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PAGE 7—The Georgia Bulletin, December 10,1981
Navy Secretary Defends
“Corpus Christi” Name
WASHINGTON (NC) - Navy Secretary John
Lehman has rebuffed pleas to change the name of the
USS Corpus Christi. He said the primary function of
the new atomic-powered submarine is peacekeeping.
In a Dec. 2 letter to Bishop Thomas J. Drury of
Corpus Christi, Texas, who has been leading efforts to
change the name of the submarine, Lehman noted that
other Navy ships have been named Corpus Christi and
said such a “venerable name” might be valuable to
those responsible for national defense.
Lehman also said that as a Catholic he found
unacceptable the implication by opponents of the
submarine’s name “that naval ships and even military
service are somehow profane and less worthy of
association with the sacred name than, for instance, the
city itself.”
“I am sure that the religious significance of the name
of our submarine, Corpus Christi, so suggestive of unity
and peace among men, will be reflected in the
professional actions of her commander and crew,”
Lehman said.
“They recognize their essential mission is to keep
the peace, a noble, ethical and virtuous mission,” he
added.
While opponents of the new submarine’s name
concede that it was intended to honor the city of
Corpus Christi, they say naming a submarine the
Corpus Christi - Latin for “body of Christ” - is
offensive.
Following Bishop Drury’s Oct. 20 letter to Lehman
urging a name change the U.S. bishops at their annual
general meeting in Washington Nov. 16-19 approved a
resolution supporting efforts to change the name of the
ship, which was launched April 25.
Archbishop John R. Roach of St. Paul-Minneapolis,
president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said in a
separate letter to Lehman that to many naming a
submarine Corpus Christi was not only inappropriate
“but very nearly sacrilegious.”
In a two-page letter of response Lehman quoted
from St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas and said
that, “as the people of Afghanistan have recently
learned, there are powers in the world that do not
shrink from the aggressive use of force against
undefended people.”
He added: “Given the unavoidable necessity of
building and operating deterrent systems of destructive
capability, a necessity fully recognized in traditional
church teaching, it is vitally important that we be
reminded constantly of the humanistic value of
peacekeeping.
“I believe that a venerable name like Corpus Christi
is a valuable asset to those responsible for the
management of the fearful weapons of our national
defense,” Lehman said.
Lehman said a submarine hunter during World War
II bore the name Corpus Christi as did another Navy
ship from the Vietnam era. And, in another precedent,
he cited the Brazilian Navy destroyer Espirito Santo
(Holy Spirit), named after a Brazilian state and city.
Pope Praises Virgil As
“Naturally Christian”
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Pope John Paul II Nov. 30
praised the pre-Christian Roman poet Virgil, calling
him a man with a soul which was “naturally Christian ”
Speaking in Latin to members of a Vatican
foundation which sponsors a Latin poetry
competition, the pope called Virgil, who died in the
year 19 B.C., an example for today’s world.
The pontiff said that the Latin poet was a herald of
the coming Messianic age and lauded him as a
humanitarian, a lover of peace and the inspired singer
of nature and of the dignity of work.
Referring to the Catholic Church’s consistent
promotion of Virgil throughout history, the pope
recalled that monks had worked diligently during the
Middle Ages to copy and preserve Virgil’s writings.
The pope also noted that within the past year, the
2,000th anniversary of the poet’s death, the Vatican
had offered an exhibition of Virgil’s works and issued
stamps commemorating the poet.
Lauding Virgil’s hatred for war and tender love for
all of nature, the pope said that “the contemporary
world is in need of Virgil’s virtues, so that the
unrestrained will for domination, the carelessness
toward people’s dignity and rights, the disdain for the
life of others and blind greed do not spoil human
coexistence.”
Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue
Urged To Seek Unity Quickly
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The dialogue between the
Catholic and Orthodox churches should focus on
achieving unity and must not become bogged down in
consideration of secondary issues, Pope John Paul II
said.
In a French-language letter to Orthodox Patriarch
Dimitrios I of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) the
pope praised the work of the year-old
Catholic-Orthodox dialogue committee and said that
the talks should concentrate on “reaching as quickly as
possible that full unity which can be an important
contribution to reconciliation among all persons.”
