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FOR SOUTH CAPE COP: VOL. 35, NO. 43

Friday, October 26,1990

FALL RIVER, MASS.

Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly

$11 Per Year

Synod enters final days

MORTGAGE BURNING: Bishop Daniel A. Cronin and Father Edward J. Burns, pastor of S1. Mark's parish, Attleboro Falls, burn the parish mortgage as Msgr. John J. Oliveira and altar server Eric Stockwell look on. (Breen photo)

Social, liturgical, financial issues await U.S. bishops WASHINGTON (CNS) - The U.S. bishops face a heavy agenda for their Nov. 12-15 national meeting in Washington with action pending on 20 items, among them guidelines for sex education and catechetics and statements on substance abuse, social justice, evangelization, family ministry and Catholic schools. The document "H'uman Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning" takes up two-fifths of a 462-page book of action items sent to the nation's bishops a month before the meeting. Money issues on the agenda include proposals to start a special national collection for the church in Eastern and Central Europe and to allocate one-fourth of future increases in the yearly Latin America collection to U.S. Hispanic needs. The bishops will be asked to approve criteria for use of inclusive - non-sexist - language in liturgical texts. They also face action on whether bishops should be authorized to permit lay people to preside at a funeral liturgy if no priest is available. One major item originally on the agenda will not be: the proposed pastoral letter on women's concerns, delayed because of a Vatican request that the bishops consult with other bishops' conferences before issuing the document. During the meeting they will, however, hear a progress report on the pastoral. About 300 bishops are expected

to attend this year's meeting of the offers eyangelization suggestions National Conference of Catholic in conjunction with the approachBishops and U.S. Catholic Con- ing 1992 quincentennial of Columference. bus' arrival in the Americas. The proposed "human sexualA pla~ for a limited-duration ity" document, update 1981 guide- national collection for the churches lines, with the aim of fostering in Central and Eastern Europe "respect for the precious gift of reflects their current financial human sexuality." needs. A statement on Catholic schools A proposal to shift to the plans for their future, including domestic Hispanic apostolate 25 funding to help establish "dioce- percent of future Latin America san, state and national organiza- collections above $3.8 million tions of Catholic school parents" the estimated 1990 revenue - is by 1992. coupled with Ii ple'a for more dioNational catechetical text guide- ceses to participate in the collection. lines spell out what they should The analysis accompanying the contain in the central areas of proposal suggests that the change Catholic teaching and life. will not cut into the collection's Criteria for "inclusive language allocations for the Latin American translations" of Scripture readings in the liturgy seek to deal with the church and could even increase problem that many masculine terms them, because adding U.S. Hisonce considered generic are now panic ministries as a beneficiary will lead to wider interest and "seen to exclude women." A separate proposal offers prin- higher contributions. ciples for liturgical adaptation of The proposed pastoral message Scripture texts. In addition to the on substance abuse calls for a inclusive language question, prin- comprehensive program of educaciples are outlined for language tion and action and, while focusconcerning people with handicaps ing mainly on illegal drugs and and adaptations of translations .alcohol abuse, also notes abuse of for public reading. prescription drugs, particularly by The proposal for permission for the elderly. lay people to preside at funeral litAnother pastoral message to be urgies in the absence of a priest is voted on summarizes basic social one of four other liturgical issues teachings ofthe church since 1891, before the bishops. The others are when Pope Leo XIII issued the proposals to add to the U.S. liturfirst papal social encyclical, "Rerum gical calendar optional memorials Novarum," on the social condifor Blessed Miguel Pro Nov. 23, tions and rights of workers. Blessed Juan Diego' Dec. 9 and St. Other agenda items include: Paul of the Cross Oct. 20. '- A proposed statement on A proposed pastoral letter on Turn to Page 16 evangelization in the Americas

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The , world Synod of Bishops received a report on the worldwide vocations' picture and continued discussing celibacy as participants prepared to make final proposals on priestly formation to Pope John Paull\. Archbishop Pio Laghi, head of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, told the synod Oct. 20 that while the total number of priests worldwide declined by 313 between 1988 and 1989, gains were experienced in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Although the celibacy requirement for Latin-rite priests was not an item up for vote at the synod, scheduled to end on Sunday, it did receive a great deal of attention on the synod floor and in the small working groups. The synod's Oct. 18 press conference was devoted almost entirely to the subject of celibacy after the Vatican confirmed that the pope allowed two married Brazilian men to become priests after they agreed to give up living with their wives. At the press conference, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi of Garoua, Cameroon, said each of the synod's 13 working groups

affitmed "the importance of priestly celibacy for the church in the modern world." The small groups made, their initial r~ports to the synod Oct. 17-18. The reports are used by the synod leadership in drafting a set of proposals that may be amended by the small groups before being voted on by synod participants. The proposals may be used by the pope in preparing a post-synod document on priestly formation. In addition to supporting celibacy, most of the reports called for increased efforts to improve the spiritual lives of priests and sup:ported a special year of spiritual formation for seminarians. Synod participants also sup~orted a callfor published guideItnes on the continuing education of priests and urged greater respect for local cultures when designing formation programs.. A'nother recurring theme was the need to integrate candidates from lay movements into seminary life and prepare them to serve their entire diocese, not just members of their group.

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U.S. choir will sing at last synod Mass

JOLIET, l1l. (CNS) - The world cert in the evening at the Jesuit Synod of Bishops in Rome may Church of St. Ignatius in Rome. seem a far-away event for many "It's extremely rare and a great Catholics, but not for a 42-member honor that a choir has the opporparish choir from the diocese of tunity to sing in St. Peter's twice Joliet selected to represent the and on the same day," Mrs. Anello United States at the synod's clos- told the New Catholic Explorer, ing Mass on Sunday. Joliet diocesan newspaper. The choir is to end its trip by Therese Anello, director of singing for Pope John Paul II durliturgical music at St. Isidore paring his weekly papal audience Oct. ish in Bloomrngdale, Ill., near Chicago, said that the parish choir 31. The choir will sing selections in received a special papal invitation Latin, English, German and Polish. to sing at the Vatican from James Mrs. Anello said that while no Goettsche, an American who is Italian songs were on the agenda, . music director at St. Peter's Basilthe choir members were "definitely ica. (A story on Goettsche appears boning up" on some basic Italian. on page 12.) "We may not be able to speak it The invitation came last October fluently," she said, "but we do after Mrs. Anello sent in a demo want to be able to order a good tape of one of the choir's perItalian meal while we're there.... formances. And we'll probably want to ask Choir members, who left Chi- where the bathrooms are!" cago yesterday for Rome, planned Mrs. Anello said they had been to perform several times during practicing since last January for their weeklong trip. . the trip. The choir had planned the pilTheir first performance is schegrimage to Rome, and the invitaduled for St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 28 for the papal Mass closing the tion to sing at the synod was a much later surprise, she said, monthlong synod. Later that day adding, "We couldn't believe it, they will sing another Mass in St. Peter's, followed by a public con- we're just so thrilled."


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