10.08.93

Page 1

t ~eanc 0 VOL. 37, NO. 39

Friday, October 8,1993

FALL RIVER, MASS.

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Word must be proclaimed, llived

"Veritatis Splend,or" a wake-up call VATICAN CITY (CNS) - At the heart of Pope John Paul II's new encyclical, "Veritatis Splendor" ("The Splendor of Truth"), lies a lesson on human freedom and its limits, addressed to audiences inside and outside the church. To bishops, priests and theologians, the document warns that the foundations of moral theology are being under- .opens a very difficult dialogue ... is faithfulIy taught," particularly mined by error, ambiguity and and may mark a turning point for in seminaries, theological faculties the pope," said one Vatican officiaL and Catholic schools, he states. neglect. The difficult dialogue involves, It's a point he has been making all To the world's 950 million year long to U.S. bishops during

RESPECT LIFE RALLY: Cardinal Law and Bishop O'Malley mee': between speeches at the rally kicking off the Respect Life Walk in Boston Sunday. More photos pages 3, 13, 16. (Hickey photo)

Cardinal, bishop launch Respect Life Walk By Marcie Hickey Diminished reipect for human life is eroding the very ideals upon which America was founded, speakers told the ,;rowd !lssembled on Boston Common for the Oct. 3 Respect Life Walk. Churches and pro-life groups f:'om all over the state sent contingents to the event, one of many such demonstrations nationwide marking Respect Life Sunday. "We profess to be a nation that enshrines life,.1iberty and the,pursuit of happiness, and to alter that is to pervert the ideals America stands for: Life...l.fe... lifer' Bishop Sean O'Malley dt:clared. Bishop O'Malley became the first bishop to job annual participant Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston in speaking at the rally which precedes the annual fivekilometer walk sp onsored by Massachusetts Citizens for Life. Walkers raised funds for 50 pro-life

organizations in the state, including the Fall River diocesan ProLife Apostolate. , Fall River diocesan participants numbered well over 1,000, many of them arriving on buses chartered by parish pro-life councils, said Father Stephen A. Fernandes, apostolate director. The number included "more priests and young people than ever before," he added. MCFL past president and Respect Life Walk founder Theresa Hanley, RN, who moderated the speaking program, noted that each year a new challenge faces the prolife movement. This year, she said, it comes in the form of the national health care reform plan, which includes coverage of abortions. "Since when is death or killing a health benefit?" Mrs. Hanley argued. She called the Senate's vote the previous week to retain the Hyde Amendment, banning fedTurn to Page 13 '

Speci=ll collection to aid quak.~ victims, in India With Catholic News Service reports

Bishop Sean O'Malley has authorized a special collection at all diocesan parishes this weekend to aid victims of the major earthquake thaI: struck west central India Sept. 30. The quake. whi:h measured 6.4 on the Richter scale. hit the western st,ate of Maharashtra at 3:56 a.m. Sept. 30 and was followed by several tremors. Days after the quake. officials said the death toll was still rising. The official death toll was 11.420 Oct. I. but state officials and doctors said the final count could he at least double that. ',vith many more bodies still buried under flattened houses.

Doctors with resclle teams estimated at least 20.000 had died and 30.000 were injured, Mother Teresa has offered permanent shelter and all possible other aid to children orphaned by the quake: while in Baltimore Catholic Relief Services has responded with 350 tons offood and stocks of tarpaulins. blankets and cooking equipment. CRS Executive Director KenTurn to Page II

