'Enlargement' Vs. Values
IT is not our intention to assume the role of the “arm-chair General.”
We have confidence in our leadership in managing military activity
in Vietnam. However, this past week the pictorial and written accounts
of the enlargement of military engagements with a death toll of 416
U.S. men who were killed during the single week which ended last
month, needs comment. The atrocities of war have loosened their
venom with particular vigor.
“It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,” is indeed a
strange way to conduct a military operation which is intended to pre
serve law and order. News reports from abroad originating from Papal
statements or diplomatic observations of other governments indirectly
warn that we may be stooping to the same level of inhumanity as the
Communist motivated Cong. This bombing activity is having a marked
effect on all Americans. We are beginning to feel that our sacrifices
are not being appreciated by the South Vietnamese people and it
certainly is bringing rising opposition by government officials, clergy,
educators and others in humanitarian interests.
In the field of morals we are conscious of a deadening effect of
habitual faults upon our values of virtues. At this point in the war we
must constantly be alert lest through constant observation of brutality
we take this for granted as the nature of war. Clergy in Ohio recently
cited the Vietnam war as immoral. They claimed the bombing of the
villages is being sympathetic to the enemy and contrary to what was
taught about human relations in the recent Vatican Council. Silence,
they said, is false patriotism.
Another priest sees the activity as an unjust act of U.S. colonialism
even though President Johnson has repeatedly stated that our involve
ment was simply to reassure the free people of that country that they
may enjoy their rights. “Indiscriminate” bombing has been cited as a
crime against God and man. We know that a military operation is a
failure or a success by its contact with a supply of oil. Would it not
seem that the bombing could be controlled to areas of supply which
feed the engines of war?
Under the guise of conscience and morals there are many Ameri
cans who feel obliged to engage in direct expressions of dissent includ
ing acts of civil disobedience such as breaking with the draft, refusing
to pay taxes and the like. Most of the time what is said finds nothing
contradictory to the traditional Catholic moral teaching on conscientious
objection. Moral and civil rights, dictates of conscience, acting when a
person feels a matter is morally imperative, a right to express an opin
ion — all of these judgments seem to point out the recommendation of
Senator Kennedy, “Stop th^enlargement of the war!”
The TV in our home, the news magazines, the religious and daily
secular press all tell a story that is told too often.
Gossip Club’
THE news stories both from abroad and home were very sobering
last week. The other editorial reflects the consternation in the
minds of every person. The welfare of the Church in this period of
transition so susceptible to emotional extremes also contributed a
depressing theme. Journalists were told to avoid substituting their own
views for those of the Church. At times they have presented the spec
tacular or even a sensational aspect of things. The writer of religious
matters must be careful not to present his own views as those of the
Church. Many of the new books with which we have been deluged by
Catholic Publishing houses trying to interpret the decrees of the Coun
cil, have turned out to be matters of theological research and have
given the impression that the authors’ theories are definitive con
clusions. Pope Paul warned of this when he initiated the “Year of
F&ith »*
Criticism of a destructive nature is deplored. A prelate said that
recently Catholic circles are becoming a “gossip club.” “Criticism that
is constructive is what we can welcome.” “Questioning and uncer
tainty,” commented the speaker, “are two distinct processes of reason
ing. We can do good by presenting the positive side of things.
From South America comes the observation that evolution is not
revolution. The Council presented many changes in the Christian
mertaHtv because its goal is not that man should be saved in the world
but that he should save the world. Previously we were all under the
impression the world was considered to be merely the scene where man
could save himself. Oftentimes we feel there should be a period of
moratorium in the publishing world. Yet this is the medium of com
munication exchange and experimentation.
So many books will be published, so many magazines and news
papers must have their columns filled with ideas. A pnest says that the
Christian faith of the new Testament was a religion of experience. Later
it became a doctrinal system and it divorced religion from life. Today s
theology is to translate the essential message into terms meaningtu
and creditable to modem man. . . r ,
We appreciate the gift of Faith. Those of us who speak about God
in sermons, CCD classes, or in private conversation know how inade
quate our words reflect His glory. We are asked in these times to be
less impatient, less demanding, more grateful or at least more sym
pathetic toward those who make themselves a bit ridiculous by trying to
. say something about God.”