The letter, dated Nov. 25, was presented to
Patriarch Dimitrios Nov. 30 in Istanbul by Cardinal
Johannes Willebrands, president of the Vatican’s
Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity.
The Dutch cardinal headed a three-member Vatican
delegation sent to Istanbul for the feast of St. Andrew
the Apostle. Each year an Orthodox delegation arrives
in Rome on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and a
Catholic delegation returns the visit on Nov. 30.
St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and is
considered by the Orthodox Patriarchate of
Constantinople its chief patron.
“These annual meetings not only allow a fervent and
renewed common prayer, but also offer the occasion
for regularly intensifying and harmonizing our efforts
in search of unity,” Pope John Paul said in his letter to
the Orthodox leader.
“The choices that are propsoed to men today and on
which their future existence depends require that the
dialogue between our churches not become bogged
down in secondary questions, but concentrate on the
essentials in order to reach as quickly as possible that
full unity which can be an important contribution to
the reconciliation of all persons,” the pope added.
The essential issue, he said, “is unity in faith, in this
faith rooted in the word of God which reaches us in the
sacred Scriptures, which was preached by the apostles,
which was defended against every alteration and which
was proclaimed with force by the ecumenical councils
of different ages.”
Mideast Tension Reaches Bethlehem’s Fields
BY ULRICH W.SAHM
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (NC) - “Our people are sad.
How can we celebrate Christmas when our sons are in prison
and houses of our town were blown up illegally by the
Israeli occupying forces only recently?” The question came
from Hanna A1 Attrash, mayor of Beth Sahur, near
Bethlehem on the Israeli occupied West Bank.
Not far from the mayor’s town hall are the fields where
the angels are believed to have appeared to shepherds
announcing “Peace on earth . . .”
“The Israelis have tortured this place,” said the mayor.
He said he may boycott the official holiday-season
ceremonies, in which he is expected to participate according
to the rules of “status quo” which have regulated church
ceremonies in the Holy Land for two centuries.
A News Analysis
The mayor is supposed to meet the patriarchs of
Jerusalem’s churches halfway between Jerusalem and
Bethlehem at the Mar Elias Church and at Rachel’s Tomb on
three occasions: On Dec. 24 for the Catholics, on Jan. 6 for
the Greek Orthodox and on Jan. 18 for the Armenians.
“But then I would have to march in a holy procession
side by side with the Israeli military governor of Bethlehem,
representing the secular power here. He ordered the
destruction of our houses and arrested our sons,” the mayor
said. “How could I do this?” he asked.
An Arab whose 15-year-old son is under arrest in an
Israeli prison predicted the people of Beth Sahur will
demonstrate on Christmas Eve so that pilgrims coming to
the holy fields would know what has happened in the town.
The mayor said that the pilgrims will not be disturbed but
would be informed of recent events. He did not elaborate.
The Beth Sahur population will “only pray at churches but
not celebrate Christmas,” he added.
The mayor of Bethlehem, Elias Freij, does not agree with
his colleague from Beth Sahur.
“Christmas is our holiest day. Christ was born in
Bethlehem. It is our national duty to celebrate, and we shall
do so,” Mayor Freij said. “The political climate has nothing
to do with Christmas. I will not inject politics into our
religion. Our heavenly father has selected Bethlehem as the
cradle for Our Lord, and we have to obey that,” he said. The
mayor invited Christians to come to Bethlehem and pledged
that they would enjoy pleasant celebrations, as in other
years.
The concern over peace at Christmas in Bethlehem
comes at a time of increasing hostility between Israeli forces
and the people of the West Bank.
The shutting down of the Arab and English A1 Fajr
newspaper for a month, arrests of well-known figures and
the destruction of four homes by Israeli security forces are
just some examples of what critics regard as the new
“ironfist” policies of Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon.
Most actions by Israeli authorities in the West Bank have
passed without criticism from other Israelis, but recent
activities have prompted an outcry from Israelis as well.
The destruction of four private homes, which deprived
60 people of a roof over their heads, led opposition
politicians on the scene to criticize “too harsh measures
taken without proportion.”
Abba Eban, former foreign minister, talked about
“collective punishment” which is not suitable for Jewish
people to practice.
