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Edition of Our Sunday Visitor
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Vol. LII November 24, 1963 No. 30
RALEIGH, N.C. P.O. Box 9503
7963 Bishops' Statement
Erroneous Philosophies
Chollenge the Nation
WASHINGTON — (NC) — The
Bishops of the United States have
said that many of America’s goals
remain unfulfilled, but are within
reach if Americans unite in a com
mon effort to attain them.
In their annual statement, en
titled “Bonds of Union,” the Bish
ops warned that the nation’s peo
ple face grave challenges from er
roneous philosophies.
But they said a review of the na
tion’s moral values and “renewed
dedication to our common goals
may help us to face the present
trials as a people truly one nation
under God.”
In their statement, the Bishops
re-studied the nation’s heritage of
moral and political principles,
pointed to threats facing it today
The complete text of the Bish
ops’ Statement will be found in
the Sunday Visitor section of this
issue.
and expressed confidence Ameri
cans will meet the challenge.
The Bishops said:
“A national examination of con
science would reveal today that we
are in danger of becoming a people
weakened by secularism in our so
cial philosophy, materialism in our
concept of the good life and ex
pediency in our moral code.”
THE BISHOPS said secularism,
which regards God and religion as
irrelevant to everyday life, is en
joying “increasing establishment
as an official American view of
life.” They said it can be found in
education, marriage, business and
recreation.
Materialism, they continued, is
reflected increasingly in moral
values. “Security in the comforts
of living is too often our major,
even our controlling, concern,”
they said.
They added that “as an affluent
nation, we are unfortunately ac
quiring the vices associated with
irresponsible materialists; over-in
dulgence, excessive gambling and
'ifczzEasznJi
0—»—9
Rome, Italy
November 6, 1963
My dear Brethren:
Lest we forget, in our well-being in the United States,
that the rest of the world is not so well provided for, the
Bishops of the nation annually appeal to Catholics for
assistance to the needy the world over.
As we Americans prepare to observe our national day
of Thanksgiving, there can be no more meaningful expres
sion of our gratitude to God than by sharing our material
blessings with those who, through no fault of their own,
do not have sufficient clothing, food or medicine.
In 1962 the Thanksgiving Clothing Appeal amassed
more than 8,000 tons of clothing, bedding, blankets
and shoes, and the contributions of American Catholics
to the Overseas Relief collection enabled the Catholic Re
lief Services of the National Catholic Welfare Conference
to provide help in the form of food and medicine valued
at $166,000,000.00! Surely, in view of the blessings which
we Americans enjoy, we can do no less in 1963 as our
expression of giving to our Lord’s least brethren.
Assuring you of the gratitude of the needy and hungry
throughout the world, and with prayerful best wishes
from the Council in Rome, I. remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Bishop of Raleigh
OFFICIAL
By virtue of special facul
ties, granted by the Holy See,
the Most Reverend Bishop is
pleased to dispense the faith
ful of the Diocese of Raleigh
from the law of abstinence
on the Friday following
Thanksgiving, November 29,
1963.'
James E. McSweeney
Chancellor
the insatiable demand for excite
ment.”
The third problem they charac
terized as “the frequent use of ex
pediency rather than principle in
meeting our social problems.”
Typical of this defect, they said,
is the “confusion and tension sur
rounding the so-called ‘race ques
tion’.”
Social justice, they charged, un
der the influence of secularism and
materialism, “becomes merely a
political matter and we remain as
a nation morally tortured by racial
injustice in schools, jobs, housing,
See Philosophies, page 2A
MISS MADELINE TRIPP, Supervisor of Elementary Education
of the State Department of Public Instruction, addressed the
Home School Association of Our Lady of Lourdes, Raleigh,
last week. The largest gathering in the history of the Asso
ciation heard Miss Tripp discuss the latest innovations in
elementary education. Shown with Miss Tripp is Sister Joseph
Gertrude, School Principal, and Mr. Ed Hollowell, Program
Chairman of the Association.
Why Haven t They Told Us?
By Rev. Francis R. Moeslein
Breathes there an American who does not
know what faith Ngo Dinh Diem professed? If
so, he has a twofold title to our sympathy, for
the poor man must be both blind and deaf.