Diocese Represented
Continued from page 2A
with a temperateness born of the
realization that there are no easy
answers, no easily discernible
culprits and that only with the
trustful cooperation of Bishops,
priests and laity would the pres
ent difficulties be the prelude to
a new Pentecost.
Representatives at the national
meeting were grouped according
to Provinces; each province
elected a priest to poll the group
and present the votes to the con
vention.
^ AN HUSH priest with more
than forty years’ experience in
the parish ministry expressed the
opinion that large sums of money
on sociological research was a
waste; a 70-year-old priest of the
Albany diocese, expressed-bis joy
at living to tne aay wne« me
American priests would have a
voice for their opinions; both
priests were applauded by the
assemblage. .
The Atlanta Province which
comprises seven dioceses was
represented by nine priests from
four dioceses. Atlanta, Raleigh,
Miama and Charleston were rep
resented; St. Augustine, Savan
nah and Belmont Abbey were not
represented.
The nine priests of the Atlanta
province voted unanimously for
the formation of a National fed
eration. All shared the enthusi
asm and elation of the moment.
The Church, which the Bishops’
of America described as a “house
of freedom,” now has another
• avenue in which to exercise that
freedom.
Inspiration
In Current Thought
Msgr. Dolan Cites Secular
Aid Dimension to SO-CALLED
Negro Missions, Decent Life
The Right Rev. Hugh Dolan, Pastor
Saint Pius Tenth Church
Greensboro, North Carolina
Reference is made to the inspiring article “Negro Mission 'Aid”
by Monsignor Gable in the February 4 issue of the NORTH CARO
LINA CATHOLIC.
I agree totally with everything the good Monsignor has stated
and commend him most highly for giving us his spiritual perspec
tive on this important question. However, in addition to all of the
worthwhile things that have been done and are being done by many
people line lviunaignui uauic,
there is another dimension of the
problem that must be considered.
The Negro apostolate is more
embracing than caring for the
spiritual requirements of the
Negroes by any group, be that
group Catholic or Protestant. It
is a problem that should involve
not only the Catholic white com
munity, but the TOTAL COM
MUNITY — the city, the state,
and the nation. Any response to
the complicated problem must be
both communal and ecumenical,
and must take into account the
human condition.
We are all most grateful for
the leadership of the American
heirarchy; and to our own Bish
op, in particular, for his leader
ship; and to Monsignor Gable,
also, for reminding us of the the
ological principles involved. How
ever, I suggest—more than this
is needed. Theological formula
tions do not work automatically
in an existential vacuum. The
supernatural still builds on the
natural, and in this case the nat
ural framework needs to be un
dergirded by the response of a
concerned and socially con
scious community.
Community Action
The magnificent statements
enunciated by our Bishops and
by other religious leaders
throughout the land must be im
plemented by constructive com
munity action. Until our citizens,
both Catholic and non-Catholic,
become concerned and convinced
that community action—and par
ticularly, political action—is an
other form of Christian witness,
the best we can hope for is a
token response to the problem.
Here is the place where the
Christian layman, both Catholic
and Protestant, must be willing
to stand up and be counted. The
layman must speak freely and
act courageously. The best re
sults will be effected by laymen
joining with other like-minded
groups who band together for po
litical -and- social- action? L refer
to groups organized for the com
mon good of all classes, not just
those organized to protect vested
interests. I suggest that it is in
political action, divorced from
selfish group interest, that the
Negro community and the under
privileged white can find one me
dium to liberate them from the
humiliating conditions and eco
nomic injustices to which they
are subjected.
