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t eanc 0 VOL. 34, NO. 14
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Friday, April 6, 1990
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE'-ISLANDS "
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want more time on Catechism
Lithuania asks for Vatican recognition
WASHINGTON (CNS) - An ad hoc committee and the administrative committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops have urged the Vatican to extend consultation time on the proposed Catechism for the Universal Church. In a 51-page report, the NCCB Ad Hoc Committee on the Catechism gave it good marks on a number of points but called for substantial revisions and urged a second round of consultation on a second draft before a final document is produced. The Vatican sent copies of the draft catechism to bishops around the world last 'N ovem ber and December, setting a deadline of May 30 for responses. Because of the tight timetable established by the Vatican for the initial consultation, the administrative committee did not have a chance to study the ad hoc committee's report in depth, he said, so it agreed to submit it to the Vatican and the other U.S. bishops as a report of the ad hoc committee only. " The ad hoc committee, headed by Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb of Mobile, Ala., consisted of six bishops who are chairmen of NCCB or U.S. Catholic Conference committees responsible for areas of church life dealt with in-the catechism. They included Fall River native Bishop Joseph P. Delaney of Fort Worth, chairman of the bishops' Committee on the Liturgy. Among major recommendations of the committee were: - Reconsider the portion of the title that says "for the universal church"; either give fuller attention "to Eastern theologies and liturgies" so that the document is really universal, or recognize that it is not universal. - Avoid dangers of "serious misunderstanding" by clarifying "the levels of doctrines or the socalled hierarchy of truths," since the present draft shows "little discrimination" between statements "of the most diverse character." - Present the section on morality "in a more positive fashion than as mere commandments or as obedience to commandment" by basing moral teaching "more clearly on the notion ofdiscipleship." - While incorporation of scriptural, patristic, liturgical, conciliar and papal resources into the docTurn to Page "Two
VILNIUS, Lithuania (CNS) Lithuanian president Vytautas Landsbergis has appealed to Pope John Paul II to recognize Lithuanian independence and establish full diplomatic relations with the breakaway Soviet republic. The two-page appeal was given to the 69-year-old leader of Lithuania's Catholics, Cardinal Vincentas Siadkevicius, during an unannounced meeting with the president in Kaunus March 30. Lithuania has also issued a general appeal, witout success, for diplomatic recognition. "A Vatican official involved in East European affairs said the Vatican recognizes the right to independence, but he did not expect any immediate reaction to the appeal because of the complexity of the current situation. The Vatican has never recognized the Soviet annexation of Lithuania and this position remains the same, he said. In an interview with Catholic News Service March 30, a calmappearing Landsbergis confirmed that he had met with the cardinal, but declined to comment on the contents of the appeal. . However, reliable sources'" showed a French-language copy of the appeal to CNS. In addition to asking for recognition, Landsbergis also asked Pope John Paul to visit a free and independent Lithuania and thanked the pontiff for the Vatican's longstanding support during Lithuania's years of suffering under communism. According to church sources, Landsbergis also proposed Vatican mediation of the breakaway government's dispute with Moscow during the meeting, but the cardinal is said to have discouraged that plan. Neither Landsbergis nor Cardinal Siadkevicius in a separate interview with CNS would comment on that report. Landsbergis said he went March 30 to see the cardinal in Kaunus, about 60 miles from the capital, because he had no chance after his election earlier in the month to thank the church leader for his support of independence. "This visit was to thank him," Landsbergis said. "I wanted to do so because we're living in a diffi-
By John Thavis
BISHOP DANIEL A. CRONIN blesses the site for a new parish center to serve members of Corpus Christi Church, Sandwich. He is aided by, from left, Father George W. Coleman, pastor; Msgr. John J. Oliveira, chancellor; Father James A. Calnan, parochial vicar. (Rosa photo) ,
Parish center site is blessed Members of Corpus Christi parish, Sandwich, gathered last Sunday for ceremonies blessing the site for a new parish center. Bishop Daniel A. Cronin officiated at the event, which followed confirmation ceremonies for parish youth. "0 God, you are the builder of all things," prayed the bishop. "Grant that the work we have begun may serve to better our lives and through your goodness contribute to the spread of the kingdom of Christ." Members of various parish organ-
izations continued the ceremony by presenting symbols representing purposes the new center will serve. Religious textbooks symbolized the active parish religious education program; the Sacred Scriptures were offered by members of Scripture study and prayer groups; a cross was borne by Knights of Columbus of Bishop James L. Connolly Council 9444. Vincentians brought a basket of food, symbolizing their service to the needy; Women's Guild members presented a list of members; lec-
tors and eucharistic ministers offered a lectionary and a sacramentary; and candles were brought by altar boys. Center Plans When cOl1)pleted, the parish center will cover 21,000 square feet and will house a parish hall, to be used for weekend Masses, 12 work areas for religious education classes, a fully-equipped kitchen, four multipurpose rooms and office Turn to Page Three
In second draft of women's pastoral
Bishops call sexism sinful WASHINGTON (CNS) Sexism is a sin that reduces people to objects "to be used or abused at will," says the second draft of the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter on women's concerns. Titled "One in Christ Jesus: A Pastoral Response to the Concerns of Women for Church and Society," the draft defends the church's stand against the ordination of women but says this stance and others must not be used to justify oppressing women. It encourages women to participate in all liturgical ministries that do not require ordination. Men and boys, it says, must be
educated to recognize that every form of sexual exploitation is sinful.
The thorny issue "
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WASHINGTON (CNS) - How to treat the topic of the church's ban on women's ordination has plagued the bishops' committeedrafting the proposed pastoral on women's concerns from the start, said the chairman of the committee. The chairman, Bishop Joseph L. Imesch of Joliet, Ill., told <:':atholic News Service that each time the bishops came together "we tried to figure out how to hanTurn to Page Nine
A seminarian's incapacity to deal with women as equals should be "considered a negative indication for fitness for ordination," says the draft pastoral, which was sent to the U.S. bishops in late March and was released April 3. " A line in the first draft which recommended that women be included on the faculties of institutions responsible for the formation of candidates for the diaconate and priesthood, is excluded in the second draft; nevertheless, it asks that a thorough study of the possibility of ordaining women as deaTurn to Page Nine
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