2--THE PROGRESS Friday, Nov. I, 1963
Archbishop's Communique:
Blessed Mother Still '0 ,
ur Queen Life, Sweetness, Hope
(Continued from Ps,"e 1)
hypothetically set up whereby any given date would fall on the
same day of the week each year. This calendar would have 13
months.
No Long Weekends
The consequences, however, of this reform are somewhat
discouraging. There would be no long Fourth of July weekend
any more for that date would always fall on a Wednesday, thus
eliminating the extra dividends of leisure time when the date
would fall on a Friday or a Monday. The same can probably
be said about legal and Church holidays and holydays for
Christmas would also always fall on Wednesday, Washington'a
Birthday on Sunday, New Year's Eve on Saturday night, etc.,
etc.; a "revolting development," if you ask me. It would take
much of the zest out of life, not to mention the agreeab!e sur-
prise as one realized Wednesday that with Memorial Day coming
up Friday, there would be only one more day of work.
More Conformi W
It is said in some quarters that the United States stands for
uniformity, standardization, anonymity and I believe that this
new calendar would more or less accentuate the positive, as it
were. We have enough uniformity in our lives now, don't you
think? This new reform would throw all the calendar makers
out of work eventually for calendars would be attractively framed
and preserved to last a lifetime, even passing from generation
to generation.
Unfortunately, too, there would never be five pay days in a
month anymore, and the landlord would be collecting an extra
month's rent but you would be earning an extra month's salary.
So you would even with him on that score. We could go on and
on in this vein but that is enough for the nonce.
You will probably read elsewhere in these columns that
the Council voted that the Church would have no objection to
a fixed date for Easter if there were a universal demand for
such action•
To Discuss Our Lady's Place In Church
Yesterday the Fathers of the Council voted to insert the
schema on the Blessed Virgin Mary into the constitution on the
Nature of the Church instead of treating it as a separate issue.
In all probability, the underlying motive for this plan of action
rested on the fact that no new definition or declaration or decree
on the role of Our Lady as Mediatrix of all Grace or as the
Co-Redemptrix in the plan of salvation, was contemplated or
envisioned. It was indicated in the official schema that her posi-
tion as the Mother of the Church was to be offered for discus-
sion to the Fathers of the Council and that is the program that
will be observed.
It is somewhat unfortunate that there should be any con-
troversy on this proposal for I am sure the secular press will
headline the action taken as a de-emphasis of the Blessed
Mother's role in the Church when no such action was intended.
It will also be claimed that such action will have widespread
implications in the Council's efforts to promote Christian Unity,
which may or may not be true to some degree. There was,
indeed, a pronounced division among the Fathers on the subject
and the vote to insert the schema into the constitution on the
Nature of the Church carried by only 40 votes.
It was dearly understood that no vote in favor of either
proposal could be regarded as lessening the dignity of the
Blessed Virgin or downgrading her pre-eminent role in the
Church. She is still our Holy Queen, Our Life, Our Sweetness
and Our Hope -- she is still our Blessed Mother and our Chief
advocate and mediatrlx with her Divine Son. Gentle readers,
there is no cause for you to worry--just say your Rosaries
hi your family circle daily.
Last Monday, Pope Paul VI celebrated a low Mass at our
Council altar in memory of the election of Pope John XXIII,
Mission Sunday Consecration In St. Peter's
MORE THAN 30,000 witnessed the consecration rites Bishop Arnold R. Cotey, S.D.S., of Milwaukee, and Arch.
Mission Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica, Romel by Pope
Paul VI of 14 bishops representing the world's six conti-
nents. Among the new bishops, mostly missionaries, were
October 28, 1958. He walked into the Basilica with his entourage
and vested at the altar as does each celebrating bishop each
day. We joined with him personally in the celebration of the
Holy Sacrifice by making the responses and uniting with him in
the recitation of the Gloria, the Creed, etc. It was an impressive
and touching ceremony
The sermon was delivered by Leo Cardinal Suenens of
Belgium and he utilized the occasion to invoke Pope John's
memory as well as his words to rouse the Council to action.