Politics Questioned
Catholics and many other citi
zens have had until recently a
tendency to shy away from the
field of politics because all too
often in the past entering poli
tics has been identified with pro
moting class or group interest;
often at the expense of the com
mon good. It still carries with it
this dangerous possibility. At the
same time, the field of politics
offers today a very real oppor
tunity for Christian witness and
Christian service, and possibly for
some form of Christian martyr
dom — in the best accepted
meaning of that word, not the
lugubrious or “pity me” mental
ity.
Practically speaking, this means
that the voices of intelligent, ar
ticulate laymen must be heard at
City Council meetings, political
gatherings, and in all of those
groups that are part of our mod
ern society. This is primarily the
field of the layman — not that
of the priest. Political action can
be implemented by interest in
Human Relation Councils and by
taking part in constructive pro
grams for neighborhood improve
ment, such as Neighborhood
Councils. The sensitive and con
cerned Catholic layman will find
in such activities for the com
mon good a realistic and twen
tieth century living out of the
command of Jesus, to love one’s
neighbor as oneself.
Realtors and Housing
An even more significant con
tribution can be made by Catho
lic developers and realtors. It is
C.U. Theological Coll.
Has Fr. Walsh, Rector
Baltimore — The appointment
of Father Eugene A. Walsh, S.S.,
as rector of the Theological Col
lege of the Catholic University
of America has been approved
by Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle of
Washington, university chancel
lor.
The appointment was an
nounced here by the Society of
St. Sulpice, which staffs the The
ological College. Father Walsh,
who has been associated with
St. Mary’s Seminary here for more
than 25 years, will begin his new
duties in June. He will succeed
Father John P. McCormick, S.S.
Father McCormick was elect
ed in 1966 to represent the
United States province of the
Sulpician Fathers in the general
council of the order. He has
been rector of the Theological
College since 1949 and is resign
ing at the direction of Bishop
Jean-Baptiste Brunon, Sulpicians
superior general, to devote full
time to the international scene
of seminary administration.
difficult to see how either a
Catholic developer or realtor can
remain morally neutral on the
question of open housing. This
can hardly be swept under the
rug on the grounds that it may
be economic suicide. Catholic
realtors might let it be knowh,
quietly, but effectively, that they
will accept people in their apart
ments and residences without re
gard to ethnic background. They
should fight with all their might
the “panic buying” and “panic
selling,” which all too often has
accompanied the entering of the
Negro into lily-white suburbia.
Avoid Legalisms
Christians, properly formed in
the spirit of the Gospels, and
who have read carefully the so
cial encyclicals, should not need
the compulsion of a federal law x
tp inspire them through law to
do what every Christian should
have been doing for all of these
centuries. Nor should Christians
take safe, play-it-cool, positions
— ready to jump on the band
wagon only when the difficult
work has been done by others.
To get back to Monsignor Ga
ble, we will somehow or other get
the support we need for our
churches and missions. The needs
of our day, however, require a
little more than soup kitchen
charity, or paternalistic kindness.
Men and women are beginning
to realize, perhaps for the first
time in history, that the lot to
which they have been confined
by man’s inhumanity to man need
not be perpetuated in the name
of man’s absolute rights. Neither
can we as Christians escape opr
responsibility by taking out of
context the words of Jesus “the
poor you will have always with
you.” Thanks to modem com
munications, men realize better
than ever before that a decent
human life is possible for the
thousands of underprivileged at
home and the millions of under
privileged and underfed abroad.
United Objectives
As Harvey Cox suggests in his
recent book entitled “On not
Leaving it to the Snake,” we can
no longer separate the secular
See Current Thought, page 5A
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLIC
Weekly Newspaper
for Raleigh Diocese
Second Class postage paid at Hunting
ton, Indiana.
Entered at the Post Office in Hunting
ton, Indiana, U.S.A. at the rate of
postage provided for in Section 1103 of
the United States Act of October 3.
1912 and of February 28, 1925.
Editor
Rev. Frederick A. Koch
Address: Bos 9503
Raleigh. N. C. 27603
Tel. 919-033-5295
Feb. 25, 1968
Vol. XXIII, No. 19
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