling
confirmed my own personal
suspicion, a judgment based
on surface impressions
gleaned around Washington
and in other sections of the
country. Its statistics on the
gesture of peace: Very well-3;
Well-29; Indifferently-45;
Poor)y-30.
This survey also sought
information on various
operational aspects of the
diocesan liturgical
commission. The tabulated
response chart thus reveals
data on such items as the
number of full-time or
specially trained personnel in
each committee, actual and
desired budgets, membership,
terms of office, and
educational materials
produced.
These results have been
published as part of a 32-page
pamphlet, “The Diocesan
Liturgical Commission-Doc
umentation, Proposed Goals,
and Present Projects” (USCC
Publications Office, 1312
Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20005,
Know Your Faith
Scripture—
(Continued from Page 5)
“consists not of a written law
but of the Spirit” (3:6).
Because the very spirit of
God is given to Christians, his
love or charity is poured
forth in our hearts, and that
love is the fulfillment of the
Law.
Now, with this
background, read again
Chapter 4 of this letter. It is a
beautiful description of Paul’s
service and his conduct in the
spreading of the word of
God. Notice how the work is
ultimately to lead to eternal
life for the Corinthians and
for all other Christians with
the Lord Jesus (4:14). More
proximately, the work leads
to increase in prayers of
thanksgiving, which Paul
considered so important: “As
God’s grace, reaches more and
more people, they will offer
more prayers of thanksgiving,
to f he glory of God” (4:15).
Now, please go back and
read the sentence just before
Chapter 4, the last one in
Chapter 3. It teaches that the
Christian surpasses Moses
because he constantly mirrors
the glory of Christ, who is
God.
The Christian is
transformed daily by infused
graces and love; he is under
the influence of a living spirit
and not of a dead letter.
Christ is the living Spirit
working in Paul’s soul and in
the soul of every Christian.
The source of Christian life
and leadership is the grace of
Christ and, indeed, Christ
himself.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How did Paul explain to
the Corinthians that grace
was important?
2. How would you explain
to a non-believer the fact that
Christ is the source of
Christian life and leadership?
$.60 per copy, quantity
discounts available). The
booklet, prepared for use of
the Bishops’ Committee on
the Liturgy and Diocesan
Liturgical Commissions
describes national liturgy
agencies, quotes Church
documents pertaining to
worship, then outlines the
advisory role and educational
function of diocesan worship
committees. It includes
sample by-laws and an
extensive index.
A section, “Projects of
Certain Commissions,”
summarizes 19 local
catechetical programs
typical efforts which
undoubtedly paved the path
for this generally smooth
initiation of recent liturgical
changes. For example:
--the four liturgical
commissions in Missouri have
joined forces to produce a
Missouri Catholic Hymnal
and to sponsor an annual
Liturgical Congress;
-Sacramento’s committee,
with the help of professional
speech consultants, developed
a check-off sheet of criteria
for commentators and
lectors;
-directives on art and
architecture from the
Wilmington and Albany
dioceses represent the latest,
most imaginative ones issued
by commissions;
-in Houston, the official
worship agency produced a
five-lesson plan on the liturgy
for fifth grade children
(suitable in other grades with
a few adaptations);
-the Atlanta commission
has organized small (about 12
priests per session), all-day
training courses for the clergy
on the proper manner of
celebrating. Using the
Protestant television center
and trained communication
specialists for these programs,
the committee feels this $350
per day expenditure is the
best investment in liturgical
education made since it was
founded.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How well have United
States Catholics been
receiving recent changes in
the liturgy?
2. What are some of the
projects dioceses are
sponsoring to encourage
acceptance of liturgical
changes?
Criteria For
Parish Schools
DETROIT (NC) - Criteria
by which pastors, parish
councils and school principals
can determine whether their
schools can remain open have
been outlined for the Detroit
archdiocese.
Prepared under the
direction of Cardinal John F.
Dearden, the instruction calls
upon individual parishes to
report to their vicars, who in
turn were to submit their
reports to the cardinal by
Jan. 12.
Cardinal Dearden is
scheduled to deliver a
television address to Catholics
of the archdiocese by the end
of January.