There is no doubt that it has been lagging somewhat, mired
as it was in the bog of dogmatic speculation.
There was a great deal of unrest and dissatisfaction over the
interminable onslaught of speech-making, much of which con-
tributed little or nothing to the discussion at hand. Earlier this
week there was a meeting of the Council presidency and the
moderators to devise some plan whereby more control might be
exerted on the Fathers who felt inclined to talk, merely for the
sake of talking. An attempt was to be made to prohibit speeches
that were repetitious in character and to encourage the appoint-
ment of episcopal spokesmen who would speak and represent
the views of a national or territorial body of bishops. We devoutly
hope that something practical comes from this meeting and that
the compulsive orators will disappear from the scene, entirely,
that is.
Apologies To Fair Sex
I take back all that I said about the loquacity of the fair
sex. You should know that I had my tongue in my cheek when
making the remarks. I had no intention of turning husbands
against wives, brothers against sisters, •employers against era- ,
ployees, etc. Pardon that "aside.."
It appears already that the above-mentioned meeting has
bishop Igino Cardinale, Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain,
who spent most of his youth in Boston and Brooklyn.
borne some fruit for today, we voted on five propositions con-
nected with the schema on the Nature of the Church that are
intended to assist the commission in the revision of the text.
This is a new departure from the usual schedule or program
but all five proposals were approved almost unanimously by the
Fathers. Let us have more of the same.
Last week, as you have probably read in your daily papers,
the bishops from the U.S., with a southern bishop as spokesman,
called on the Council Fathers to condemn racial discrimination.
It was proposed that the text upon the equality of the members
of the Church make specific reference to racial equality. While
the text as such could be construed as condemning racial bias
or prejudice, still it was felt that the indication was not plain
or clear enough.
Bishop Robert E. Tracy of Baton Rouge, La., had the sig-
natures of 147 Bishops affixed to his thesis for that is all that
were at the Monday meeting of the U.S• Hierarchy, other
Bishops attending meetings elsewhere. However, he had the
unanimous support of all Of us in his plea. There are 182 Ameri-
can Bishops present at the Council out of a total of 230.
The Church of Silence has found its voice in the Council
and almost daily some bishop or other from behind the Iron
Curtain expresses a point of view proper to his own political
situation. They are all understandably opposed to proposals
that might :weaken: their already precarious position in Com-
munist lands.
Their principal difficulty is that the Church as such is unable
to express itself as an external society. When there are no
parishes, no Catholic schools, no Catholic press, when so many
churches are closed and the government takes everything in its
own hands, the Church has few visible ways to make its presence
felt.
Polish Bishops Ask Church-State Separation
The Polish Bishops have called for a complete separation of
Church and State and the abolition of all concordats or treaties
between the Holy See and individual governments. They declared
that while the Church and the State are two forms of society,
each with its own level of activity, the concordats limit the
freedom of the Church, lessen the responsibility of the faithful
and permit the State to meddle in Church affairs. Separation of
Church and State provides more advantages to the Church. An
independent Church cannot be accused of being a government
spokesman. It speaks directly for the people and it is free to act
for the general welfare and safeguard essential values. This was
the first time that this vital issue was brought before the Council
and you will undoubtedly be reading more about this topic before
very long.
The Council Fathers from Yugoslavia and Poland seem to
move around more freely than those from Hungary, Czechoslo-
vakia and East Germany. It is common knowledge here that
two of the clergymen accompanying the Czech Bishops are mem-
bers of the Secret Police. None of the latter mingle much with
the general body of the Bishops, either in the "fragmenteria"
or snack bar, or elsewhere.
On the Social Side
On the social side of life here, I beg to report that earlier
in the month, we were engaged in observing a number of anni-
versaries in the accustomed style. Bishop Dermot O'Flanagan
of Juneau hosted Bishop Joseph Dougherty of Yakima and the
Archbishop of Seattle at dinner at the Scoglio Di Frisio restaurant
opposite the famed Redemptorist Church on the Via Merulana in
observance of the consecration of Bishop D0ugherty and the in-
stallation of the Archbishop as Archbishop of Seattle in 1951.
