June 1986 Print

 

 

When an article such as this comes along, it reminds us with fresh impact of how Vatican II opened the gate to those who, failing to damage the Church from outside, can, in the name of "ecumenism" cripple from within—sadly, our own clergy. —The Editors

CATHOLIC VIEW OF ECUMENISM AS A RETURN TO ROME IS CHANGING (ADAPTED)

HARTFORD, Conn. (RNS) — The Catholic view of ecumenism has begun shifting in the direction of union with other bodies and away from the view that ecumenism can occur only when other churches return to Rome, according to a Catholic priest who addressed a recent gathering here on church unity. When Catholics enter into the ecumenical movement "in the spirit of Vatican II, they refuse to identify the ecumenical goal with a return of all Christian communities to the mother church they left—that is, the Roman Catholic Church."

In a talk to Catholic ecumenical officers that caused a stir during the recent National Workshop for Christian Unity, the Rev. Jean Tillard, professor of systematic theology at the University of Ottawa and a noted scholar of ecumenical matters expressed a perception of ecumenism that differs markedly from the traditional viewpoint that sees other churches "coming home to Rome." His interpretation, which puts other Christian bodies on a more nearly equal footing in dialogues with Catholics, generated considerable excitement among Protestant participants in the annual gathering.

Father Tillard, a French-born Dominican priest, contended that the Orthodox churches "never, strictly speaking, left the Church of Rome," but rather "left communion" with Rome. "The mother church was the Church of Jerusalem." The rupture that separated western and eastern Christians "was not the departure of one of the flocks from the one sheepfold—it was the division of the flock," said Father Tillard. "If there was no departure, it is impossible to work for their return. To prepare for and expect a restoration of communion is very different," he said. It is equally impossible to expect the return of some Protestant groups, he added, as some "were born after the Reformation and never had any contact with the Church of Rome."

The dream of return is unrealistic, said Father Tillard, because after ruptures divided the churches, "the Holy Spirit continued to work" in non-Catholic churches, and "it would be a sin against the Holy Spirit" to ask other traditions "to renounce their richness in order to be in communion" with Rome.

Catholics must recognize their need to receive the gifts of other churches, said Father Tillard. From the Eastern tradition, Roman Catholicism can "take a fresh understanding of the Holy Spirit." And already, he noted, Catholics have borrowed a theology of the local church from the Orthodox. Protestant influence has resulted in Catholic laity receiving communion in both bread and wine, and in a return to the use of the vernacular and better use of the Bible in Catholic liturgy. Roman Catholics also have much to offer, he said—to the Orthodox, "a sense of constant adaptation to cultures and situations," and to Protestants, "A sense of doctrinal continuity through history."

What is needed, he stressed, "is not the conversion of one group to the claims of the others, but rather the conversion of all churches to the apostolic faith as such." Cautioning against "cheap union," he asserted that "authentic reception" of ecumenical agreements means that Catholics may sometimes have to refuse to accept statements which they believe are "not in keeping with apostolic tradition."

Father Tillard's address was one of dozens of sessions led by Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox ecumenists during the annual Christian unity workshop. Started in the mid-'60s, it was at first an exclusively Roman Catholic event, the annual meeting of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers (NADEO). Later, their counterparts in Episcopal dioceses were invited as co-sponsors and eventually ecumenical officers from other traditions joined in. At least 18 denominations were represented at this year's gathering.

The Rev. Thomas Stransky, former president of the Paulist missionary order told a luncheon audience that Vatican II's ecumenical initiatives were not built on a strong tradition. "The tradition was anti-ecumenical. So we're only talking about 20 or 25 years for attitudes to enter into the bloodstream of this huge elephant called the Catholic Church." And that "elephant" had "to walk into this garden called the ecumenical movement that was already cultivated for the last 40 years by Protestants."

CATHOLIC BISHOP WARNS HISPANICS BEING LOST TO FUNDAMENTALISTS (excerpt)

NEW YORK (RNS) — Hispanic Catholics are persistently being visited and pressured by Protestant fundamentalists and members of other sects seeking to convert them from Catholicism, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, N.M. said here. The Texas-born prelate, whose mother was a native of Mexico, said, "Most of us have ourselves opened the door to fundamentalists visiting our block. Why, they have even knocked on my door in Las Cruces." He said the sects appear to focus on Hispanics. "In Las Cruces, Hispanic Catholics are offered services in Spanish in eight Catholic churches, while services in Spanish are offered by twice that number of fundamental churches."

