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Page 21, 7th March 1970

THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

News and Notes from All Parts ITALY Coalition Crisis

Italy is involved in a new and complex political crisis

following the failure of the premier-designate, Signor

Rumor, to form a centro-sinistra (centre-left) coalition.

Last Saturday night Signor Rumor told the President,

Signor Saragat, that he could not obtain agreement

between his own Christian Democrat Party, the leaders

of the two Socialist parties and the Republicans.

President Saragat has asked Signor Moro to attempt

the task in his stead.

Although the prospective coalition partners had several

areas of disagreement— the Socialist demand for an

amnesty for all workers charged with offences during

the autumn strikes, economic policy, demands for closer

co-operation with the Communist Party and failure to

agree on whether the centro-sinistra formula should

also be applied at the descending levels of local

government—the major factor in paralysing •the

coalition has 'been the Vatican intervention on the

divorce question.

After the Pope's recent Wednesday allocution and the

Tumours of a Vatican "note" to the Government (The

Tablet, 21 and 28 February), the Christian Democrats

proposed that there should be negotiations with the

Vatican before any Senate action on the Bill. Signor La_

Malfa, leader of the Republican Party, rejected this

proposal as out of the question and the other parties

agreed that, it would give the Church an undue right of

veto over decisions of the Italian Parliament. The end of

the coalition talks came last week when the main

Socialist Party stated that such a coalition would

compromise its support for the divorce Bill.

Concerning the alleged note sent to the Government by

the Holy See which pointed out that the introduction of

divorce into Italian law would constitute a unilateral

violation of the 4929 Concordat, there has been a

further unsigned (and therefore authoritative)

statement in L'Osservatore Romano. L'Osservatore says

that the Holy See did not interfere in the divorce issue

at the time of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies

because it was clear that the Government knew the

7th March 1970

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Holidays To The Rescue In Italy

Page 4 from 30th August 1969

Communists And Christian Democrats

Page 5 from 26th October 1968

Politics Italian Style

Page 6 from 14th June 1969

Signor Moro Survives

Page 9 from 20th June 1964

because it was clear that the Government knew the

Vatican's stand on the matter. But when, at the end of

January, the Senate's Commission for Constitutional

Affairs also decided in favour of divorce, the Vatican was

prompted to "remind the Italian Government once again

of the obligations deriving—in the Holy See's opinion—

from the concordat ". The report goes on to say that

this reminder, in the form of a note, was not sent on 10

February, as the Republican Party. organ, La Voce

Repubblicana, had alleged.. The paper specifies no

particular date, but it can be assumed that a note was .

sent recently. There have 'been at least two earlier

diplomatic notes from the Vatican about divorce, one in

the spring of 1966 and one in February 1967.

The Italian press has heen almost un.animous in its

criticism of.the Vatican's policy. Milan's II Giorno said

that the " bomb had to explode sooner or later, biit it

has chosen the worst moment, politically speaking,, to

do so ". La Voce Repubblicana voices its suspicion that

the Vatican's intervention was carefully timed, and

Bologna's II Resto del Carlino points out that the

Government Must reaffirm "the sovereign autonomy of

Parliament's deliberations ".

The Claims of Sanctity Last Wednesday week, in his first

general audience after a five-day retreat, the Pope reflected

on the Lenten period. He said it was a time for people to

reject "everything that separates us from God—sin and its

tempting ways—and which makes us less owners of

ourselves, less free, less human and less Christian."

"Our time needs strong Christians ", he emphasised,

'courageous sons and daughters who are trained in the

school of the Gospel; this is why her invitation towards

mortification of the flesh and towards patience of the spirit

is timely." Discussing the example of the saints, the Pope

asked: " Is such an ideal Christian still suited to our time?

Has the Council not eased human life and has it not

defended man's personal freedom? " Yes, he said, 'but the

Council had not authorised the misuse of freedom. He

complained about current "disobedience ", calling it "the

rejection of authority of any kind ". He added: "The higher

the authority, the more it is contested."