The latter then had as his guests at the plush Cavaliert
Hilton Hotel, Bishop Dougherty and Bishop O'Flanagan in ob-
servance of their respective installations in their new sees hi
1951
There are between 35 and 40 American Bishops at the Hilton,
most of them St. Vincent de Paul cases, subsequently a number
of Bishop alumni of St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, Cali-
fornia, were invited to the Generalate of the Trinitarian Fathers
here to observe the 20th anniversary of the consecration of
Archbishop James P. Davis of Puerto Rico. His consecration took
place in Tucson, Arizona. An excellent dinner was served and a
pleasant evening was spent reminiscing on the Spartan regime
under which we were trained and educated at Menlo Park.
The elderly Brother who returned some of us to our hotels
later in the evening, when asked why he called his ancient car
"The Lollobrigida" pointed to the license plate which bore the
numerals 34-20-38, whatever that means. Could it be that he has
a refined sense of humor?
I recently read a report from New York that some school
janitors are earning or maybe, getting, is a better word, some
$40,000 a year, more than the superintendent of the entire school
system. There will probably be some sweeping changes there
in that situation before very long.
Two Prelates Die
Last week Archbishop Aurelio Guerrero of Peru passed to
his eternal reward and this morning, Archbishop Francis Beck-
mann of Panama, died very suddenly in the Vatican pharmacy,
from a heart attack. I commend their souls to your merciful
prayers.
That is 30 for tonight and please continue to give us all a
share in your daily prayers and Rosaries. Thank you.
Council's Fourth Week In Review:
Discrimination, Church-State Relations Are Topics
separation" of Church and State
that" was in the council docu-
ment under discussion. He said
the experience of the Bishops
in the U.S., where Church and
State are separated, "has been
very good."
Bishop Robert E. Tracy of
VATICAN CITY (NC)
--America's Bishops pro-
vided the highlights of
the fourth week of the
ecumenical council's sec-
ond session by calling for
council statements denouncing Baton Rouge, La., said the
racial discrimination and clari- council should make it clear
tying Church-State relations, t h a t racial discrimination
cannot be "reconciled with
the truth . . • that G6d cre-
ates all men equal in rights
and dignity."
During the week the council
Fathers ended discussion of
Chapter III of the draft pro-
posal -- or schema -- "On the
Nature of the Church" and be-
gan debate on Chapter IV. The
third chapter deals with "The
People of God and Especially
the Laity"; the fourth is en-
titled "Call to Holiness in the
Speaking for the U. S. Hier-
archy, Archbishop Lawrence J.
Shehan of Baltimore said
Church-State relations are too
critical and touchy a topic for
the council to deal with, casual-
ly, and stressed the need for a
complete council treatment of
the matter.
Bishop Victor J. Reed of Ok-
lahoma City and Tulsa report-
ed that the U. S. Bishops did
not like the phrase "regrettable
v---- • Church."
Meanwhile, the Fathers also
passed Chapter IV as amended
of the liturgy schema. The
chapter concerns the breviary.
Later they passed all 10
Hurry,
Fellows!
"Morn" just
bought some
.SUNNY JIM
PRESERVES
BOY THE FAMILY PACK!
• . . ,rod remember
SUNNY JIM TABLB SYRUP
amendments to Chapter V deal-
ing with the Liturgical year.
In addition the council pre-
pared to vote on whether the
chapter on Our Lady should be
included in the schema on the
Church or dealt with separate-
ly.
e
Rumors Afloat
As the second session neared
its halfway mark, rumors re-
garding its progress'and con-
tinuation began to flow, two of
which were often repeated in
usually reliable circles.
