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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1987)
PAGE 2 — The Georgia Bulletin, October 8,198? Symposium For Chaplains 'Just War' In Nuclear Age Debated BY ROBERT PLOCHECK WASHINGTON (NC) — There is a “moral amnesia” about the “clear, rich tradition” of non-violence and pacifism in the church, Jesuit Father Peter J. Henriot told an audience mainly of Catholic military chaplains Sept. 23. Father Henriot, at a symposium sponsored by the Arch diocese for the Military Services, took issue with another speaker, Ambassador Edward L. Rowny, President Reagan’s representative at arms limitation talks, who said Catholic pacifists “are unable to cite tradition” in their call for church opposition to military action. Another speaker, Bishop Leroy T. Matthiesen of Amarillo, Texas, asked whether the important issue was not tradition but “in nuclear times” the amount of harm done in war, which he said now requires “an entirely new attitude.” About 350 people heard the discussion of “The Just War Tradition and Pacifism in the Church’s Teaching” at Georgetown University in Washington. The sponsoring Archdiocese for the Military Services was created in 1985 and serves the 2 million Catholic servicemen and dependents of the armed forces. Archbishop Joseph T. Ryan leads the archdiocese from offices in Silver Spring, Md., in suburban Washington. Rowny, a Catholic layman, cited “16 centuries” of church statements that war is the “only just response a state can make” in the face of unjust aggression. The command to “love thy neighbor” impels Catholics to protect “our families, our communities” from losing their freedoms, he said. Rowny, a retired Army lieutenant general, cited a pastoral letter of the West German bishops, who, he said, expressed concern over conscientious objectors who refuse to serve and the possibility of a large group of such objec tors who would “create a power vacuum that can lead to” political blackmail. He also cited a similar pastoral by the French bishops, who, he said, worried about “what slaughter could be pro duced” from pacifism in the face of aggression. Father Henriot, executive director of the Center of Con cern in Washington, said a biblical view of non-violence cannot be arrived at through fundamentalism or a literal interpetation of Scripture but that “we need to interpret in a holistic fashion” the calls in Scripture for peace. He said that although the Old Testament has many “war rior passages” the “fundamental experience” is “shalom,” the Hebrew word for peace. Do Your Floors Need A Good Cleaning FREE ESTIMATES Hardwood 6 Parquet Kitchen S Bathroom Cleaned, Waxed & Buffed (Vinyl or Tile) or Stripped & Refinished Sanded & Refinished t: Efficiency Floor Service 587-3480 Call Between 9-5 CathcduaQ o{ Cfmsttfiellms 2699 Peachtree Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30305 233-2145 Eucharistic Liturgies: Saturday: 8:00 A.M. & 5:30 P.M. Vigil. Sunday: 7:30A.M., 9:00 A.M., 10:30 A.M. (Choir), 12:00 P.M., 1:30 P.M. (Spanish) & 5:30 P.M. (Modern Liturgical Music). Weekdays: 6:45 A.M., 8:00 A.M. & 12:10 P.M. Sacrament of Penance: Saturday: 4-5 P.M. or by appointment. Upcoming Special Event: Sunday, Oct. 18, 3:30 the Choir of St. Philip Episcopal Cathedral with orchestra: Haydn “Te Deum;” Puccini “Messa di Gloria;” Durufle “Four Motets.” “The earlv church practiced complete pacifism,” Father Henriot contended. Church members “were not allowed to be in the military” because, he said, it was incongruent with the message of Jesus. Father Henriot noted that the U.S. bishops’ 1983 pastoral, “The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response,” included a statement that the bishops did not in tend to create problems for Catholics in the armed forces by writing their letter. “Of course it has caused problems,” he said. And he reminded the chaplains that they “have an obligation to those in the armed services” to be “first and foremost a pastoral agent of the church, and only secondarily” officers of the armed services “You must teach fully the message of the (U.S. bishops’) pastoral,” he said. Bishop Matthiesen, a respondent to the two main speakers, said he was not only “theoretically involved, but practically involved” in the war and peace issue because the country’s only assembly plant for nuclear warheads, Pantex, is located in h(is diocese. He said for him the major issue is that we “cannot