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Miniskirted Miss Chance To Visit St. Peter’s
&
BY FATHER LEO J. McFADDEN
(NC News Service)
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Tempers and
temperatures soar in Rome as two
diminutive nuns at St. Peter’s entrance
crisply make some of the toughest - and
most unpopular - decisions in the Vatican.
These nuns decide who is appropriately
dressed to enter Christendom’s most famed
basilica. Ladies and even sub-teens, in
sleeveless gowns or dresses which to not
come to the knees are turned away with
the flick of a wrist in five languages.
Two months ago these nuns joined the
formerly all-male force to enforce the long
standing regulation of appropriate attire
for all within the sacred walls of St. Peter’s.
One of the nuns, attired in a full black
habit and-veil, was asked by NC News if
she enjoyed her work. She smiled wanly
and said in perfect English that she was
only doing a job that had to be done. What
was her name and where was she from?
“We are missionary Sisters from Rome,”
was her only reply.
This particular mission of the Church, it
must be reported from two hours’
observation on a hot July day, is not
winning many converts.
“They go out of their way to be
offensive, I’ll say that,” fumed an
Englishman to no one in particular after his
wife was turned away wearing a sleeveless,
but otherwise quite proper dress.
“My daughter is exactly 12 years old,
and is a scandal to no one,” argued Mrs.;
Albert Nuyens of Ottawa, Ont., to a rather
harried male member of the Vatican team
refusing entrance to hundreds of visitors
daily. Her daughter, Monica, wore a floppy
white hat and was clad in a blue shift
which seemed to be more than adequate
for her petite figure, but it came only three
inches above the knees. The Nuyens made
a one-hour round trip to their hotel to garb
everyone in long pants and were admitted.
“I will tie my coat around my knees,”
wailed a tenaged girl from Philadelphia. “I
will even go in on my knees.”
The missionary Sister accepted neither
offer and turned away still another
exasperated tourist.
“I think it is stupid,” said Dorete
Vestergaard, a teenaged girl from Lyngy,
Denmark. She and her companion, Birgit
Kierckebye, told their story inside St.
Peter’s.
Wearing wrinkled raincoats, they
explained that this was their third assault
on the basilica. Even though they looked
like refugees from a freight car, they
seemed happy finally to be inside.
Said Birgit:
“We certainly do not blame the nUns. In
fact, we feel sorry for them because we
know they are only doing their job. But
TOO SHORT TO ENTER - A tourist is refused admissi >n into
St. Peter’s Basilica July 27 because her hemline was judged to be
too high by nun (right) whom Vatican officials placed on “short
ddrt” patrol for the first time. The Vitacan placed nuns on
guard because the male guards were becoming too lenient and
were letting women with short skirts into the Basilica. (NC
PHOTO)
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ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA
when you are traveling in Europe, you try
to dress for the climate and not for total
coverage.
In defense of the practiie of restricting
entrance, it must be said that some people
approaching the basilica are more properly
dressed, or undressed, for a dip in the
ocean. Further, it is a fact that even during
the war when clothing was short, the
Vatican was strict about proper dress.
Italian women were not allowed entrance
unless they were thoroughly covered and
their heads veiled.
On the other hand, it seems that by far
the greatest offender in 1971 is style. Many
a modern young lady does not have a
knee-length dress in her wardrobe. Even if
she does, it is the first thing left behind in
packing for a European jaunt in which the
practical is paramount.
Not many of the tourists are startled by
the inspection because it is common
conversation in “pensiones” (small hotels)
and youth hostels around Rome. Still,
many try to sneak in with the crowd. Few
make it. The oft-repeated turnaway
decision of a male attendant rings out:
“Signorina, too short:”
Loudly chimed an American girl who
was watching the process of refusal from
the front steps: “Shall we put this silly
scarf over our shoulders so we won’t get
hassled?”
People are not hassled. They are just
turned away. It is a simple system, but a
German couple clad in walking shorts
demonstrated the shame of it all.
First, the woman put on the bulky pair
of men’s pants the man had brought along,
doffed her sandals and clambered into his
clod-hoppers. She clomped unobstructed
into the basilica, looking like a hobo on
parade. Twenty minutes later she emerged,
kicked off the shoes and took off the pants
to allow her male campanion the coverage
he needed for entrance.
“This restriction is ridiculous,” said a
young lady from Washington, D.C. “I
heard it was necessary to get properly
dressed so I put on this pants suit. What
did I see in the basilica? A bunch of Italian
girls, braless and in jeans with beer cans
tied around their necks. What kind of
decency is that?”
Three school teachers from Denver,
knowing they were going to St. Peter’s, put
on their “dressy” cocktail dresses, the best
they had. They were turned away. They
went back to their “Pensione,” put on
rumpled levis and pullovers to gain
admission. They were admitted but
sweated all the way home. They also
fumed.