Bishop Ramirez said that fundamentalist groups are usually small, offer the kind of support system needed to cope in a new world, and prefer a one-on-one approach in evangelizing; further, that these small communities provide opportunities for the newcomer to participate and have minimal requirements for ministerial training. He related that in San Antonio, one day he picked up his janitor to drive him to the parish church. En route they passed a fundamentalist revival tent and the Hispanic janitor said, "What a grand experience I had going to their meetings! That tent is the best place to make friends."

The American church could commit a tragic sin of omission if it fails to respond effectively to the pastoral needs of U. S. Hispanics, Bishop Ramirez said. "In the spirit of Pentecost, let us continue to work together..."

JEWS FRUSTRATED BY VATICAN'S FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE ISRAEL (excerpt)

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Cardinal Jean Marie Lustiger of Paris, regarded as a close friend of Pope John Paul II and a rising star in world Catholicism, declared here that Jews around the world feel frustrated by the Vatican's failure to fully recognize the state of Israel.

The French prelate visited this country amid growing pressure on the Vatican to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. Cardinal Lustiger, who was born of Jewish parents and still considers himself a Jew, has become a key player in the discussion of Vatican-Israel relations.

The issue was revived with Pope John Paul's visit to Rome's central synagogue on April 13, where rabbis pleaded with the pontiff to advance Catholic-Jewish relations by formally recognizing Israel. Many, including high-level church leaders, have since interpreted the pope's visit as a step toward full Vatican-Israel ties. President of the Vatican's Commission for Peace and Justice, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, described the visit as a "spiritual step, but a step which must bear consequences on other levels."

Bishop Clemente Riva, who oversees ecumenical relations in the Rome diocese, said in the wake of the synagogue visit that the Vatican's failure to recognize Israel is "perhaps what offends Jews the most." Such recognition, he added, "is bound to come, even though we cannot say when." Reports that, indeed, the Vatican has already decided to take the step have come from Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, a prominent Jewish leader with close ties to Rome. The American Jewish Committee official has met with cardinals in Europe, South America and the United States to discuss the matter of Vatican-Israel relations. Among the cardinals that Rabbi Tanenbaum said he met with were Bernard Law of Boston and Lustiger of Paris. When asked whether he told the rabbi about the reported decision by the Vatican, Cardinal Lustiger sidestepped the question. He did, however, cite the Vatican's view that "in fact, as well as right, the state of Israel has already been recognized." The Vatican currently has diplomatic contacts with Israel, but has not established full diplomatic relations by exchanging ambassadors with the Jewish state.

An article in the April 25 issue of Commonweal said Cardinal Lustiger, appointed archbishop of Paris by John Paul, has become highly controversial within the French church because of his insistence on a return to orthodox religious standards. However, the article says he is also credited with stirring a religious renewal in the highly secularized country. The article described Cardinal Lustiger as "intense, convoluted, and intellectual, easily inclined to moodiness." It also cites an interview he gave to Israel journalists in which he declared, "I have never ceased being a Jew."

 

LEFEBVRE'S ST. PIUS X SOCIETY STARTING BRANCH IN SOUTHERN INDIA

 

COCHIN, India (RNS) — A new church for Indian Catholics loyal to Vatican-suspended¹ Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre will open soon in an area in southern India, a lay spokesman for the group said here. John Menezes, a layman based in Bombay and a prominent Indian associate in the archbishop's movement, made the announcement to RNS shortly after he met with Father Patrice LaRoche, a missionary for Lefebvre's St. Pius X Society who has visited India a number of times since 1984. Mr. Menezes said Father LaRoche came this time in response to a request from Catholics in Nagercoil, an area in the far south and a territory included in the diocese of Kottar.

He said the Catholics petitioned Archbishop Lefebvre for a priest from Ecône—Swiss headquarters of his Fraternity of St. Pius X—for Easter services in the Tridentine, or pre-Vatican II rite of the Catholic Church. Those liturgies underwent substantial changes at the second Vatican Council.

Mr. Menezes said according to present indications the new church will be located within the diocese of Tuticorin. He said three priests of that diocese near Kottar had stopped celebrating Mass in the new rite introduced in 1970 and had resumed saying the Tridentine Mass. That Mass, mandated in the 16th century by the Council of Trent, was banned for most uses by Vatican II. In October, 1984, Pope John Paul II permitted its use again under certain conditions for Catholics who specifically asked for it. Following that permission, Indian Catholics in at least two areas asked bishops, without success, to permit it to be said for them again.

Catholics loyal to the Tridentine rite question the validity of the new Mass. They maintain its vernacular versions are a "fraud" that distort words used by Christ to institute the Eucharist. Mr. Menezes said Bishop Ambrose Mathalaimuthu of Tuticorin asked the priests in writing to stop saying the Tridentine Mass. They replied by claiming that they were obligated to say that Mass by a papal bull of 1570. Called "Quo Primum," the bull is claimed to have set up the Tridentine Mass "in perpetuity" in the Latin rite church.