threaten innocent life” in a just war and that in the nuclear age the “heart of current policy” is the destruction of whole societies. “The ultimate sin,” he said, is man’s taking on this “om nipotence of God.” Another respondent, James E. Dougherty, professor of politics at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, said the just-war tradition and the pacifist tradition are “com plementary” positions that have always been with the church. He called for a just-war doctrine that clearly defines a just war as being limited, proportional, discriminatory and with right intention. A fourth respondent, Gordon C. Zahn, national director of Pax Christi USA, a Catholic peace group, attacked the just- war theory, which, he said, “perpetuates illusions” and “creates scandal.” He challenged the military chaplains to fight the “selec tive acceptance of conscientious objection” by the U.S. government, which he said applies it only to those of Protes tant sects that are “more absolutist” in their pacifism. He said this is discrimination against Catholic conscientious objectors. He asked the chaplains to support “situational” conscien tious objectors, those in the armed services who are troubl ed by particular orders. “This is the more difficult challenge,” he said. IVEY'S OPTICIANS Accuracy Comfort Appaaranco Prescriptions Filled Complete Eyeglass Service 969 Cherokee Road. Smyrna, Ga. Phone 434-7112 Charles I. Ivey Optician Marian Conference At St. Pius H.S. “Marian Conference 1987” is the topic of an all-day conference scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 by St. Pius X High School, 2674 Johnson Road, N.E., Atlan ta. Father Benedict Ashley, O.P., a theologian on the faculty of St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo., will be the keynote speaker. Priests of the archdiocese will discuss topics on Marian theology and spirituali ty. Registration will take place at 9:30 a.m. in the Lee Center on the St. Pius X campus. The cost of the con ference, $15 per person, will include lunch and the packet of materials designed to further devotion and understanding of the role of the Blessed Mother in faith life. Anyone interested in attending is urged to call the school before Friday, Oct. 23. For more infor mation call Father Dominic Young at St. Pius, 636-3023. • •••• Another in the continuing series of parish obser vances of the Marian Year will be the Living Rosary to be held at St. Ann’s Church, 4905 Roswell Road, N.E., Marietta, on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Members of parish organizations will form the beads. Music will be directed by Mary Root. For additional information call 998-1373. A diocesan-wide charismatic celebration in honor of the Marian Year has been planned for Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 1406 Hearst Drive, N.E. The service will in clude prayer and praise, a special guest speaker, music, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and con secration to the Mother of God. Everyone is invited to attend. Low Cost Term Life Insurance SOMMERS/ IMORELAND « ASSOC. Indtpandent Insurance Brohar Always the Best — Companies/ Rates/Service 252-8400 Annual Rates ABE tiBo.aos $250,000 1 i $1,000.0 35 104 237 425 800 40 121 260 470 890 45 157 325 600 1,150 50 203 430 810 1,575 55 273 600 1,150 2,225 60 303 875 1,700 3,355 GEORGIA BULLETIN Ads Bring Results! COMPANIONS Aide-$6.00/hr or S53/day live-in Car • References Bonded Lucas Medical Care 349-4030 I)r\ Wall Repair No .loh Too Small We Do ()ur <>« n Work Kevin 396-1620 C4THOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Presents in celebration of the Marian Year He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His Name. October 31,1987 9:30-10:00 Coffee & Registration 10:00-11:00 Fr. Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. - Keynote Speaker The following sessions run concurrently at 11:30-12:30,1:20-2:20, and 2:30-3:30. "Mary in Eastern Spirituality" - Fr. Phil Scott "Mary in Western Spirituality"- Fr. Peter Rau "The Mother of Jesus in Scripture"- Fr. Albert Jowdy "Mary and Catholic Doctrine"- Fr. Louis Naughton "The Rosary and Catholic Spirituality"- Fr. Cayet Mangiaracina.O.P. 3:40-4:15 Closing prayer service The $15.00 cost includes materials and lunch. For further information, write or call Fr. Dominic Young at St. Pius X Catholic High School. 2674 Johnson Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30345. (404) 636-3023.
