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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1987)
The Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Vol. 25 No. 25 Thursday, July 2, 1987 $12.00 Per Year Waldheim Visit Stirs Controversy Fiesta For Hispanic Bishops VATICAN CITY (NC) — From the moment it was an nounced June 17, Austrian President Kurt Waldheim's of ficial visit to Pope John Paul II became a source of con troversy. Despite international criticism that came mainly from Jewish leaders, the two-hour meeting took place as schedul ed June 25. And the controversy seemed likely to continue for a long time to come, with far more impact on the pope and Catholic-Jewish relations than on Waldheim Jewish protesters who marched outside the Vatican the day of the meeting or stated their complaints to the press around the world were not objecting to Waldheim's record as U N. secretary general from 1972 to 1981 or to the pope’s meeting with the head of the Austrian government. Their objections stemmed from still-unresolved allega tions, which surfaced during Waldheim’s presidential cam paign last year, that Waldheim during World War II com mitted — and after the war covered up — war crimes against Jews and anti-Nazi partisans. In their formal remarks released to the press, neither Waldheim nor the pope mentioned the World War II Holocaust of 6 million Jews or the controversy over Waldheim’s war record, causing key Jewish leaders in New York to express shock and anger. “It is not Waldheim the man, but the symbol he has become, that is at issue,” said the American Jewish Con gress in a letter to the pope released June 25 and run as a full-page ad in The New York Times June 26. It suggested that by meeting Waldheim and ignoring the controversy, the pope has contributed to “current efforts to diminish, falsify and forget the Holocaust.” Some American Jewish leaders have threatened to pull out of a planned papal meeting Sept. 11 in Miami, the first stop on the pope’s Sept. 10-19 visit to the United States. In their exchange of public remarks. Pope John Paul praised Waldheim’s long diplomatic career and asked him to work for human rights and world peace. Waldheim, who because of the war years allegations has been shunned by many Western nations since his election last year, thanked the pope for receiving him on his first official visit abroad and said he looked forward to the planned papal trip to Austria next year. (Continued on page 12) BY RITA McINERNEY Days of reflection and deliberation in a monastery and a night of worship and celebration at an Atlanta parish are now woven into the history of the Hispanic community of the arch diocese. The evening to remember was celebrated Wednes day, June 17 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The gathering began with a Mass concelebrated by eight Hispanic bishops and continued with a fiesta in the school cafeteria. The bishops celebrating the Liturgy and later break ing bread with the people came to Georgia for the semi-annual meeting of the ad hoc committee on Hispanic affairs of the Na tional Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ses sions were held at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers on June 15-17. Heading the agenda for the meeting was discussion of the national pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry to be considered this coming November at the annual meeting of the NCCB. Twelve of the 19 Hispanic bishops in the United States attended. (Continued on page 7) New Appointments Reverend Monsignor John F. McDonough, vicar general of the arch diocese of Atlanta, an nounces that Archbishop Thomas Donnellan has approved the following priestly recommenda tions of Very Reverend Eugene J. Driscoll, S.M.. provincial of the Washing ton Province of The Marist Fathers, effective Mon day, July 13,1987. Reverend Kevin J. Duggan, S.M. from the parish of Saint Julian Eymard in New Orleans, to the faculty of Marist School, Atlanta. Reverend Thomas D. O’Donnell. S.M. from the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Atlanta, to parochial vicar at the parish of Saint Joseph in Marietta. Reverend Lawrence R. Schniuhl, S.M. from the parish of Saint Joseph in Paulina, La., to parochial vicar at the parish of Saint Joseph in Marietta. Reverend Timothy F. Sugrue, S.M. from the parish of Saint Joseph in Paulina, La., to Marist Mission Promoter with residence at Marist School, Atlanta. Reverend John Ulrich. S.M. from the parish of Our Lady of Pity in Cam bridge, Mass., to paro chial vicar, part-time, at the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption, Atlanta; also, as Marist vocation director. Monsignor McDonough also announces the assignments of Reverend H. Joseph Wilhelm. S.M. as superior of the Marist Fathers community in Atlanta; and Reverend Francis J. Kissel. S.M. as vice superior. SINGING ARCHBISHOP — At an IHM fiesta, San Antonio Arch bishop Patrick Flores sings an Hispanic folksong, to the delight of the Atlanta Hispanic community, Father Mario Vizcaino and guitarist Hernan Sapata, a seminary candidate. (Photo by Cliff Morse) Archbishop Flores Seeks Vocations Among The Poor BY RITA McINERNEY A son of a migrant farm family in Texas who became the first Hispanic bishop in the United States, Archbishop Patricio Flores of San Antonio does much to en courage young Hispanics in his arch diocese to consider the priesthood. The archbishop was one of 12 Hispanic bishops gathering June 15 at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers for a two-day meeting of the ad hoc committee on Hispanic affairs of the National Con ference of Catholic Bishops. He spoke of some of the programs to spur vocations during an early morning telephone interview with the Georgia Bulletin before catching the plane home on June 18. “We have had a variety of activities” to provide information and to motivate, he said, including the dedication of 1985 as a year for vocations. “I conducted breakfast every Saturday morning in my apartment. Priests, sisters, members of the Knights of Columbus and other organizations would recommend someone. We tried to have from 12 to 15, we didn’t want either a large group or one that was too small.” “We shared information. I told them why I became a priest. They had a low self- image. I would tell them of my obstacles. I came from a migrant farm family in Texas, we were very poor. I was given op portunity and support. I would tell them ‘I want you to think about it and pray over it. I will support you.’ ” (Continued on page 7)