The Pope also 'criticised eroticism, "the quest for the

hundred forms of exhibitionist sensuality, described as

naturalness, youthfulness; art, beauty or liberation ". He

told his audience that these•ways are "leading men away

from the Christian concept of life ", adding, "we habitually

look for that which is useful to us, that which is comfortable

or pleasurable. We want to know everything and all too

often try everything."

He went on to ask: "Behind some of the forms and some of

the motives of current discontent, is there not a hidden rejection of conventional hedonism, of

bourgeois mediocrity and cowardly conformism, and an aspiration -to a simpler and-more -severe, more

personal, style of commitment? " He stated: "These are positive phenomena even in the decadent habits

of our century."

Concern about Test-Tube Experiment . Asked about the 'proposed British experiment to overcome

infertility by making it possible for a woman to bear a child conceived outside the body, Mgr. Fausto

Vallaine, the Vatican's press officer, said that such proposals would' mean "that acts contrary to Catholic

morals have to be carried out ". In principle, he declared, "the Catholic Church is opposed to

experiments of this kind. But each case should be dealt with on .its merits. I do not know the

circumstances of this case and therefore do not want to make any comment about it."

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.L'Osservatore Romano, however, accused the British team of. doctors of "extreme levity ". It

asked.what guarantee could be offered, that the liquid in the test-tube wonid not "cause or favour

errors in the formation of the various organs ". It went on ' to •say: "Let us suppose that the test fails

-which is fairly likely. If the fertilised ovum of today is the man of tomorrow, then its death is equivalent

to an abortion." SPAIN Two Views of Rolland Mgr. Casimiro Morrill°, Archbishop of Madrid, recently wrote

to the Dutch Primate,Cardinal -Alf-rink, -announcing his "profound distress and painful sense of shock

at the attitude and the recommendations of the Dutch Pastoral Council ".

"The college of bishops, together with the Pope," Mgr. Morelli° declared, "is alone competent to treat

questions of such delicacy. And in my capacity as a member of the college of bishops, I am obliged to

announce to the Dutch 'bishops ray sadness and my protest."

The archbishop's letter has provoked another,also to Cardinal Alfrink', by one hundred and forty-six

priests of Madrid, expressing the opposite point of view. In their letter, the priests deplore "the recent

declarations 'of Spanish bishops on • the Dutch 'bishops and the Dutch Pastoral Council in disregard of

the conscience of many of the faithful ".

WEST GERMANY Support for Celibacy The bishops of West Germany have endorsed the P'ope's ruling

on priestly celibacy.

The West German Bishops' Conference, which recently ended after a four-day meeting at Essen,

adopted by unanimous decision a statement agreeing with the terms of the letter which the Pope sent

to Cardinal Villa about the celibacy of the priesthood (The Tablet, 7 and 14 February).

Although the question of celibacy was not on the conference's original agenda, the fifty bishops and

auxiliary bishops spent -a considerable time over, the . issue,' and declared their final text to -be "a

clear and olemo statement made necessary by the uncertainty and contradictions of present

controversy". In future, they said, only men "accepting the grace of celibacy for the sake of the kingdom

of heaven" would be called to the priesthood.

The statement went on to say that priests dismissed from their posts for 'having married could not be

reinstated, although it was hoped to use more laymen than previously and that married men would have

the opportunity to be ordained as deacons.

In a press conference, Cardinal Ddpfner, Archbishop of Munich, and chairman of the Conference, said

that West Germany would not follow the recommendation of the Congregation for the Clergy that all

priests should renew their vdws of celibacy on Maundy Thursday; the recommendation, he said, was

merely a suggestion.

Cardinal Dopfner said that the Dutch bishops' call for optional celibacy "is certainly a burden for the

whole Western ChUrch ". He added, however, that the German bishops have not "formulated an

opinion" on events in the Netherlands.

He then declared that he was afraid that the Pope's suggestion, in his letter to Cardinal Villot, that

married men might be admitted to the priesthood in certain cases where there was a shortage of

priests, might "act as a crowbar " to overturn completely the present regulations on priestly celibacy.

