Killing or Caring?
The ANCHOR An Anchor of the Soul, Sure. and Firm'-:"St. Paul
Fall River, Mass., Thurs., March 2, 1972 PRICE 10¢ Vol. 16, No.9 Š 1972 The Anchor $4.00 per year
Call Catholic Press Principal Medium WASHINGTON (NC)-Deeply concerned about the specIal difficulties facing Catholic newspapers, in part because of substantial. postal rate increases, the U. S. bishops' administrative Iboard ha's voted unanimously to reaffirm their. commitment and support for what they said is "our principal medium of communications." The vote by the U. S. Catholic Conference board came after it heard a report from Bishop McCarthy of Phoenix, Ariz., regarding Catholic newspapers' and NC News Service. Bishop McCarthy heads a special task force of the USCC Communications, Committee assisting NC News which, he said in an 'interview af,ter the board met is the lifeblood of Catholic news: papers in the United States and throughout the world. The task force report is to be sent to all the American bishops
Anchor Drive Continues First returns for the 1972 Anchor Drive manifest a strong trend being developed by pastors to exceed their quotas and they are going all-out in their attempt to have the Diocesan Newspaper in every home of their parishes. The ideal is complete family coverage-an ideal that is becoming a necessity today with emphasis on adult education and the assistance given by The Anchor's "Know Your Faith" section is a ~ strong attempt to aid the ever-growing numbers in CCD classes who formerly attended the parochial schools. Pastors, through spot contacts, have stressed the need of The Anchor in every home especially during the present period when more responsibilities are being returned to the families in their duty to educate their offspring. "When you examine the cost of Catholic Education today on all levels, and then realize how inexpensive it is, to have every family receive The Anchor weekly, thus cooperating in educating every family and not just a few, then The Anchor is definitely a necessity today," was the response from one diocesan pastor.
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and to NC subscribers. Describing his report, Bishop McCarthy said he told the 25-member Iboard 'chaired by Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia, president of the nation's conference of bishops, that' his task force found many positive aspects. He cited among them these signs: seven new diocesan publications established in the past year; 10 more Catholic newspaper today than during the 1962-65 Vatican Council; 46 newspapers reporting higher circulation now than last year. "Contrary to pessimistic reports, there are good things happening in the Catholic press," the Arizona bishop observed in the interview. He said Catholic edttors credit much of this new -growth and life to NC services. Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin, general secretary of the conference, ,indicated that Cardinal Krol would soon write to all the bishops and inform them of the board's resolution. Turn to Page Two
You Must Choose A pastoral letter entitled, "Killing or Caring? You Must Choose, a jbint State'ment by the Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts on Abortion" has been issued in connection with the Legislative hearings on proposed abortion measures at the State House. Addressed to all Catholics and "to all men of good will," and warning that legislative proposals for "abortion-on-demand" would "remove the last remaining safeguard against the right to life of the unborn child," the statement follows: It should strike the thoughtful person with stinging impact that a positive trend of current society toward non-violence in the solution of human problems has one, major exception. That unfortunate deviation is the continuing advocacy of abortion-ondemand. A thought-provoking and even ghastly indication of the extent to which fatally flawed public policy has degenerated in our time, is afforded in the report that 2;75,000 unborn children have been killed, and legally killed, in New York State alone during the last eighteen months. Here in our own State, your
Bishop to Visit North Westport , Bishop Cronin will be celebrant of the 11:30 Mass on Sunday morning at Our Lady of Grace Church, North Westport. Following ,the Mass, Bishop Cronin will meet with the' parishioners of the suburban parish.
Senators and Representatives will be considering legislation' within the next few weeks, which would remove all legal protection from the life of the unborn thild. It is in order to ehlist"your aid in defeating this legislation of violence against innocent life, ' that we write this letter. Our first words are spoken to our Catholic brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. If we have any clear understanding of our Godgiven faith, we know beyond any doubt that God, Our Father, is the Creator, the Author of life. ' Human life is life which derives from human parents. Precious to God, human life should be likewise precious to men, created by God to His own image and likeness.'.. Our Lord and Brother, Jesus' Christ, has emphatically called us to love and serve the least of His brethren. It is within this .relationship between God and man; sanctified by the mystery of the God made man, that the command of God not to kill must be placed., Every Catholic who understands his faith and who 'looks to God's Will for the direction of,his conduct, must accept without qualification the teaching of his Church that any participation in the direct, willed killing of ~n unborn child, from the first ,moment of its conception, is grave-
ly sinful. To deny this principle of mo.rality, or to question its universal application, is inconsistent with the basic principles of natural morality as they have been reaffirmed and sanctified by Christ our Lord. Our second message of con~ cern in this matter is addressed both to Catholics and to all men of' good will. The sloganeering about an unborn child being mere animal tissue must be challenged in the name of truth. The biological sciences teach us much that is relevant to our position that abor~ion at any stage of pregnancy is morally evil. I'utting aside purely speculative questions about which there may be differences of opinion, we are faced with the obvious fact that the human fetus, in its very beginnings, is the product of a human father and a human mother. The directions of its future development are set the moment it comes into existence. There is no essential difference between the tiny organic structure imbedded in its mother's womb and the starting quarterback of the Patriots or the starring contraltoof the Metropolitan Opera. There are merely differences of time and development.To all men of good will likewise we address the observation TUrn to Page Three .
Directs Tuitio'n at' $125; Parish Subsidy $100, His Excellency, Most Rev., Daniel A. Cronin, S.T.D., has directed that "the parish subsidy for children enrolled in elementary parochial schools remain at one hundred dollars." Recognizing that "parochial
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DIOCESAN DIRECTOR AT MEETING: Rev. Francis L. Mahoney, left, assistant at Immaculate Conception Parish, Fall River and Diocesan Director for the 26th annual Catholic Relief Overseas Aid Fund, met in Bost~t:l with Most Rev. Thomas J. Riley, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston, center and Most Rev. Edward E. Swanstrom of the Catholic Relief Services, right, to discuss the March 12th Appeal for the worldwide relief and self' help development programs of the CRS.
education in the elementary schools of the Diocese will cost two hundred and twenty-five dollars per pupil for the academic year that begins in September," the Diocesan Ordinary acknowledged that "this cost must be underwritten by the tuition charged pupils and by the subsidy provided for pupils by the parish of their ,residet:tce." This means that normally the pupil's family is expected to pay $125 tuition for the coming year. The Most Reverend Bishop also reminded parishes who presently have no parish school that they must also share the heavy burden by parishes facing increasing difficulties in maintaining their schools. "Parochial education is an important facet of the Church's mission,'" the Bishop reminded all, "and the burden of providing this priceless ministry must be borne equitably. "Pastors who, in the face of increasing difficulties, are maintaining schools must rely upon the cooperation of their confreres who, though not maintaining schools themselves, are nevertheless committing children from their flocks to the existing schools." Any deviation from this newly established arrangement, it was pointed out, "should be consider~d extraordinary," and only "where absolute necessity or very persuasive utility exists."