SERVING ..• SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
t eanc 0 VOL. 25, No.9
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1981
20c, $6 Per Year
Pontiff may recognize Patriotic Catho,lics of China
!!!...pastoral letter
Lenten sacrifice urged hy bishop Dearly beloved in Chriist, In his 1981 Lente:n Message, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, describes the holy season which we are about to begin as "a time of profound truth," a season of grace in which "Christians, called by the Church to prayer, penance, fasting and sEllf-sacrifice, place themselves before God and recognize theltl1selves, rediscover themselves." As we place ourselves before God, both individually and as a community of believers, during this Lenten season, we cannot but be reminded that we are, all of us, the creation of a loving God. So often, the many technological advances and discoveries of our day, wonderful as they indeed are, tend to obscure, even bring into doubt, this awesome truth. Lent brings this truth before our minds in a powerful manner. This holy season also directs us to thoughts of the divine life which we are~ privileged to share through Baptism, a participation in the very life of the God who created us. Turn to Page Six
BEIJING, China (NC) - Pope John Paul II is considering recognizing the National Association of Patriotic Catholics of China, an organization condemned by the Vatican in 1958. The statement was made by Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, papal secretary of state, in connection with the pope's call for friendlier Vatican-Chinese relations, made during his trip to East Asia. The cardinal added that there "are also some signals from China" about a possible papal -visit, but that "the obstacle of Vatican relations with Taiwan remains and makes things difficult." The papal appeal for friendship received a cool reaction from Bishop Michael Fu of Beijing, whose jurisdiction is not recognized by the Vatican. Before relations can improve the Vatican should "recognize clearly its past policy toward China and attitude toward our church, and correct it," said Bishop Fu. The Chinese still remember "some very unfriendly language toward China" in past Vatican statements, he added. Today, with his whirlwind tour of East Asia behind him, Pope John Paul is scheduled to celebrate Mass in Anchorage, Alaska, en route home to Vatican City. He was to travel about six miles from Anchorage International Airport into the city, meet with Catholic, Protestant and other religious leaders at Holy Name Cathedral, then celebrate a public Mass expected to be attended by some 100,000 persons from throughout the sparsely populated state. Among those present will be U.S. Cardinals John Krol, John Cody and Humberto Medeiros, Archbishop Pio Laghi, apostolic delegate in the U.S.; and Archbishop John Roach, president of the U.S. Catholic Conference. In Japan In Japan, the pontiff's last stop in Asia, he met with Emperor Hirohito. At their parting, 'according to a Vatican communique, there was "an absolute historic first," when the em-
peror bowed to the pope. Traditionally, the emperor, once considered divine, never. bows to anyone, including the highest-ranked royalty. At a Tokyo meeting with youth the pope won the hearts of some 4000 people when he sang along with two Polish folk tunes and joined a circle of danG,ing children. Throughout his stay he frequently ventured into Japanese as he began and ended talks. He had been studying the difficult language for some weeks
prior to his Far East journey. Also in Japan the pontiff visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cities leveled by atomic bombs during World War II, and met thousands of the estimated 400, 000 Catholics in the largely nonChristian nation of 117 million people. It was the first visit by any pope to Japan and in startlin~ contrast to the cheering crowds which greeted the pope in the Philippines, residents of Tokyo virtually ignored his arrival. Turn to Page Seven
Decision 'does not alter moral principles' Commenting on last week's decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court concerning use of tax dollars for "medically necessary" Medicaid aborc tions, Bishop Daniel A. Cronin said: "The decision is regrettable: however, it does not alter moral principles, and therefore the teaching of the church with regard to life remains inviolate. The church will continue to uphold the sanctity and the dignity of human life." The court ruled unconstitutional a 1979 state law limiting public financing of abortions to cases where the woman's life might be endangered by giving birth. In a 6-1 decision on Feb. 18, the court ordered the state to pay for all "medically necessary" abortions for women on welfare, even if their lives are not in danger. The decision involved the claims of three unidentified women, each of whom had "decided after consultation with her physician that she wishes to terminate her pregnancy," said the majority opinion written by Justice Francis J. Quirico. The majority held that, because the state chose to subsidize childbearing and health costs, it must do so with "genuine indifference" to the options made . ava~lable to a pregnant woman by the allocation of pub-
lic funds. Each of the women _was "entitled to non-discriminatory funding of lawful, medically necessary abortion services," the court ruled. It enjoined public officials from withholding payments under the state Medicaid program. In a long dissent, Chief Justice Edward Hennessey said: "It is olear to me that the majority thus equate a financial inducement toward childbirth with an obstacle to a woman's freedom to choose abortion. The logic fails. It may be an appropriate argument to address to the legislature, but it is not a valid premise for a conclusion of unconstitutionality." Gov. Edward J. King, who campaigned in 1978 on a pledge to seek limits on public funding of abortions, said his first reaction was to "proceed to amend our constitution so the abortion issue is properly handled." John Reinstein, of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which challenged the law, said the ruling meant the state's constitutional protection of a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion was "broader than the right recognized by the United States Supreme Court." Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of limits imposed by Congress on federal funding of abortions.