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National Issues
Demand Action,
Bishops Assert
St. Louis — The U.S. bishops
issued a statement on the na
tional race crisis saying “we
must do so at once.”
The bishops said special atten
tion must be paid to education,
job opportunity, lack of decent
housing, and welfare assistance.
They said certain tasks remain
the “unfinished business of the
Catholic religious community.”
“First among these is total er
adication of any elements of dis
crimination in our parishes,
schools, hospitals, homes for
aged and similar institutions.
Second, there is the Christian
duty to use our resources re
sponsibly and generously in view
of urgent needs of poor,” the
bishops asserted.
The statement stressed that
other tasks may be performed
better by a united front of the
religious community and pledged
“our continued cooperation with
the National Council of
Churches, the Synagogue Coun
cil America and other religious
groups. Effective action is de
manded of us all in the midst of
this crisis in American life.”
The bishops directed depart
ments, offices and bureaus of the
U.S. Catholic Conference, in co
operation with other interested
Catholic organizations, “to set up
an turban task force to coordi
nate all Catholic activities and to
relate to those of others work
ing for the common goal of one
society based on trust, justice
and love.”
The bishops stressed that it is
essential that similar programs
See Issues, page 8A
Editor’s
Desk
“Blessings upon you my son,”
said the well known Johnny
Carson as he opened his show
one night last week dressed in
a white turtle neck shirt and
black coat with a mandarin col
lar. We are told that he really
seemed to sport clerical attire.
Today’s daily newspaper has a
front page story on the rising
popularity of pendant jewelry
which , is now in vogue for neck
wear for men.
It does seem the Spring sea
son inaugurates “a topsy turvy
time.”
A national Catholic weekly
which seems to cite the unusual
as being the common rule now
being accepted, sometime ago
had photographs of priest pro
fessors of Fordham University
who were championing non
clerical clothes in order to have,
so they said, a closer dialogue
with their students. But, as Car
son appeared in the new “Neh
ru” suit, very much like the tra
ditional clerical black, it is odd
that priests are exchanging cler
ical clothes and the laymen are
putting them on.
We recall a news item from
the recent Vatican Council that
a South American prelate asked
his collegiate Bishops to discard
their ecclesiastical insignia in
the nature of jewelry and now
See Editor’s Beak, pageSA
✓ A
9 I
THE PEOPLE OF GOD dedicate the month of May to Mary,
the mother of Christ, spouse of the Holy Spirit, daughter of God
the Father. Known as the Queen of Peace, she is like a radiance in
the mind of modern man. Vatican II honored her because “being
obedient, she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the
whole human race.” © 1968 NC News Service. (NC Photos)
Pope Says
Church Can Be Renewed,
Not Arbitrarily Changed
Vatican City — “Renewal, yes, arbitrary change, no!”
With these ringing words, Pope Paul VI began outlining his
views of the “uneasiness which troubles some sectors of the Catho
lic world itself” in the post-conciliar period. He was speaking to
more than 30,000 visitors and pilgrims in St. Peter’s basilica at a
general audience (April 25).
The Pope chose the occasion
to discuss the state of the
Church as it stands today after
the Second Vatican Council. As
he had on other occasions, the
Pope stressed the immutability
of the truths of faith and the
basic laws of the Church. How
ever, his words were perhaps
more pointed and his stand
more insistent than ever.
“After the council, the Church
enjoyed and is enjoying a great
and magnificent reawakening
which we, first of all, are happy
to recognize and encourage. But
the Church has also suffered
and is suffering still because
there is a whirlwind of ideas, of
facts which certainly are not in
keeping with the good spirit (of
the council) and which do not
permit that vital renewal which
the council had promised and
which it is promising.”
Destructive Element
The Pope explained that a
double effect has come into ex
istence following the council
within certain Catholic circles:
“For some, the idea of change
has taken the place of the idea
of aggiornamento (updating),
foreseen by Pope John, and thus
attributes, against evidence and
against justice, to that most
faithful shepherd of the Church
norms which are no longer those
of innovation, but which are at
♦imps even destructive to the
teaching and discipline of the
Church itself.”
The Pope continued by ana
lyzing the problem of renewal
saying: ,. .. .
“There are many things which
can be corrected or modified in
Catholic life, many doctrines
which can be thought out more
See Pope Says, page 8A
US. Bishops
Mediation Group
Set up for Nation
St. Louis —(NC)— The U.S. bishops’ spring meeting here
(April 24) set up a five-member committee of bishops to administer
means of mediating and arbitrating differences between dioceses,
communities and organizations within the church in this country.