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Temperatures and hemlines will
doubtless continue to rise in an already
baking Rome. So, too, will the tempers of
. tourists as the nuns untie belts, pull down
skirts, pull up scarves and the male scout in
‘‘point” position out front calls out his
singsong “Signorina, too short.”
The Georgia Buttetin
** SERVING GEORGIA S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
■i
Vol. 9 No. 27
Dear
Reader
BY HARRY MURPHY
Christians are taught to
help their fellow man in need
and normally I don’t mind
doing just that.
But there’s one thing I
intend to refuse to help with
in the future: Moving.
Moving looks so easy.
Husky men go back and
forth from truck to house for
several hours loading
furniture and such.
They drive to the new
residence and spend several
hours unloading furniture and
such.
Simple?
No, definitely not.
Get a bunch of amateurs
involved and the difficulty of
the task immediately becomes
apparent.
Furniture and the old and
new residence get scratched.
The amateur movers’ arms,
legs and backs get injured.
My latest attempt to help a
friend started about 6 p.m. iri
the afternoon and ended at
midnight, during which:
-An hour was spent in the
rain looking for his new
address, which didn’t exist
because he had given me the
wrong number.
-Two pieces of furniture
valued at more than $100 fell
off the truck and smashed to
smithereens.
-My car and at least two
others smashed into one piece
(Continued on page 8)
Summer
Schedule
There will be no paper
next week, as we are on
Summer Schedule. The
Georgia Bulletin does not
print the second and last
weeks in June, July and
August.
PRINCIPAL
Fr. Hartnett
Marist
Gets New
Principal
Rev. James L. Hartnett,
S.M. -will become the new
principal at Marist in early
August.
For the past four years,
Father Hartnett was principal
at another Marist institution,
Chanel High School in the
Cleveland, Ohio area.
He replaces Fr. Ralph
Vedros, who 'will hold the
chair of science.
During World War II, Fr.
Hartnett served as a radio
operator in the Navy and did
extensive traveling. In 1956
he received his master’s
degree at Catholic University
in Washington, D.C. Further
studies at John Carroll
University, University of
North Carolina and
Marquette University have
rounded out his academic
background.
Father Hartnett is not a
stranger to the Atlanta area,
as he taught in economics
here in the early ’60 and was
treasurer of the school when
Marist opened its new campus
in the North Atlanta area.
As a member of the
National Association of
Secondary School Principals,
Father Hartnet brings to his
new position at Marist a
wealth of knowledge and
experience. This includes his
certicication in the State of
Georgia in the fields of Latin,
Social Studies and School
Counselor.
Thursday, August 5,1971
$5 per year
NEWS BRIEFS
Forum On Synod Topic
ST. LOUIS (NC) — A public forum on world justice and
peace will convene here in September, a few weeks before it
becomes one of the topics before the World Synod of Bishops in
Rome. The forum was announced by Cardinal John Carberry of
St. Louis* who invited all individuals and groups in the
community to present their views at the three-and-a-half-hour
forum, Sept. 8. Cardinal Carberry said those wishing to make
presentations should submit them in writing to him, along with
a one-page summary and a brief background of the organization
or individual, before Aug. 21. Cardinal Carberry, who is one of
four U.S. bishop delegates to the synod, said: “In making my
presentation to the synod, I would like to know the viewpoints
of groups and individuals in American society, and particular,
St. Louis.”
Disaster Aid Approach
GENEVA (NC) — The United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) has called on Secretary-General U Thant to
name a disaster relief coordinator to mobilize, direct and
coordinate relief activities of U.N.' bodies and other
organizations when a U.N. : member state seeks help for disaster
victims. Recent major disasters like the Pakistan floods and the
Bengal refugees in India have pointed up more clearly the need
for pre-disaster planning, and for coordination of aid to the
victims by various international agencies as well as within the
country of the disaster.
Seminary System Under Review
LONDON (NC) — The present seminary system in England
and Wales is now being thoroughly reviewed by the nation’s
Catholic bishops. Some of the junior seminaries, which train
young men in the humanities up to about the age of 18, have
already closed down. Most of the rest, with their increasing drop
out in students, are expected to be shut finally within the next
year. The future of some senior diocesan seminaries is also
reported to be uncertain because of mounting costs and the
steady decline in vocations. It is being suggested that merging of
these seminaries and linking them with the- secular universities
might prove an ideal solution to present problems. The bishops’
seminaries commission for England and Wales has been studying
the proposal for seminary training produced by the Vatican
following the Rome Synod of Bishops in 1967.
Synod President Delegates
VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope Paul VI has named three
president delegates, including U.S. Cardinal John Wright, to
preside over the daily sessions of the 1971 Synod of Bishops
which opens here Sept. 30. President delegates take turns in
order of their nomination in presiding over the meetings of the
synod in the name of the Pope. The three cardinals nominated
by the Pope are Archbishop Etienne Duval of Algiers,
Archbishop Pablo Munoz Vega of Quito, Ecuador, and Cardinal
Wright, prefect of the Congregation for the clergy.