The layman announced that one of the priests, the Rev. Pancreas Raja, has since left for Ecône to meet with Archbishop Lefebvre "to see if he can work under him in southern India." He said Father Raja said the Tridentine Mass at a lay residence in Bombay on his way to Ecône.

Meanwhile, Bishop Marianus Arockiasamy of Kottar was reported to have filed a suit against Father LaRoche for using a diocesan-owned chapel during his visit. The bishop had earlier withdrawn from the chapel a local priest who favored a restoration of the Tridentine Mass. Father LaRoche, who serves as a professor at Archbishop Lefebvre's seminary in Ecône, has returned with a copy of the suit, Mr. Menezes said.

 

TEACHER OF THE YEAR SAYS FAITH TIED TO PERFORMANCE IN CLASSROOM (excerpt)

 

MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — The nation's public school teacher of the year says his commitment to Christ directly affects the way he teaches. Guy Doud, a language arts teacher at Brainerd High School, Brainerd, Minn., was named National Teacher of the Year by the National Education Association.

"My goal," he said, "is to be as good a Christian at home and in school as I am in church on Sunday morning." And he said he doesn't feel hampered by the public school setting. "There's no limit to how you can live or show your Christian love."

Mr. Doud said he believes that today's children are having a harder time growing up than those of past generations. Parents, he said, are taking less responsibility for raising their children and are turning them over to the schools or to day care centers. And this development comes at a time when society itself has become more selfish, he said. "It's become more acceptable to lie and cheat and steal. Traditional sexual values have been thrown out of the window."

Often schools are blamed for this moral decline, but Mr. Doud said the problem and its solution are to be found in the home. "We need parents to be leaders in their children's lives. It has to start at home. You can't just condemn the school. It has to start at home."

 

INDIA, IN "NEW POLICY", CONTINUES TO DEPORT CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES

 

NEW DELHI (RNS) — A French-Canadian Capuchin missionary working in the area of the Hindu sacred city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has been ordered to leave the country. The order against Father Jean Vianney, a missionary in India since 1950, was the latest in a series of quick government moves in which foreign missionaries in different parts of the country have been given expulsion notices. Most have appealed, but so far no deportation order is known to have been cancelled.

In 1969, Father Vianney, one of two remaining Canadian Capuchins in the diocese of Varanasi, set up a monastery named Sachidananda—a Sanscrit term for the Absolute—near the holy city. Catholics in this diocese, originally begun in 1947 by the Capuchins, number about 10,000 out of a total population of 25 million.

In another case in the region of Madhya Pradesh, Minister for Internal Security Arun Nehru told one of the houses of the national parliament that the New Delhi government has agreed to a request of the state government to make further inquiries in the case of Jesuit missionaries from Belgium and Holland who were ordered to leave. Authorities have temporarily suspended the orders, based on earlier adverse government reports, following pleas made in their behalf by Indian nationals.

Generally, no reasons have been given for the missionary deportation orders. However, Father Willy Kerchova, another Belgian Jesuit in Madhya Pradesh, was ordered deported for "indulging in conversion" of Hindus.

In Cochin, following this deportation order, a Roman Catholic member of the Indian parliament said that the government had decided as a matter of policy to send out all foreign missionaries in the country. He briefed RNS on the policy decision on the basis of a meeting with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at which he unsuccessfully tried to extend the residence permits for a number of missionaries in the Cochin area. Meanwhile, The New Leader, official Catholic weekly in Bangalore, questioned what it called the "unceremonious sending away" of so many who, attracted by the East, have become "honorary citizens of the country" through "a lot of dedicated service."

The newspaper said in an editorial that church authorities have not been able to get any explanation from the government for their "strange behavior" except a vague statement that it was "present policy."

 

CATHOLIC BISHOPS' AIDE HAS ADVICE FOR CHANGING SEMINARY TRAINING

 

OAKLAND, Calif. (RNS) — If she were asked to give the American bishops advice on seminary training programs, Delores Lecky, the executive secretary of the bishops' Committee on the Laity, would have three immediate suggestions. In an interview, Ms. Lecky said the bishops should:

She also said it would be "interesting" if the "highly masculinized church" were to find ways "for women to actually participate in high levels" of church decision-making. "You could do this, I would think, without ordination," she said, adding "…I can't believe we are so bereft imaginatively that we can't find some ways for women's influence, women's soul to be present there in terms of policy, in terms of everyday conduct of the church."

 

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1. Editors' note: see Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre, Vol. I, pp. 57-74, Michael Davies, 1979.