The first said thit differenc-
es have developed between the
council's secretary general and
the cardinal moderators on the
matter of controlling repeti-
tious speeches. The second said
that Pope Paul VI is ready to
terminate the council as an as-
sembly of physically present
bishops and continue it as a
kind of "council by correspond-
ence" with only the council
commissions p r e p a r i n g all
schemata for a final session.
A full and accurate council
treatment of the question of
Church and State was called for
at the Fathers' 54th general
meeting October 23 by Arch-
bishop Shehan. He said that
"the question of Church and
State is entirely too important
and too delicate to be treated
only in passing, almost casual-
ly, in a discussion on the apos-
tolate of the laity."
Archbishop Shehan a d d e d
that the question of Church
and State "should be placed in
a context where it can be treat-
ed with the fullness and accur-
acy which it needs. Likewise
the text should clarify the
meaning of the term 'the
world.' "
He continued, "After the
example of Christ, we should
distinguish the world in its
disparaging sense and the
men who live in the world.
This will give a better idea of
the mission of Faith and the
scope of Catholic Action. It
will also clarify our pastoral
preaching on 'the world' and
U.S'
Theologian
By Msgr. James I. Tucek
ROME (NC) -- An
American Jesuit with an
encyclopedic s t o r e of
knowledge and a quick
wit is quickly becoming
the favorite of the press corps
here to report the Second Vati-
can Council.
He is Ray. Gustave Weigel,
S.J., 57, professor of theology
from Woodstock College, Mary-
land. Five times a week he
joins a panel of experts in the
U. S. Bishops' press panel to
hold "class" with the journab
ists.
He bullies, banters, abuses
the iournalists and even some-
times his fellow panelists, but
always with such wisdom, eru-
dition and good humor that no
one is offended. On the con-
trary, he is respected and
sought out for his answers to
questions which are unfailingly
informative and colorful.
It is a commonplace, when
some journalist asks a loaded
question, to hear someone
mutter, "Watch this now;
you're going to see Weigel at
his best!"
Five days a week members
of the English-speaking press
corps sit opposite such men as
these: Rev. Francis Connell,
C.SS.R., former dean of the
School of S a c r e d Theology,
Catholic University of Ameri-
ca; Msgr. George G. Higgins,
director of the N.C.W.C. Social
Action Department; Rev. Fran-
cis McCool, S.J., professor at
the Pontifical Biblical Institute
in Rome; Rev. Frederick Mc-
Manus, professor of canon law
at the Catholic University of
America; Rev. John Sheerin,
C.S.P., editor of Catholic
World; Rev. Robert Trisco,
professor of Church history,
Catholic University of America,
and Rev. Georges Tavard, A.A.,
professor at Mount Mercy Col-
lege, Pittsburgh.
What goes between the jour-
nalists and the experts is in
fact an informal and popular
course combining history, the-
elegy--speculative, pastoral and
otherwise -- canon law and
Scripture. The "hook" upon
which they hang the course is
the current debate inside the
council hall.
Father Weigel sits in his
place each day with the other
Is Press
panelists, draping his large-
boned six-foot frame in such
a relaxed attitude as to hide
from the uninitiated the alert
and perceptive mind that is
REV. GUSTAVE WEIGEL, S.J.
, constantly at work. One jour-
nalist has likened him to a
sea turtle snapping at files.
His manner of speaking is
provide a better understand-
ing of the Christian vocation
to holiness."
The following day, October
24, the U.S. Bishops called for
a council declaration against
race discrimination. Spokesman
for the American Hierarchy
was Bishop Tracy, who noted
that the text of the schema
states that there can be no in-
equality among members of the
Church because of national ori-
gins, social class or sex, He
asked that the text be amend-
ed to include race.
e
All Men Equal . . .
He declared: "The inclusion
of this point would emphasize
that equality which is enjoyed
by all the members of the peo-
ple of God in the Christian
economy. No discrimination
based on racial considerations
can be reconciled with the truth
whereby we believe that God
creates all men equal in rights
and dignity . . .
