04.09.81

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SERVING . . . SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS

t eanc 0 VOL. 25, No. 15

FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1981

20c, $6 Per Year

Holy Spirit to be focus of meeting

Casino stand is explained by bishops

VATICAN CITY (NC)-Pope John Paul II asked all Catholic bishops' conferences to send representatives to Rome for Pentecost, June. 7, to "entrust to the power of the Holy Spirit the church and her mission among all nations of the world of today and tomorrow." The invitation was contained in a papal letter to bishops marking the 1,600th anniversary of the First Council of Constantinople, which defined the divine nature of the Holy Spirit, and the 1,550th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus, which proclaimed the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary. The 21 page letter stressed the importance of the ancient councils for such contemporary issues as ecumenism, church renewal and the vocations cri!!is. "These great anniversaries cannot remain for us merely a memory of the distant past," Pope John Paul said. "They must take on fresh life in the faith of the church." The pope said Pentecost celebrations - with ceremonies in St. Peter's and St. Mary Major basilicas - will allow the entire church to renew together "the inheritance that we have received from the Pentecost u.pper room in the power of the Holy Spirit." He urged each bishops' con路 ference and each patriar<:hate and metropolitan province of the Easter-Rite Catholic Church to send one or more representatives to Rome for the servi<:es. The pope expressed hope that the councils of Constantinople and tphesus, "which were, expressions ~f the faith taught and professed by the undivided church, will make us grow in mutual understanding with our beloved brothers in the East and in the West, with whom we are still not united by full ecc:lesial communion." But he said the Catholic Church would not abandoJll its special veneration of Mary, which has sometimes been an obstacle to ecumenical pro~:ress. The Second Vatican Council, the pope said, "summarizes in felicitous words Mary's unbreakable relationship with Christ and with the church." He slJid the effect of the Holy Spirit on the work of renewal initiate<l by the Second Vatican Council is crucial for internal church unity, for the flourishing of vocations. to the priesthood Turn to Page Six

The Roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts - Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston; Most Reverend Bernard J. Flanagan, Bishop of Worcester; Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Bishop of Fall River; and Most Reverend Joseph F. Maguire, Bishop of Springfield have issued the following statement on casino gambling: During the past few months, the issue of casino gambling in the Massachusetts towns of Adams and Hull has gained a great deal of attention. We are certain that the same issue will continue to be a topic for lively discussion during the months to come both in the media and at the state legislature. For this reason, we are deeply conscious of a serious obligation to the citizens of Massachusetts, to our own parishioners and to the legislature to communicate our views on this complex issue. From the very outset, we should state that simple games of chance done primarily for amusement are not immoral in themselves nor are they categorically forbidden by the teachings of the Church. However, we do believe that there is a major diff-erence between these simple games of chance and casino gambling. We are familiar with the arguments proposed in favor of casino gambling: the possibility of increased jobs for local residents and the possibility of increased tourism in the areas in which the casinos are located. However, we are not impressed by these arguments inasmuch as we have received reliable information prompting serious questions about the alleged benefits. Many responsible surveys show that whatever gain in tax revenue may be achieved is purely speculative. In some places where casino gambling has been permitted the rate of unemployment among local people actually increased. Moreover, predictions concerning the 'rise of tourism are not only purely speculative but also vary widely.

"Pieta" by Moretto da Brescia, National Gallery of Art

Now are the holiest days

In point of fact, we are more persuaded by the argument brought forth against casino gambling. Every grqup making a study of this que!!tion recognizes the danger o~ organized crime involvement and the potential for the corruption of public officials. Turn to Page Six


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04.09.81 by The Anchor - Issuu