editorial
A Good Decision
The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court
in overruling a Connecticut law prohibiting the distribu
tion of birth control materials and the giving of advice
about birth control devices should be viewed with a sigh of
relief by Catholics. Most of these laws were first introduced
by Protestant sects noted for their rigidity in moral matters.
The defense of these laws in the mid-twentieth century has
been left to Catholics because of a change of attitude on
the part of many of the original proponents of this legisla
tion. Artificial birth control is not considered immoral by
many Protestants, and these laws were therefore held in
disdain and their enforcement was sporadic.
Laws like these for the general public are an attempt to
force a code of conduct on people who have not entered
into a consensus on the true morality of an issue. The
enforcement of such laws is impossible.
A situation exists in North Carolina concerning the reg
ulation of alcoholic beverages which parallels the circum
stances in Connecticut. Many people in Tarheelia hold the
belief that the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages
is immoral. In areas where this sentiment is strong and the
sale of intoxicants is legally prohibited, there usually exists
a resentment on the part of those who believe that the
moderate use of these beverages is not morally wrong.
These latter contend that the effect of prohibition laws is
usually nullified either through large scale use of illegal
whiskey, or traffic over county lines to buy liquor at
licensed stores.
It cannot be said that the Protestant in New England
(or anywhere else) who practices artificial birth control
is a poorer citizen than the Catholic in North Carolina who
drives ten, fifteen, or more miles to get his bourbon. In his
own conscience, which is formed to a great extent by the
precepts of his own religious belief, each one believes that
he is doing nothing morally wrong. Civil laws in such
instances mean little if anything. In short, the practical
effects of civil laws intended to curb moral vices about
which there seems to be doubt in the minds of people are
negligible.
The Archbishop of Hartford has reiterated the tradi
tional Catholic teaching that “Artificial contraception re
mains immoral by the law of God.” The Church does not
need civil laws to impress this teaching on its faithful. A pa
pal commission is now in the process of studying our teach
ings and until there is a pronouncement from the Pope on
the matter, Catholics are duty bound to observe these teach
ings. However, any attempt to try to regulate the activities
of persons who do not believe in the immorality of birth
control is useless and injurious to the Church.
The imposition of civil laws regulating acts not con
sidered to be morally wrong by other religious bodies does
not aid in the efforts to have the true teaching followed
through a genuine belief in the validity of the law in the
moral order. It is only through the manifestation of the
teachings of the Church to all people, and not through
physical or legal compulsion, that the truth will be known
and accepted.
The necessity of civil laws in insuring the proper im
plementation of moral laws is at best a secondary motiva
tion. Laws of this nature in regard to birth control are
unwise and unnecessary, as well as unconstitutional. Their
passing should not be mourned.
Martin Kildee
I Reckon
'I
—By Earl Heffner
People are funny, so the saying
goes, and Art Linkletter usually
gets the credit for fathering the
line.
Be that as it may, let’s take a
plunge and offer some evidence
in proof.
Some laymen still are complain
ing about the new liturgy. A fel
low said to me not so long ago:
“We’re getting too much like the
Protestants.”
He was right. About himself.
As a onetime Protestant I can
vouch for the fact that when a
man says, “I want to worship God
my way” he’s most generally a
Protestant.
And now many Catholics are
saying the same thing.
But is this a movement to
wards unity? Or disunity.
Yes, people are funny.
* * *
At a recent KKK meeting, the
North Carolina Grand Dragon
finally tried a tentative shot at
the Catholic Church. (The Klan
has been so busy worrying about
the Negro that I suspect Catho
lics and Jews are going to have
to organize and bring a charge
°f discrimination against the
KKK.)
The klansman said in an open
speech that he saw a Catholic
nun wearing high heels.
Somehow or another this is
supposed to link Catholic nuns
with evil. But I haven’t been able
to figure it out exactly as yet.
It’s sorta like saying, “Members
of the klan sometimes don’t shave
every day.”
Yes, people are funny.
* * *
Take the repartee one weekend
down at my office.