It has been reported no
schools in the archdiocesan
educational system will be
closed when the school term
ends on Jan. 28, despite a
mounting deficit in school
operations.
The criteria, recommended
to the cardinal by a
32-member task force, asks
the parishes to consider three
categories - finances; service
to parish community, and the
apostolate of the Church - in
determining the future of
parish schools.
The present study differs
from one made in November,
1969, on these four points:
-Parishers must make a
three-year projection,
including a 30-36 percent
increase in costs. No
year-to-year financing will be
acceptable.
--Parishes must
demonstrate how they can
reduce existing parish debts
within 10 years.
-A ceiling has been placed
on parish subsidy of schools.
Parishes wanting to keep their
schools open must
demonstrate how they can
assist the educationally
deprived parishes in the
category of finances. The
criteria for continuing
operation of parish and
inter-parish schools requires
the parish to show how it can
meet costs, including
increases from 10 to 12
COURTS SAYS
percent a year, for at least a
three-year period. No
borrowing will be permitted
for financing the schools.
-The parish must show a
10-year schedule of reduction
of capital indebtedness.
Interest payments on debts
must be included in the total
budget.
The criteria clamps a
ceiling on parish subsidies of
40 percent for grade school
and 55 percent for a parish
with both grade and high
school.
The criteria not only
recommend reasonable
funding of other parish
activities besides school but
insists on the parish
maintaining its archdiocesan
wide committments which
have concern for activities
not directly related to the
parish. Included in these
would be diocesan
assessments, the
Archdiocesan Development
Fund, and special Collections.
In the category dealing
with the apostolate of the
Church, the criteria said:
“The obligation of the entire
diocese to the poor and
educationally disadvantaged
must be continued in some
manner. We will not allow
parishes to continue to
operate schools, if at the
same time they show little or
no concern for the poor.
Therefore, each parish
wishing to. retain a school
must show this awareness in a
positive manner, and evidence
of this must appear on their
report.”
Estimates vary concerning
how many parishes will be
unable to meet the criteria.
One school administrator
estimated between 30 and 50
percent of the schools would
close and another said
probably 200.
The 19 private high schools
in the archdiocese are not
affected by the criteria. But a
big question concerns
inter-parish high schools - if
one parish cannot meet the
criteria and has to drop out
of the plan, could the other
parishes involved absorb such
a loss.
Pa. Abortion Law
Unconstitutional
PITTSBURGH (NC) -
Two state judges here have
ruled that Pennsylvania’s
1939 law forbidding
abortions is unconstitutional
because its vagueness makes
legal application impossible.
They called for a replacement
law to be written
immediately.
Judges Anne X. Alpern and
Lorin L. Lewis, both hearing
the same abortion case in
common pleas court because
of its complexity, found that
the 31-year-old abortion law
is “void on its face for failure
to satisfy the requirements of
due process.”
The law implies that
abortions are legal under
certain circumstances, but
provides no standards for
determining when, the judges
said. The law needs revision
to establish effective controls
over illegal abortions and
proper standards for legal
ones, they said. They called
on the state legislature in
Harrisburg to enact a
constitutional, meaningful
law without delay.
Their ruling came in a case
involving three physicians
charged with conspiring to
perform abortions at a
hospital. District Attorney
Robert Duggan sought to
make the hospital abortion
records public to support his
charges, but three women
who admitted having
abortions there sought an
injunction to block him, on
grounds that the records were
privileged and the abortion
law unconstitutional.
It was on the injunction
request, which was granted,
that the two judges gave their
opinion.
The judges also denied a
request to intervene in the
case on behalf of all unborn
children, which two Catholic
physicians at the same
hospital had filed. The judges
said such intervention, sought
five weeks after the court
case had closed, would
amount to a “prejudicial
delay,” that the District
Attorney was adequately
representing those the
petitioners sought to speak
for, and that there is no legal
authority to support their
position that an unborn child
has rights under
Pen nsylvania’s laws.
Judges Alpern and Lewis
cited this portion of the 1939
abortion law as “extremely
vague and imprecise:”
“Whoever, with intent to
procure the miscarriage of
any woman, unlawfully
administers to her any
poison, drug or substance, or
unlawfully uses any
instrument, or other means,
with the like intent, is guilty
of felony . . .”