FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
t eanco VOL. 30, NO. 47
•
Friday, November 28, 1986
F ALL RIVER, MASS.
IN DACCA, BANGLADESH, the first stop on his longest-ever pontifical trip, Pope John Paul II ordains 18 priests (left photo); right, he kisses rainy
FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
•
58 Per Year
airport runway on his arrival in Suva, Fiji, third stop on the tour. (NCj UPIReuter photos)
ForthePo~
Sunshine and enthusiasm in Australia By NC News Service Pope John Paul II was greeted by sunshine and enthusiasm in Australia, the fifth of six nations he is visiting in 13 days. The pope celebrated Mass Nov. 24 for 100,000 people - the biggest crowd ever assembled in the Australian capital of Canberra under warm spring sunshine and blue skies. The first five days of his trip were marked by rain and small crowds. Pope John Paul began the longest trip of his pontificate at the rate of a country a day, visiting the slums of Bangladesh Nov. 19, urging affluent Singapore Christians to help the poor and participating in tribal welcoming ceremonies in
Fiji. Before flying to Australia, he spent Nov. 22 and 23 in New Zealand, where he urged the Catholic minority to take clear public positions against increasing secularization, religious indifference and abortion. The pope was to spend a week in Australia, and before returning to Rome Dec. I he was scheduled to stop in the Seychelles, an islandnation in the Indian Ocean. Hours after landing in Australia, the pope recited a litany of praise for the country's spirit and its way of life. At the same time, he urged Cath olics to use their votes to protect life "from the moment of conception," an apparent reference to abortion and embryonic research in the country.
"We speak a common language of respect for the human person," the pope said in an address at the House of Parliament. In a reference to heavy government subsidies of Catholic schools and hospitals, the pope lauded the way church and state institutions work "side by side" to guarantee freedom of choice and better care. But during an afternoon Mass, the pope condemned violence against human life "in all stages of its development." He sounded a similar note in his talk to government leaders at Parliament, telling them that one basis for civilization is "reverence for human life from the moment of conception and throughout every stage of its earthly pilgrimage." '" hope that all Catholics, and
all your fellow citizens, will invite you by their voice and by their votes to ensure that nothing is done by the legislature to undermine these values," the pope said. Australia, a leader in i'n-vitro fertilization research, is currently debating a legislative proposal which would protect human embryos in the laboratory and make it a crime to destroy them. Frozen embryos are frequently discarded in the in-vitro process, which has been pioneered in several state hospitals. Abortion is allowed in Australia with a doctor's recommendation. The pope also encouraged - a strong stand against abortion during his visit to New Zealand, where abortion is allowed under certain
conditions based on the woman's mental and physical health. During an anointing of the sick in a Wellington sports pavilion, the pope praised Catholic health care workers for their "prophetic stand on behalf of the innocent and most vulnerable." "Your service is in complete contrast to every effort to suppress life by evils such as euthanasia and abortion," he said. To youths, he stressed fidelity in marriage .and the sacredness of sexuality. To bishops, he voiced concern about declining attendance at Mass and the sacraments and said they should speak out publicly on family issues. To all New Zealand's approximately 450,000 Catholics - about 15 percent of Turn to Page Eight
Pope willing to meet with U.S. bishops ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (NC) - Pope John Paul II downplayed talk of divisions between the Vatican and U.S. Catholics and indicated he would be willing to meet with a delegation of U.S. bishops to discuss church issues in the country. Bishop James Malone, outgoing president of the U.S. bishops' confcrence, recently suggested a meeting to prepare for the pope's
expected trip to the United States next year. '" suppose this is a normal procee.ding among us, among the United States bishops and the pope," the pope said of the idea. The pope spoke to reporters aboard a flight from Rome to Dacca, Bangladesh, his first stop on a Nov. 19-Dec. I trip to Asia, the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
Asked about a possible rift between some U.S. Catholics and the Vatican, the pope refused to comment at length, saying that "sometimes one creates divisIons that do not exist" by "talking and writing." "Our task - that of myself and the bishops of the United States -is the same, the good ofthe church. It is our common ministry," he said. The pope said it was clear that
the" American church is part of the universal church and still wants to be a part of the universal church." Asked about the case of Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, the pope said: '" know only the statement by the (bishops' conference) president, and it was correct." . The Vatican earlier this year . delegated some of Archbishop Hunthausen's powers to an auxiliary bishop. The archbishop deliv-
ered a lengthy statement critical of his treatment at a meeting of U.S. bishops in November. During the meeting, Bishop Malone read a statement saying the Vatican's decision limiting Archbishop Hunthausen's powers deserved the "respect and confidence" of his fellow bishops. He said that the "general principles of church law and procedures" had been applied in the case. Turn to Page Six
(.J Come and save us, Lord Jesus! ~
...