FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
t eanc 0 .FALL RIVER i · MASSi FRIDAY i OCTOBER 25, 1985
VOL. 29, NO. 42
$8 Per Year
Bishops' agenda set
Pro-life, evangelization, ca.mpns ministry are concerns WASHINGTON (NC) A new pro-life activities plan and evangelization 'and campus min istry statements are on the U.S. Catholic bishops' agenda when they meet in Washington Nov. 11-15. The new pro-life plan stresses abortion as a central issue but also highlights the "consistent ethic of 'life" approach to all life issues advocated by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, chairman of the bishops' Com mittee on Pro-life Activities. That approach appears to enjoy wide support within the hier-· archy, although some anti-abor tion groups oppose it because they view at as spreading pro-life forces too thinly and weakening the battle against legalized abor tion. The bishops, meeting under their twin organizational titles of Nationa'l Conference of Cath olic Bishops and U.S. Catholic Conference, will also discuss ,the second draft of a nationa,l pas toral letter on Catholic teaoh~ng and the U.S. economy and vote on a revised version of liturgical rites for funerals. A day longer than fall meet ings of recent years, this Nov-· ember's meeting will ~nclude a ha!f-day of prayer and reflection.
And on Nov. 14 Bishop James Malone of Youngstown, Ohio, NCCB·USCC president, will de liver a major ecumenical address during a joint Catholic-Lutheran worship service at the Church of. the Reformation, 'a Lutheran Church of America church on Capitol Hill. Heads of major U.S. Lutheran organizations are to participate. The bishops' original 1975 Pas toral Plan for Pro-Life Activities
spoke briefly of the whole
. range of pro~life issues and
placed abortion within that con
text, but was otherwise devoted
to educational, legislative and
service plans to combat abortion.
The ,revised plan to be con sidered this November remains focused on anti-abortion activi-. ties, but spells out far more fully the wider f.ramework of respect for me. It cites trends toward infanticide and euthanasia as areas of growing concern. Passage of the revised pastoral plan wi'll require a majority vote by the bishops. A planned nationa" pastoral letter on Catholic teaching and the U.S. economy has been one of the bishops' most controver silH and widely publicized pro jects since the 1983 wa,r and peace pastoral.
A second draft of the docu ment was released Oct. 7 and is to be discussed in November. There is to be no final vote, however, until next year after a third draft is written, de bated and aqtended. The second draft calls a soci ety's treatment of its poor the "l,itmus test" of its justice or in justice and says that a "prefer· ential option for the poOr" is a Christian mandate. "A Vision qf Evangelization" is the title ofa proposed state ment on which the bishops will be asked to vote. _It urges that the Gospel become more central' to the Uves of American Cath olics,- reconciliation of alienated Catholics anc;l outreach to the millions of unohurched Ameri cans. It also speaks of embedding the Gospel in America's "social systems and cultures." The bishops are expected to take 'action on a proposed pas BISHOP DANIEL A. CRONIN and Cardinal Bernard ,toral letter on campus' ministry Law share a pleasant moment at a recent Fall River banquet 'and on a revised· "Order of Christian Funerals" which seeks honoring the late Cardinal Humberto Medeiros and benefit to update the rite with fuller ing the Catholic University of Portugal. (Torchia photo) develo~ment in areas where op· tions a're allowed. There are, for example, 45 option~ prayers for the dead, many adapted to Turn to Page Six
Msgr. Hoye protests
Nicaraguan rights crackdown WASHrNGTON (NC) - The general secretary of the U.S. Cathol:ic Conference has protest ed the Nicaraguan government's orackdown on civil liberties in that country, including church press freedom. In a teIegram to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega; Msgr. Daniel F.. Hoye urged. the gov ernment to respect the right of the Catholic Church to publish newspapers -and magazines with out interference. ' "We deeply regret the decision of the government of Nicaragua to reinstate the exoessively broad restrictions imposed by the state of emergency," said the Taunton-born generaoJ seore tary. "Regarding the unfortunate
events surrounding the inaugura tion of the publication Iglesia, we call for a settlement whioh will respect the right of the church to publish freely," he said.
In an interview with National Catholic News Service Oct. 17, Francisco Campbell, minister counselor for political affairs at the Nicaraguan :Embassy, said ~he religious figure Ortega was referring to was Msgr. Bismarck On Oct. IS, Ortega formally CarbaHo, an official of the Arch suspended freedom of speech, diocese of Managua. assembly and travel, as well as Campbell said Msgr. Carballo the right of workers to strike and the right of habeas corpus 'attempted to publish a -magazine, for prisoners. He said the rights Iglesia - which means "church" were suspended because "the ,in Spanish - without registering the publication, which is an eight brutal aggression by North Am erica and ats ,internal allies has page bulletin intended for dis tribution in churches. created an extraordinary situa According Ito CampbelL Nica tion" in the country. raguan law requires every pub· OTtega said ,there were "agents· Hcation to regist~r with the gov of imperialism," including some ernment and be subject to re in "religious 'institutions," try· view t~ prevent release of inTurn to Page Six ing to destabilize the country.
YOUNGSTERS AT St. Vincent's Home, Fall River, prepare for a balloon liftoff, part of the home's observance of its IOOth anniversary. (Torchia photo)