"If this change is made it
will be easier for bishops to
provide their faithful with the
proper instruction on the ques-
tion of race prejudice. It would
also reassure those who have
been humiliated or have been
deprived of natural rights be-
cause of racial prejudice. In
addition it would serve as a
basis for important future dec-
larations of the council."
At the October 23 meeting a
U.S. prelate declared that the
laity should be encouraged to
take a greater part in the life
of the Church by means of a
"genuine dialogue between the
hierarchy and the laity." Bish-
op Ernest J. Primeau of Man-
chester, N.H., stated:
e
Laity Want To Do Their Part
"It is a fact of experience
that in many fields members of
the laity are much more com-
petent than the clergy or the
hierarchy. They have a genuine
love for the Church and are
animated with the spirit of rev-
erence for their superiors in the
,'e I
the questioner may wish he
Corps
Favorit00
with the slowly paced, precisely
enunciated word that gives the
impression, merely from his
voice, that he is standing at an
imaginary blackboard, outlining
and underlining.
With plastic face and deep
voice, and the peculiar habit of
holding his cigarette between
the middle finger and ring
finger of his right hand, he ban-
ters words with the journalists
with a masterful timing that
would be the envy of any
"deadpan" comic.
"Would you tell us in the
language of a journalist... ?"
a correspondent once asked.
And, before he had gotten the
question well out, he was hit
with the reply, "I wouldn't
dream of using the language of
a journalist."
"Would you care to elaborate
on... ?" another said. "No, I
would not!" came the death-
blow reply.
A loaded question from the
journalists' side of the table
usually leads Father Weigel to
preface his remarks with, "This
is utter nonsense!" and then
go on to explain just why the
question is nonsensical with
such devastating accuracy that
had never opened his •mouth.
Father Weigel's original
connection with the ecumeni-
cal council was a consulter of
the Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity. When the
council actually got under-
way, he was used for his fa-
cility with languages as an
interpreter in the observer-
delegates' box during the
council assemblies.
On a strictly informal basis,
since he lives in the same build-
ing with many of the observer-
delegates, he gives much of his
time to being of personal ser-
vice to them. In this particular
he jokingly calls himself "third
floor corridor prefect for the
observer-delegates."
Like all the members of the
press panel, his services are on
a volunteer basis. Each after-
noon, when the council is in
session, he generously gives an
hour from 3 to 4 p.m. from an
already crowded schedule to do
what he can to help the journal-
ists write a full and correct ac-
count of the council and the
meaning of its issues.
Church. They want to do their
part.
"Unless this council deter-
mines the respective roles of
liberty in the laity and author-
ity in the hierarchy, there will
be great danger that dedicated
laymen may lose interest in the
mission of the Church, give in
to discouragement and even-
tually fall away.
"The obligations of the
hierarchy in this respect have
particular importance when
dealing with intellectuals in
the Church, since it is nee-
essary to acknowledge their
right to freedom of investiga-
tion and to intellectual ini-
tiative. Our text is too nega-
tive and too clerical. It might
be said to sum up the duty of
the laity as being: believe,
pray, obey and pay."
On October 24 the presiding
moderator of the day, Julius
Cardinal Doepfner of Munich
and Friesing, Germany, called
for a standing vote to end de-
bate on Chapter III of the
schema on the Church. The
vote passed. Then Cardinal
Doepfner announced that sev-
eral Fathers had requested that
the doctrine on Our Lady
should be made a chapter of
the schema on the Church
rather than stand alone as a
separate schema. By agree-
ment of the moderators and the
president of the Theological
Commission, Alfredo Cardinal
Ottaviani, he said, it had been
decided to hear two members of
the commission present the
pros and cons concerning this
proposal.
Rufino Cardinal Santos of
Manila addressed the assembly
urging a separate schema for
Our Lady. Franziskus Cardinal
Koenig of Vienna favored in-
corporating it into the present
schema on the Church.
Bishop John J. Wright of
Pittsburgh, a member of the
Theological Commission, ex-
plained the origin of the pro-
posed vote at the press panel.
(Continued on Page 3)
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