“I just can’t understand South
Carolina,” said a fellow. “That
state seems to be at least 10 years
behind the rest of the South.”
The squelcher:
“South Carolina doesn’t have a
speaker-ban law.”
Yes, people are funny. But
mostly people are good.
The 11-year-old boy I wrote
about a few weeks ago wants to
say thanks to the many good peo
ple who are praying for his moth
er. His sister and brothers want
to say thanks also, for the many
expressions and offers of assis
tance.
But I guess most especially the
11-year-old wants to thank the
little fellow in Greensboro who
wrote him a letter saying he’s
praying for the 11-year-old’s
mother.
And I want to say thanks al
so. For by the time you read this
the 11-year-old’s mother should
be home again after a hospitaliza
tion of more than a month. At
least, that’s what the doctor prom
ises.
Your prayers did it.
Yes, people are funny.
But mostly people are good.
Especially you.
Doing Our Bit
U.S.CATHOUC
RELIEF
^fhUb/b
For A Better World
By Father Cranor F. Graves
These are the days to examine
our attitudes.
We cannot imagine a doctor of
medicine talking in terms of, “I
don’t go along with these mod
ern discoveries” or “I don’t buy
this x-ray bit.”
But wouldn’t such prejudice on
the part of a physician be very
much like some of the things we
hear in God’s Church today?
Don’t we hear Catholics ask
ing one another, “How do you like
the Council?” or “What do you
think of having participation in
the Mass?” — almost as if these
things were a matter of some
body’s whim.
It’s almost as if the Council
were not Our Lord’s way of
speaking to us today but rather a
political convention.
To accept wholeheartedly what
ever the Council decrees is the
proof that we love God.
To accept wholeheartedly what
ever the Council decrees is the
proof that we love God.
To accept wholeheartedly the
Constitution on the Liturgy is the
measure of our desire to serve
God well in public worship.
And of course to accept im
plies that we have read the Con
stitution on the Liturgy.
Then ther’s the Constitution on
Then there’s the Constitution
on the church, produced by the
third session of the Council. That,
too, all Catholics must read
thoroughly.
And then there are the encyc
licals of Pope Paul, “His Church”
and “The Month of May.” All
these can be had in pamphlet
form by writing to National
Catholic Welfare Conference
(NCWC), Washington, D. C.
20005.
We have always talked about
loyalty to the Holy See. Now is
the time to prove this loyalty by
growing with the Church. I can
not call myself a good priest, a
good leader of God’s People, if
I have not a total loyalty to what
the Holy Father and the Council
are saying to us in these days.
My acceptance of the new Li
turgy, of choosing and training
well laymen to be commentators,
to proclaim the Word of God in
the Epistle at Mass — this, for
instance, is not a matter of a
pastor’s taste; it is a pastoral
obligation in order to make Sun
day’s public worship a fit expres
sion of the fact that we are in
deed a family, a community at
worship.
In a recent general audience,
Pope Paul specifically appealed
to his spiritual children for un
derstanding, for fidelity to the
Church today.
“That is what we are asking of
you, beloved sons: love for the
Holy Catholic Church,” the Holy
Father said. “Love means pray
ing: pray for the Church. Love
means being united: be united
with the Church. Love means ac
tion; act for the good of the
Church.”
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLIC
The Weekly North Carolina Catholic newspaper ot news and views |
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Press Association, P.O. Box 9503, Raleigh, N.C. 1
(Incorporated under name ot North Caroline Catholic Laymen's Associa-s
tion.) The North Carolina Catholic does not necessarily reflect official positions :
ot this Association nor the official position of the Catholic Church in matters 5
outside the field of faith and morals.
Entered as second class matter May 3. 1912 at the Post Office in Hunting- ;
ton, Indiana, U.S.A., under the act ot March 3, 1897.
Entered at the Post Office in Huntington. Indiana, U.S.A., at the rate of |
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Circulation office at Nazareth, telephone TEmple 3-5295.
Editor _
Associate Editors:
Rev. Roderick O’Connor
Rev. Joseph Howie
Rev. Robert Lawson
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June 26, 1965
Volume XX. No. 34
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