S. F. Admission Policy
SAN FRANCISCO (NC) — Archdiocesan school
superintendent Father Bernard A, Cummins has outlined
admission policies aimed at preventing parents from transferring
their children from public to Catholic grade schools to avoid
integration. In early July, Federal District Judge Stanley A.
Weigel ordered the San Francisco school board to integrate its
schools by opening day this fall, Sept. 7. Two integration plans
-- both involving the use of busing - are currently under
consideration. Father Cummins cited “some concern in the
community that our role could be negative” if parents try to
enroll their children in Catholic schools to bypass the court
order. “Even the appearance of such a trend would be
detrimental to the community effort ahd would be at odds with
the basic philosophy and objectives of the Catholic schools,” he
said in a July 29 statement.
U.S. Pastoral Group
Said Unfeasible Now
GOING COMING
Fr. Ruff Fr. Berson
Fr. Berson Takes
Fr. Ruffs Place
Father Francis Ruff, a member of the Glenmary
Home Missioners who has served in North Georgia for
the past eight years, is leaving here and will be
replaced by Father Robert Berson.
Father Ruff has been
appointed National Director
of Promotion for the
Glenmary Community, which
is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Father Ruff, 35, has been
assistant pastor of Saint
Luke’s Church in Dahlonega,
as well as priest-in-charge of
its mission in Cleveland. He
has also been a Newman
chaplain at North Georgia
College.
On the national level, he
has been a field representative
to the Southern Baptist
Convention for the Bishops’
Committee for Ecumenical
and Inter-religious Affairs and
also a consultant to the
Bishops’ Committee on the
Permanent Diaconate.
. For three years he held the
elective position of chairman
of “Ninth District
Opportunity,” a 16-county
agency of the office of
•
Economic Opportunity.
In his new position, Father
Ruff will be responsible for
Glenmary’s public relations,
fund raising and vocational
recruiting.
Father Berson is being
assigned here with the title of
“Regional Worker in the
Deep South,” a position
which will take him into
several dioceses in this region
from his base in North
Georgia.
From 1965 until this June,
Father Berson served as
President of the 100-member
Glenmary Society, which
dedicates its apostolic efforts
to priest-scarce areas of the
United States.
Father Berson, 47, has
been a priest for 22 years and
is a native of Cincinnati. His
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Berssenbruegge, still reside in
that city.
POMFERT, Conn. (NC) — It is not feasible to
create a national pastoral council at this time, a
special steering committee of the United States
Catholic Conference (USCC) advisory council
announced at the conclusion of its three-day meeting
here.
The committee
recommended, however, that
“some structure.. .thrbugh
which representatives priests,
Religious and laity can share
with the bishops in the
decision making process” be
established until the time is
ripe for the national council
to ease “widespread
disillusionment!’ among
Catholics.
The 15-member
committee, chaired by Msgr.
J. Paul O’Connor, chancellor
of the Youngstown, Ohio,
diocese, also recommended
that the advisory council of
the USCC possibly serve as
that temporary structure - a
working model for future
development of a body which
would implement shared
responsibility for the Church.
The committee composed
of advisory council members,
who were asked by U.S.
bishops last year to determine
whether a broadly
representative national body
should be established to help
the work of the Church,
declared:
“The desirability of some
structure on a national level is
evidenced by widespread
disillusionment among
elements of the people of
God whose morale has in
effect been destroyed by
their felt lack of
communication with the
established Church and by
the unfulfilled desire to feel
included in the process of
renewal. The Church’s need
to establish a renewed
creditability with significant
numbers of her people lends
importance to the process
and structure of an
instrument such as a national
pastoral council.”
However, the committee
said, “from its study and
consultation the steering
committee concludes that a
national pastoral council
which would be a fully
developed structure with a
constitution, by-laws,
functions and competency
clearly delineated and which
would have creditability and
be understood and accepted
by the people of God is not
feasible now.”
The bishops had asked the
advisory council to appoint a
committee to make such a
decision after it was suggested
that a national pastoral
council might play a
democratic role at the
national level similar to that
played on the diocesan level
by diocesan pastoral councils.
The Second Vatican
Council’s Decree on the
Pastoral Office of Bishops
recommended establishment
of such diocesan councils “to
investigate and to weigh
matters which bear on
pastoral activity, and to
formulate practical
conclusions regarding them.”
Specialists in a number of
different fields, together with
representatives of 97 dioceses
and 36 national Catholic
organizations, participated in
an interdisciplinary
consultation on a national
pastoral council which the
steering committee sponsored
at Mundelein College,
Chicago, last August.
Their deliberations and a
summary of opinions on the
concept of a national pastoral
council were later published
by the USCC to solicit
grassroots opinion.
Diocesan representatives
were given six months, after
the publication of these
materials, to gather the
reactions of the people of
their diocese or organization
to the idea of a national
pastoral council and submit
reports to the steering
committee.