Another opposition leader, Amnon Rubinstein, said in
the Knesset (parliament) that the harsh policy will “press
Arab youth into the rows of the PLO,” Palestine Liberation
Organization.
Questions about the blowing up of the four houses
remain.
According to official sources, four Arab youngsters, all
about 14 years old, were arrested after throwing two
Molotov cocktails at Israeli buses. No one was hurt, but, as
Prime Minister Menachem Begin put it, “there could have
been injured and dead.”
The youngsters’ four homes were destroyed, apparently
before they had confessed to the Molotov cocktail incident.
Israeli security forces are reported to have destroyed
over 1,200 houses since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when
Israel occupied the territories.
But the homes destroyed are believed to have been those
of terrorists, their families or their friends who have directly
aided them. Use of houses as weapons dumps is one reason
the Israelis act immediately in some cases. And old laws
from the British Mandate times and Jordanian laws still in
power in the West Bank give Israel authority to destroy
homes.
Similar Israeli policies were relatively successful in the
Gaza Strip in the early 1970s. Since then, the strip has been
quiet although anti-Israel feelings have not declined.
The situation so far has been different in the Christian
towns of Bethlehem and Beth Sahur. Availabilty of good
education, under the auspices of the Christian churches
which have been in the area for more than 100 years, and
the fact that the Christians are a minority in a Moslem world
have led the Christian residents to feel close to the Israelis -
for the Jews themselves are a minority in the Middle East.
The Christians have managed to get along with the Israelis
without betraying their Moslem “Arab brothers.”
Although they would probably never admit it openly,
some Christians of Bethlehem privately have preferred to
stay under Israeli rule rather than returning to Moslem
majority rule.
But lately, things have been changing.
Years of peace and quiet prosperity seem to be over, and
Israeli military forces seem to be regarding the residents of
the towns as Arabs, without differentiating between
Christians and Moslems.
Anti-Israeli sentiments are on the rise, the Israelis are
losing potential allies and re-inforcing the belief that there
are no Arabs to talk to or trust in the occupied territories,
and the Israeli plan for autonomy of the area is likely to
suffer. And so-called “moderate” Palestinian politicians,
such as Mayor Freij, will probably have a much more
difficult - if not impossible - task in urging people to live
together peacefully.
Vatican To Fund Training Projects
In Drought-Stricken Sahel Region
BY NANCY FRAZIER
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Vatican will build and fund
an institute in the drought-stricken Sahel region of Africa
next year to educate local people in technical development,
health care, agricultural methods and formation of
cooperatives.
The plan, approved by Pope John Paul II, was announced
at the Vatican Dec. 1.
The pope also approved several projects totalling $4.7
million for irrigation programs, health assistance and
agrarian development, the Vatican said.
The institute and the other projects will be funded from
the contributions sent to Pope John Paul in response to his
May 10,1980, appeal for the region in Ouagadougou, Upper
Volta, a part of the Sahel area.
The Vatican did not reveal the total amount of
contributions sent to the pope or estimate the amount
expected to be spent on the institute.
The announcement said the projects represented “an
initial contribution” by the Vatican to the long-term
solution of problems in the Sahel region.
According to the Vatican communique, the projects
were approved by the pope after a Nov. 4-6 meeting
sponsored by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” (Latin for
one heart), the Vatican agency which coordinates church
relief and development activities.
At the meeting representatives of the church in 13
drought-afflicted African nations discussed the current
situation with delegates from national and international
Catholic assistance organizations.
Money for the institute has been given to the West
African regional bishops’ conference.
The institute will begin its work during 1982, the
Vatican said.
During the appeal last year in Ouagadougou, the pope
ADOPTED GRANDDAD - Heather Bradley, a
member of the kindergarten class at Immaculate
Conception School in Tulsa, Okla., seems content
with her newly adopted grandfather, Walter Smith.
A kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cathe Kehe, with the
help of school and parish staff, organized the
project to bring the children closer to elderly
residents in the neighborhood by having each child
“adopt” a grandparent.
called the Sahel drought situation “a question of
international justice, especially toward the countries which
are too often stricken by these disasters, while others find
themselves in geographic or climatic conditions which must,
in comparison, be called privileged.”
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Ga. Bulletin 12/10/81
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