Catholics, the encyclical lays down basic principles of the church's moral teaching and draws the clearest linl: yet against dissent from them -- including those concerned with the difficult area of sexual morality. To modern society, "Veritatis Splendor" is written as a moral wake-up call, reminding people that freedom cannot be detached from truth and challenging them to make God's commandments the foundation of their daily actions. . All this is framed in a heartfelt appeal for men and women to remember that life is a spiritual journey, and that the quest for moral good is linked to the promise of eternal salvation. In all these connections, the pope said the encyclical deserves a complete reading by people interested in its message on morality. He said it was aimed at reaffirming human dignity and "the genuine concept of human freedom" and its relationship with truth. He also indicated that he expected the docu'ment to be received with "prompt and willing support" by the world's faithful. It would not be right for anyone to try to "silence or manipulate" the church or its message, he added. He noted that it was decided that release ofthe encyclical should follow publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and explained that t.he catechism offers a systematic presentation of Christian morality, while the encyclical focuses on the prinCiples underlying moral theology. Published Oct. 5, "Veri tat is Splendor" was six years in the making. It responds to trends the pontiff has followed with alarm for many years: the "systematic" questioning of church teaching among theologians and the faithful, the idea that individuals can design their own sense of right and wrong, and the widespread view that the church is showing "intransigence" when it insists that some acts are intrinsically evil. "Veritatis Splendor" does not reveal new truths 'so much as illuminate and insist upon old ones. It may not preach a popular lesson, but that is part of its significance, papal .!ides believe. "The pope is trying to call a secularized SOCil:ty - and a church influenced by a secularized society - back to the essentials of moral theology. I think this document

first and foremost, theologians. The encyclical repeatedly cites schools ·of theological thought to illustrate how skepticism and relativism have seeped into Catholic theology, even into the church's own seminaries. In it, the pope expounds on theological errors such as "socalled pastoral solutions contrary to the teaching of the magisterium" and promulgation of a false dichotomy between morality and faith. The pope is himself a moral theologian, and his language is at times a highly specialized.one that borrows from S,;ripture, Thomistic writings and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. As he points out, the encyclical marks the first time such arguments have been assembled so authoritatively. Because of this, theologians may well comprise thl~ main readership of the encyclicaL But "Veritatis Splendor" is actually addressed specifically to bishops, and t.he pope is no less concerned about their role in stemming what he calls "a genuine crisis" with grave pastoral irpplications. "We have the duty, as bishops, to be vigilant that. the word of God

Ency,clical at a glance WASHljV(;TON (eNS)

- Pope JohnPaulIl's new encyclical mo.-Ie public Oct. Sis: • Titled "Veritatis Splendor" - "The Splendor of Truth." • The first papal encyclical ever on the fou-"dations of moral. theology. • The 10th encyclical by Pope John Paul in his IS-year papacy. • Focused on Scripture - the commandments lind discipleshipof Christ - as the centralframeworkfor understtrnding Christian morality. • A repudiation of modern moral theories that would relativize truth or universal norms or absolutize freedom. • A ddressed to the world's bishops us the church's chief teachers and guardians of doctrine.

their "ad limina" visits. But Pope John Paul's message is not just naysaying. As he tells the bishops, it is not enough just to warn the faithful about the errors and dangers of ethical theories people must first of all be shown the "splendor of that truth which is Jesus Christ himself." The average reader, in fact, will find in "Veritatis Splendor" a passionately argued invitation to embark on "a moral and spjritual journey toward perfection." The pope confidently appeals to the "yearning for absolute truth" in every human heart. Yet he insists upon the church's guiding role, and here Catholics will find a concentrated version of what the pope has been saying for years about doubt and dissent: that morality is not determined by consensus; that the conscience is not autonomous; and that the church's moral teaching requires obedience. "Opposition to the teaching of the church's pastors cannot be seen as a legitimate expression either of Christian freedom or of the diversity of the spirit's gifts," he says. The pope extends this argument in discussing the church's relationship with the larger culture. The Turn to Page II

Peace Mass slated for Monday Bishop Scan O'Malley will lead the annual diocesan procession and celebrate Mass, both for the intention of world peace, on Monday, Oct. II. Parish groups participating in the procession should meet at St. Mary's Cathedral schoolyard in Fall River :>y 5:45 p.m. Oct. II. Carrying of banners and flags is encouraged and participants should bring their own candles. Those in wheelchairs or otherwise'disabled should proceed directly to St. Anne's Church at South Main and Middle Streets in Fall River, where a special area will be reserved for them at the Mass for Peace, scheduled for 7 p.m. ' All priests are invited to concelebrate the Mass, providing their own vestments. Deacons are also encouraged to participate in the liturgy.


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