They also decided to petition
Pope Paul, VI for permission to
restore in the U.S. the perma
nent diaconate for married and
unmarried men of mature years;
approved for interim use, pend
ing final approval by the Con
gregation on Catholic Education
guidelines for seminaries; ap
proved a bishops committee on
vocations; decided to set up a
national secretariat for Church
personnel to help cope with the
current shortage of priests; ap
proved guidelines for issuing
statements from the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops
and from the U.S. Catholic Con
ference.
They also approved a study to
cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars on priestly life and min
istry in the U.S.; set up a new
board of directors for the Na
tional Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, sepa
rate from the Catholic University
of America board of trustees;
elected Archbishop John J. Car
berry of St. Louis to the na
tional board of the Society for
the Propagation of the Faith to
succeed the late Cardinal Ritter;
heard the Booz, Allen & Hamil
ton report on the proposed re
organisation of the U.S. Catho
lic Conference.
An ad hoc committee headed
by Bishop Thomas A. Donnellan
of Ogdensburg, N.Y. reported
on the study for the possibility
of organizing means for arbitra
tion or mediation of differences
between dioceses, communities
and organizations within the
Church.
Initially this would be avail
able only to institutions, organ
izations and dioceses, not indi
viduals) and only if both parties
to the dispute agreed to use, ac
cept and abide by the board’s
decision without prejudice to
right or recourse to the Holy
I.H.M. Controversary
At an evening press panel,
Bishop Donnellan was asked
about the controversial case in
volving reforms instituted by the
Immaculate Heart of Mary nuns
in California.
“Our competence is limited
strictly to this particular case,”
Bishop Donnellan said. “We
would not announce any deci
sion. We were merely a commit
tee established by the Congre
gation for Religious and Secular
Institutes and will report back
to them.” Bishop Donnellan was
referring to the work of the
committee established earlier by
the Holy See for this matter.
Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler
of Charleston, S.C., reporting on
his subcommittee work on the di
aconate, said the introduction of
the diaconate in a particular di
ocese is discretionary, not obli
gatory.
When asked what a deacon
would be able to do, Bishop
Shannon said he could perform
all priestly functions except hear
confessions, give absolution and
be a celebrant at Mass. He said
the diaconate is an extension of
priestly orders and the deacon
becomes a member of the clergy.
Bishop Francis J. Furey of San
Diego, Calif., discussing the re
port of the Bishops’ Committee
on Priestly Formation, reported
on a survey on seminary enroll
ments for 196&69.
Archbishop Thomas J. McDon
ough of Louisville reported on
studies conducted by the Com
mittee on the Distribution of the
Clergy and recommended:
1. That a national secretariat
for Church personnel be estab
lished to help cope with the cur
rent shortage of priests.
2. That a preparatory research
and development program for
See Bishops, page 5A
Camp Lejeune Chaplain Cited for Marine Heroism
HERO’S SALUTE — Lt. Richard ML Lyons, (rigid) Chaplain
Corps, UJS. Navy salutes with his commanding general, Brigadier Gen
eral John E. Williams as a parade passes in review. The 37-year-old
Catholic priest was presented the Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart
for his actions at Hue City last January. He is currently serving as
Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Catholic Chaplain at Camp
Lejeune.
i 4' • ' : * f 5 4 • t ' '•**«■« * ■ ^ - --- - : V V « V « a ■ t 4 .
Force Troops, Comp LeJeune
—A 37-year-old Navy Chaplain
who taught world history to high
school students has become the
first Chaplain to win the Silver
Star Medal for combat action
while serving with UJS. Marine
Infantrymen in Vietnam.
The combat decoration, third
highest given for individual he
roism, was presented here April
23rd to Lieutenant Richard M. Ly
ons, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy,
by Brigadier General John E.
Williams, Commanding General,
Force Troops, Fleet Marine
Force, Atlantic.
Chaplain Lyons was cited for
his heroism during the bitter
battle for Hue City in South
Vietnam last January. He was
serving with the 1st Battalion, 1st
Marines, 1st Marine Division,
when the battalion came under
intense fire from entrenched
North Vietnamese Army and
Viet Cong forces.
During this attack, Chaplain
Lyons repeatedly braved heavy
enemy fire to aid the wounded
and to administer last rites.
His citation from President
Lyndon B. Johnson read, “For
conspicuous gallantry and intre
pidity in action while serving
as Battalion Chaplain of the
First Battalion, First Marines,
First Marine Division in connec
tion with operations against the
enemy in the Republic of VLet
See Chaplain, page SA