FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISILANDS
t eanc 0 YOLo 28, NO. 41
.FALL RIYER,.MASS., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19,1984
$8 Per Year
In nuclear, abortion debates
Bish,ops say seek ideal
By Jerry FUteau
A PERMANENT DEACON distributes holy communion in the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, a part of the United States still receiving support through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Marking World Mission Sunday this weekend, a special section on the work of the Propaga tion begins on page 7.
U.S. still missionary nation
Gives to, gets. aid
from Propagation
In Fairbanks the pope noted By ·Msgr. Jolm J. Oliveira our nation's "special role in sus Diocesan Director taining and' promoting.,the mis S~ie~ fur tM ~~ati~ . sionary efforts of the Holy See of th~ Falth of the almost $84 million ~ast "And today, standing on this year distrihuted to the missions missionary soil of America . . ." by the Propagation of the Faith; Those words were spoken, not nearly half came from A'merican by a pioneer or missionary two Catholics. or three hundred years ago, but But at the time of the estab by Pope John Paul II during his lishment of ,the Propagation of visit ~ast May to Fairbanks, the Faith, the U.S. church was Alaska. young and in great need of help. The year was 1819 and in For the Diocese of Fairbanks is, in fact, under the pastoral France Pauline Jaricot had an care of the Propagation of the ddea: that the needs of the iFaith, receiving support through church's missions CQuld best be the Propagation of tlhe Faith served by a single collecting supporting missions just ~ike other mission dioceses agency in Asia, Africa, Latin America everywhere; and that this sup port should come from alI Cath and Oceania. As we prepare .to observe olics, rich and poor, each ful World Mission Sunday this filling his or her missionary re weekend, it seems startling that sponsibility through prayer and the Holy Father should describe a truly sacrificial material of part of the United States as fering. Her plan - and the Society missionary territory. Yet until 1908, that could be said of any for the Propagation of the Faith place in our country. For more - came to fuH realization in than half'i,ts history, the United response to a plea for funds from Bishop Louis Dubourg of States has been "in the mis Turn to Page Six sions."
WASHINGTON (NC) - Abor tion, like nUiClear war, is "nec essarily" a matter of public morality, said Bishop James Ma lone, president of the 'U.S. bish ops, in a new policy statement released Oct. 14. The proper public policy queS tion about abortion and nuclear war is what should be done, not whether or not a !political response is needed, he said. At the same time, he added, "there is much room for dia logue about what constitutes ef fective, workable responses." The Youngstown, Ohio, bish op issued his statement as presi dent of the U.S. Catholic Con" ference, the nationail public policy arm of. the U.S. bishops, at the request of the 60-bishop admi~istrative board of the
usee.
On tlhe one hand, !he rejected pubilc pedicy issues. "As a na tion we are constitutionally the view Wlhich would demand committed to the separation of immediate and unqualified trans church and state but not to the lation of moral <:onviction into separation of religious and moral . public r,pedicy. On the other hand values from public life," he he repudilllted views which would declare abortion a strictly pri said. vate issue or that would cite - That, on the other eXitreme, insurmountable legal obstacles religious leaders should dictate and divided pwbJiJc opinion as to their followers how to vote. grounds for taking no action in "We do not seek the formation the realm of public policy. of a voting bl~, nor do we pre "The preven¢ion of nuclear empt the right and duty of in war and the protection of un dividuals to decide conscien born human me," Bishop l.\1alone tiously whom ithey' will support said, are foundamental issues of for public office," he said. ' "human dignity and the sancti On the election-year debate ty of life" which deserve "special emphasis." Bishop Malone also rejected ex Turn to Page Eleven treme positions.
.
.Bishop Malone categocically denied that the bishops are seek-_ ing to form a "voting, bloc" with their statements on various issues of pub'lic policy. "We are not a one-issue church," he said. His statement rejected two· extreme positions: - That religious leaders are out of ocder when they- address
Tridentine • rIte returns """" carefully VATICAN CITY (NC)
Pope John Paul II has given per
mission . for use, under certain
conditions, of the Tridentine rite
for Mass, the replacement of
which was one of the major and,
most controversial reforms of
the Second Vatican Council:
A letter from the Congrega tion for Divine ,Worship to the heads of all bishops' conferences said readmission of the old Latin-language rite is not in tended for parish churches, ex cept in "extraordinary cases." lot is intended, the letter said, for particular groups that re quest it, in churches and ora tories approved by' the bishops. The decision reflected the pope's desire to accommodate groups that "remained tied to the Tridentine Rite,''" the ~etter said. Permission for the rite should go only to priests and fai'thful Turn to Page Six
w'
BISHOP DANIEL A. CRONIN, a co-consecrator, im poses hands on Bishop Maurus Muldoon, OFM, at Oct. 8 ordination ceremonies at Holy Cross Cathedral, Boston. Bishop Muldoon, from 1981 to 1983 director of Regina Pacis Center, New Bedford, will head the diocese of Olancho, Honduras, which he has served as apostolic admiriistrator since February, 1983. (Sr. Rita Murray Photo, courtesy of The Pilot of Boston)