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A time for prayer The attempt on the life of President Reagan should occasion prayer and reJ1ection, said diocesan and national Catholic leaders in reacting to last Monday's near-fatal tragedy. 'Bishop Daniel .A. Cron::n's office issued the following statement~

"Bishop Cronin learned with great sorrow of tJle tragic assassination attempt on the life of President Reagan. "He prays for the p:resident and for those wounded in the assassination attempt and requests the prayers of all for their restoration to health. "The bishop prays further that our country will be blessed by Almighty God with peace and justice and that violence will be eliminated

from the fabric of our society." 'Following the early favorable reports on President Reagan and the other shooting victims, the chancery office added: "The bishop was very happy with the news on March 31 that the president and those in his entourage who were severely wounded are recovering. Bishop Cronin urges continued· prayers for the victims of this tragedy." Archbishop John S. Roach of S1. Paul-Minneapolis, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, said "The attack upon President Reagan deeply saddens and disturbs me, just as it does all men and women of good will. "As in ·so many other cris-

es, it is a time for prayer and reflection," he added. In addition to urging prayers for the recovery of Reagan and the others wounded in the shooting, Archbishop Roach also called for prayers for the wives and families affected ·by the incident. Joining other international leaders, Pope John Paul II cabled President Reagan to express "my continued prayers for your wellbeing, for the recovery of the other victims and for the welfare of the American people. "As I assure you of my sentiments of solidarity and support, I join in denouncing all manifestations of violence and terrorism and every act that violates human dignity in any individual," added the pontiff.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

SERVING ••• SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS

t eanc 0 VOL. 25, No. 14

20c, $6 Per Year

FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1981

say,s VATAICAN CITY (NC) - In two public statements Pope John Paul II has sternly opposed external interference in Polish affairs. He urged the Polish government and independent union movement, Solidarity, to resolve their tensions with "understanding, dialogue, patience and perseverence" on the basis of the principles established last year in Solidarity-government accord under which the independent union was established. In a message to Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski of Warsaw, primate of Poland, the pope called for "internal peace." He also warned against excessive confrontation politics in the struggle for union rights, saying. that the voices of workers reaching him from his native Poland "emphasize the will to work and not to strike." And last Sunday the pope appealed to the Soviet Union and other nations not to interfere in the ·"internal socio-economic difficulties" of Poland. The Polish people "have the will and ability to overcome them" by themselves, he said.

Ledare Sunday

The pontiffs Sunday comments were his strongest public remarks to date against international interference, suggesting to observers that he was warning particularly against Soviet intervention. The statements came while troops from the Warsaw Pact

were undergoing training maneuvers in Poland and Moscow was referring to .1he crisis as a "pre-insurrectional" situation. "Public opinion recognizes that the Polish people have the undeniable right to overcome their internal socio-economic difficulties with their own efforts. They have the· will and ability to overcome them," the pope said. He saw the Polish crisis as a threat to European peace and security. The current conference in Madrid, Spain, on security and cooperation in Europe "must work so that its labors lead to guar-

pope

anteeing and consolidating peace on the European continent, with full respect for the rights of all the nations, along with the rights of man and his fundamental freedoms (among which the Holy See underlines especially the religious freedom of conscience)," he added. "The church prays unceasingly for this intention. It prays for peace and for all initiatives that can serve peace in Europe and throughout the world," he said. Pope Paul mentioned that the 1975 Final Act of Helsinki reaffirms the principle that "the participating states will abstain Turn to Page Six

K of C to honor Bp. Stang Members of James A. Healy Province, Distriot One of· the Fourth <Degree Knights of Columbus, will honor the memory of Bishop William Stang, first bishop of the FalL River diocese, by exemplifying the fourth degree to a class of selected candidates at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport. Membership in the Four.th Degree, the patriotic division of the Knights of Columbus, is the highest honor bestowed on a knight. Bishop Stang is considered an exemplar of the virtue of patriotism. Faithful Navigator Herve R. FOrcier and officers of Bishop Stang Assembly are cooperating

in plans for the exemplification. Bishop Daniel A. Crol}in is honorary chairman for the occasion with Anthony DiChiara as general chairman and Msgr. John J. Oliveira and Forcier as cochairmen. Subcommittee chairmen are John T~nor, arrangements; Joseph Freitas, Jadies' tea and entertainment; Paul Duddy, flowers; Dominick Maxwell, publicity; Richard Duddy, reception; Armand Raiche, candidlj,tes. Roland Pare, ushlilrs; Adrien Pelletier, dinner ticliets; Henry Berube, bishop's ai(ie; Joseph Arena, master of degree. All Knights of Columbus are invited to attend the exemplification.


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