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DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSI, CAPE & ISLANDS Vol. 26, No. 44
Fall
~iver,
Mass., Friday, November 12, 1982
20c, $6 Per Year
Spirituality, social witness
Pope's themes in Spain
By NC News Service A weary Pope John Paul II concluded a 10-day, 4,500 mile trip around Spain on Tuesday. In its course his native Poland captured the headlines as it was announced thait he would make his long-awaited visit there next June 18. The pontiff was in Valencia, Spain, when the re port was released both by the Vatican and by <the Polish gov ernment news agency, PAP. <During his Spanish trip the pope repeatedly emphasized spir ituality and the social witness Christians should exhibit in poli tics, science. academic life and agriculture. Political overtones, however, were present even before the trip star-ted. It was postponed so as not to interfere with Spain's Oct. 28 elections which gave power to the Socialist Worker Party, which supports aboI1tion, divorce and decreased aid to Catholic schools. All these positions con flict with those of the Spanish bishops. At a meeting with Spain's King Juan Carlos and political leaders, Pope John Paul said that even though his trip to Spain was of a religious nature, he wanted "to pay my respects :to the 'legitimate representatives of 'the Spanish people" and "·to re move any doubts if there were any - about my respect for the country's freely elected leaders." Meeting with Spain's hierarchy Oct. 31, the 62-year-old pontiff, on his 16th .trip outside Italy as pope; alluded to the Socialist victory and said that Spain was experiencing a "socio-'Cultural transition of grand proportions" and Christians should "collabo rate in the buHding of the tem poral city." Nov. 1, at Alba de Tormes, where St. Theresa of Avila died in 1582, he told his Hsteners that "you Christians must live your faith valiantly, trying to inte grate the judgments and guide lines of the current society with Christian beliefs, morality and practices." In Toledo on Nov. 4, during a Mass hOlloring Catholic lay lead ers, he said ·that some of the "most important aims of the lay apostolatf' Involve the Christian family, t~e world of work, cul ture and the field of politics.
He also condemned political violence and the Nov. 4 murder of a Spanish Maj. Gen. Victor Lago Roman, a poHtica:I kiUing in which ETA, a Basque guerriHa group favoring autonomy for: Spain's IBasque region, claimed responsibility. The pope visited the Basque region Nov. 6 and said in Loyola that violence is never constructive." His comments on agriculture cited the need to assist migrant workers and on Nov. 5, in the SeviHe province, where 90 per cent of the land is cuWvated and two percent of the people own about half the land, he urged government to solve the "urgent problems of the agrarian sector." Visiting the convent where St. Teresa of Avila entered the Car melite community, Pope John Paul Nov. 1 told 3,000 cloistered nuns that their "cloistered life, lived in full fidelity, does not keep you apart from the church or distance you from an effec tive apostola·te. The world needs ... your presence and your wit ness." Speaking at Madrid University Nov. 3, he said scientis·ts who use their talents to further the arms !face are a "scandal" and said they should assure that science is "never perverted and used for destruction." He told theologians Nov. 1 that theology must come from faith. "One cannot believe in Christ without .believing in the church, 'The body of Chr-ist'; one cannot believe witlh Catholic faith within the church without believing in her im!nounceable magisterium," he llaid. On Nov. 3 'he referred to the Spanish -InquisItion, noting that it produced "tensions, errors and excesses" which "the church today evaluates in the objective :light of history." In between comments on the
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PIRMANINT
DIACOMS
Pictures pp. 8-9
role of Christianity in the world, the pope hohored Spanish saints and visited Marian shrines. At a Mass celebrated for 300, 000 people Nov. 1 under the tur: rets of the old city of Avila, he praised St. Teresa and her con fessor, St. John of the Cross. On Nov. 5, in Seville, he beati fied Sister Angela of the Cross, who . died in 1932. She was known for her work among Spain's poor. The trip brought the pope to the Basque region of Loyola and Javier on 'Nov. 6. Javier is the home of St. Fran cis Xavier, the 16th century mis sionary who died in Cohina. The pope called him "the prototype of missionaries in the line of the universal mission of the church." Loyola is the home of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, there the pope praised St. Igna tius' "absolute fidelity to God, <to an ideal without' boundaries." In Barcelona, where unemploy ment is 10 percent, <the pontiff discussed the plight of the job less and at an evening Mass which drew 100,000 people he outlined the duties of the daity and called aHention to the "cru cial problems" of divorce, abor tion, religious education and the battle against "social and eco nomic injustices and discrimina tions." On Nov. 8 the pope traveled to southeast Spain to visit vic tims of heavy flooding and to ordain 141 men to the priest hood. He promised substantial Vatican aid to the devastated area. ,Before the end of Ibis visiit during which he averaged five hours sleep a night, the pope was .obviously exhausted, fre quently closing his eyes during ceremonies. "He needs a full rest," said Dr. Francisco ViHadel, a mem ber of the team of doctors who examined the pontiff after he was shot May 13, 1981. Dr. Villadel saw the pope again on Nov. 7. Meanwhile in Poland, PAP said that the June 18 date for Pope John Paul's visit to his homeland was fixed at a meeting Nov. 8 between <kn. Wojciech Jaruzel ski, Poland's martial law leader, and Archbishop Jozef Glemp of Warsaw and Gniezno, primate of Poland. The duration of the visi,t was not announced.
ANNA AND EMILE MONFILS
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CLAUDIA AND BENNY LEVESQUE
'Hands to work, hearts to God'
Retirees serve
Retired and wondering what the parish hall, presently only a shell. Anna is tackling a back. to do with your life? Two dioce log of office work and when she san couples have found an an has it under control will also swer. Both are serving the church begin ministry at area nursing homes and at a skill center for fulltime, Emile and Anna Mon fils of St. Lawrence parish, New .the mentally handicapped. ·Both Emile and Anna are also Bedford, in Savannah, Tenn., and Benny and Claudia Levesque of teaching CCD classes, including St. Mary's Cathedral, Fall River, adult education, and are work ing for certification as video in Enfield, N.H,' tape instructors. Parish Helpers Sent off from St. Lawrence's The Monfilses have joined the with a departure Mass, followed Missionary Cenacle Volunteer Program of the Trinity Missions by a buffet in the rectory, the for a year's service at St. Mary's Monfilses were welcomed their first Sunday in Tennessee with Mission in $avannah. The miss an after-Mass coffee hour. They ion serves five out-stations, scat tered over miles of Tennessee are settled in a four-rqom house on the church grounds, prepared countryside. Emile is undertaking general for them by parishioners. The couple, reports Father L. repair work at St. Mary's and Turn to Page Six will work toward completion of