Meanwhile, a co-ordinating committee representing some 1,500 members of priests' councils in West

Germany addressed a letter to the bishops declaring that celibacy will always be a credible priestly ideal,

but only if freely chosen and not imposed as an obligation. The letter went on to urge that the Church

"instead of Wasting time 'on a merely disciplinary measure, should 'contentrate its energies on the

propagation Of the Gospel ".

Hans Kiing on Celibacy Commenting on the statement of the eighty -four German -speaking theologians

who recently called on their bishops not to abandon the Dutch bishops and others who faced similar

difficulties (The Tablet, 21 February), Fr. Hans Kting, interviewed In the Stuttgart daily Stuttgarter

Zeitung, said that they had been driven to speak by their impression that the Vatican might be moving

towards a head-on collision with the Church in the Netherlands. "This tendency ", he said, "may

endanger the very unity of the Church, 'because it forestalls serious 'dialogue with the Dutch ".

Asked whether a schism might result, Fr. Kung pointed out that the Dutch were not even thinking of

such a thing. But, he said, "Subh a danger may arise if Rome takes measures against the Dutch bishops

".

Fr. Kling warned that the celibacy question taken by itself was " peripheral ", and should not Obscure

matters of greater importance to the faith.

Speaking of the recent letter from the Congregation for the Clergy which recommended that priests

renew their ordination promises annually, including those of celibacy and obedience (The Tablet, 14

February), he declared that he thought it expressed "distrust of the overwhelming

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February), he declared that he thought it expressed "distrust of the overwhelming

majority of priests the world over who are true to their commitments". Stich a legalistic approach was

likely to produee only harmful results, he said.

NETHERLANDS Bishops See for Themselves The Dutch Church is certainly not on the way to schism.

Everything which is being done is because of sincere concern for souls. This was the conclusion of three

Austrian bishops, Bishop Weber of Graz, Bishop Zak of St. Molten and Auxiliary Bishop Wagner of Linz,

at the end of a three-day visit to the Netherlands.

The bishops visited the Institute for Higher Catechetics in Nijmegen, attended a modern Mass in the

church of St. Dominic in Amsterdam, and heard about the new trends in pastoral work and organisation

in the city of Amsterdam. They also met Cardinal Alfrink in Utrecht.

Before leaving, the Austrian bishops expressed their regret that they had not visited Holland before.

They could have observed developments more accurately.

AUSTRIA Dialogue with the Dutch The Austrian bishops have published a declaration "regretting the

positions taken by the Dutch Pastoral Council, and supporting the enlightened words of the Pope, in

particular in his letter to Carditial Villot ".

The bishons recalled that Vatican II had confinned the celibacy rule by 2,390 votes to four, and they

declared that "in the world of today celibacy freely undertaken is a sign that we take Christianity

seriously ".

Cardinal Konig of Vienna and ArChbishop Weber of Graz, in interviews with the Catholic news agency

Kathpress, emphasised that the bishops' statement was not directed against the Dutch bishops or the

Dutch Catholics or against the National Pastoral Council. They said that the Austrian bishops had

opposed the Dutch proposals because they believed that "such a decision cannot be made without

considering its impact" on other countries. Cardinal KOnig added, however, that he did not consider that

Pdpe Paul had ruled out any further discussion, and announced that in the near future the Austrian and

Mitch bishops would undertake a dialogue about celibacy.

PORTUGAL Unanimous on Celibacy 'Cardinal Cerejeira, Patriarch of Lisbon, has assured the Pope of the

unanimous agreement of Portuguese Catholics that priestly celibacy is essential. He also emphasised the

close union of the Portuguese Bishops' Conference with the Pope "at this particularly unhappy time ".

TANZANIA Catholic Schools Take-Over The Tanzanian Government has taken over the management of

all schools that have been receiving government grants, including about 1,500 of the country's 1,617

Catholic schools.