For three months and more the wire serv
ice reporters fed the U.S. public a distorted
account of the conflict in Vietnam. Flatly con
tradicting the findings of Congressman Zab
locki, and ignoring the protests of the Bud
dhists themselves, the newsmen insisted that
religious persecution was the basis for the
suicides and riots which shook the country. No
dispatch failed to label President Diem and his
government Roman Catholic. It would be
equally fair to associate the name,of Protestant
Governor George Wallace with every report of
racial disturbance in the State of Alabama.
With the death of Diem we thought the truth
would come out. Alas, we underestimated the
determination of the conspirators! They duti
fully announced that the President had com
mitted suicide. When the provisional govern
ment realized that no one would swallow such
nonsense, it came up with a new version, which
the news corps reproduced under the headline
of “Accidental Suicide.” We held no brief for
the late president, nor did we find much that
was Christ-like in his intransigeance, but in
his death at least, Diem imitated the Master.
How did the release qj? Oh yes: “While the
guards were sleeping. . .”
Religion was but a minor issue in the Viet
namese uprisings. The trouble was specifically
political. If this was not apparent amid the con
fusing and conflicting reports that preceded
the overthrow of the Diem regime, it is cer
tainly verified by these facts:
1. Father Paul Cao van Luan has been re
instated by Vietnam’s provisional government
as the rector of the state university in Hue.
Over 1,500 Buddhists welcomed him back to
Hue and formed a parade in his honor.
Observation: To prove that the Buddhists
were struggling against religious oppression,
U.S. newsmen underscored the number of Cath
olics (van Luan included) who held prominent
positions under Diem, but little notice was
given to his dismissal by Diem in August. No
account of his reinstatement has appeared in
the secular newspapers or in the national news
magazines. Why?
2. There are 14 generals on the Military
Revolutionary Committee which now governs
Vietnam. Two of the generals are Catholics,
but how many Americans know this? None who
depend on the secular press to provide them
with the truth.
3. When the Gia Long Palace fell and the
coup was complete, the residents of Saigon took
to the streets to demolish government offices,
monuments, and other symbols of the regime
which had oppressed them. Yet, not a single
Catholic church was damaged, nor was any
priest or nun abused in the melee. Our friends,
the reporters, thought it best to pass this over
in silence, and to our knowledge, no editor in
this country has had the courage to point out
the reason why.
Vietnam will long stand in the memory of
Americans as a land of repression. But few
Americans will ever realize that truth was re
pressed with far greater determination and
more effectively than the natives. The conspir
acy will not die, for strangely enough there is
a certain honor among our correspondents in
the Far East. What one reporter fabricates an
other \yill never deny. After all, they have to
protect the image of the corps.
SEVENTH SON in his im
mediate family to become a
Jesuit, Mr. Louis E. Scerri,
(above) who is from Malta,
pronounced his vows at West
Baden College in southern
Indiana. He is taking a three
year course in philosophy
there as part of his prepara
tion for the priesthood.
Council Fathers Split
On Ecumenism Schema
Vatican City — (NC) — The
ecumenical council began discus
sion of the draft proposal on ecu
menism (Nov. 18) with the Fathers
split three ways. Some opposed the
inclusion in the schema on Chris
tian unity of the chapter on Chris
tian-Jewish relations. Others ex
pressed caution concerning an ecu
menical dialogue of Catholics with
Protestants, and some stressed the
necessity of discussing all the is
sues.
Before discussion began a vote
was taken to indicate the Fathers’
mind on the way the liturgical
commission had rewritten its
schema. The results showed a
sweeping victory for the schema
— 2,066 in favor and only 20 op
posed.
DEBATE BEGAN on the ecu
menism schema after a presenta
tion of it was read by Amleto
Cardinal Cicognani. The schema is
composed of four chapters: The
Principles of Catholic Ecumenism;
The Implementation of Ecumen
ism; Christians Separated from
the Catholic Church; and The Atti
tude of Catholics Toward Non
Christians, and Particularly To
ward the Jews.
Ignace Cardinal Tappouni, Syri
an Rite Patriarch of Antioch,
opened discussion by saying that
neither the Jews nor Religious
liberty should be treated in the
schema. He said:
“It is the task of an ecumenical
council principally and primarily
to treat only of Catholics and in
directly of other Christians . . .
no one denies the supernatural
motivation of those who prepared
the text, but present-day political
situation is such that this text is
likely to engender confusion.”
ERNESTO CARDINAL Ruffini
of Palermo, Italy, objected to the
word “ecumenism” which he said
See Council Fathers, page 2A