Under the Education Act passed by the National Assembly last December, and made law by President

Nyerere on 21 February, the Church will retain ownership of its schools, but the Government will manage

them, and all teachers in grantaided schools will be employed by the State. Religious instruction,

however, will be in the hands of church organisations approved by the Minister of Education. The Act

specifically exempts seininaifes and novitiates.

NIGERIA More Missionaries Go TWent3r-hine niore missionaries have now been deported from Nigeria.

Like the thirty-two missionaries earlier deported (The Tablet, 14 February), they were tried and

convicted on charges of illegally entering the country and working Without a permit. They include Bishop

Whelan of Owerri and eighteen other Irish priests, eight Irish sisters, an Italian priest and an American

imn.

Befbre deportation the missionaries were fined 100 Nigerian .pounds (about £116 sterling) each and

twenty of then i were detained in prison for four days. Nigeria has now refunded these fines. In Lagos

the Federal Military Government said in a statement that it had decided to Waive the fines; government

sources also said that fines imposed on the earlier group of deported missionaries would be refunded.

In an interview in ome, Bishop Whelan rejected charges that food distributed by missioners and other

relief 'workers during the war had only served to prolong the fighting and therefore human suffering.

"Our Caritas food went only to civilians, especially to the very young and the old. None of it went to

soldiers. Even if feeding all those children did prolong the war— which I don't at all admit—none of us

could say to a starving child: 'We have to let you starve for the greater good '." He said that the

missionaries' defence at their trial had been twofold: that their duty before God had been to help the

people under their care, even if that meant violating some civil laws ; and that laws that could not be

observed do not bind—" it was impossible far us to get a residence permit ". Earlier, he said that the

missionaries hoped to return to Nigeria.

Back in Dublin, Bishop Whelan declared:. "Biafra has ceased to exist and its place has been taken by the

three states which form part of the new constitutional Nigeria. I would like the authorities to know that

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three states which form part of the new constitutional Nigeria. I would like the authorities to know that

we who were expelled retain no rancour in our hearts. We did what we felt to be our duty." Two more

Irish priests and two nuns were later fined 40 Nigerian pounds each (about £45 sterling) for the same

immigration offences of which the earlier groups were convicted, and also sentenced to be deported.

COLOMBIA Follower of Camilo Torres

The Spanish priest Fr. Domingo Lain Sanz, expelled from Colombia last year (The Tablet, 31 May 1969),

has returned and joined the same band of guerrillas that Camilo Torres 'belonged to before he was killed

in an army ambtish. "We commemorate commander Camilo Torres's death four years ago by presenting

a witness who continues his example, Spanish Fr. Domingo Lain ",:the guerrillas announced.

The wide publicity given to this action by the guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, indicates that

they see it as a weapon in the battle for public opinion. A picture of Fr. Lain in olive-green uniform and

carrying a rifle received front-page treatment in El Tiemx), leading liberal daily of Bogota. In an open

letter to several newspapers Fr. Lain wrote: "I have chosen the path of armed revolt because, owing to

the reactionary and oppressive system in Colombia, and indeed in Latin America. there is no solution

other than that of rove. lutionary and liberating force." He believed he was following a "moral command:

to set free the exploited masses in Colombia and in all other oppressed countries ". He went on to say

that he was convinced that he could now "live my true priestly life, which demands complete sacrifice,

whereby all people can live ". He concluded by referring to Camilo Torres: "His word and his example

remain banners of salvation, the cry of freedom for all those who are exploited."

USA Celibacy Rule Reaffirmed The Catholic bishops of America have reaffirmed the total support for the

celibacy rule which they expressed at their November half-yearly meetings in 1967 and 1969. A telegram

sent to the Pope by the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Dearden,

declared on their behalf that at those two meetings "the bishops of the United States reaffirmed the

position of the Church regarding the law of celibacy. Within the context of this unwavering position the

bishops of this country wholeheartedly join your Holiness again in supporting the ideal and discipline of

consecrated celibacy which have served the priesthood and the Church so well. In their name I express

to your Holiness sentiments of our loyalty, affection and esteem."

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