A 'AUDIT
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Ascutraiote,IA.
No • 3489.
PERTH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1970.
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Registered for posting as a NEWSPAPER. Category "A" (ii)
Pope Paul's Letter
World Day of Peace 1971 MEN OF 1971! On the timepiece of the World's history the hand of time, of our time, points to the beginning of a new year, this one which we wish to inaugurate, as we have inaugurated previous y ears with our affectionate greeting, with our message of Peace: Peace to you, Peace to the World. Listen to Us. It is worthwhile. Yes, as usual, Our word is: Peace. But it is the word of which the world is in need, urgently in need, and that makes it new. Let us open our eyes at the dawn of this new year, let us observe two orders of general facts and events, which affect the world, its peoples, families and individuals. These facts, it seems to Us, influence our destinies deeply and directly. Each one of us can be their horoscope. Observe the first order. In truth it is not an order, but a disorder. For the facts which We assemble in this category all indicate a return to thoughts and deeds which it seemed the tragic experience of war had, or should have, wiped away. At the ;nd of the Enough of war everyone said: Enough what? Of everything that gave rise to the human butchery and the appalling devastation. Immediately after the war, at the beginning of this generation, humanity became suddenly conscious that it was not enough to bury the dead, heal the wounds, rebuild what was destroyed and renew and improve the face of the earth; the causes of the conflagration we had undergone must be removed. The causes: this was the wise plan; to look for the causes and to eliminate them. the world breathes again. Indeed it seemed that a new era was about to open, the era of universal peace. Everyone seemed ready to accept radical changes in order to avoid new cornets. For the political, social and economic structures a perspective of wonderful moral and social innovations was presented. There was talk of justice, of human rights, of betterment of the weak, of orderly coexistence, of organised collaboration, of world union. Great gestures were made: the victors, for example, came to the aid of the vanquished. Great institutions were founded. The world began to organise itself on principles of effective union and common prosperity. The way to peace, as a normal and fundamental condition of life in the world, seemed to have been finally planned.
just and lasting peace, and to renouncing the task of implanting into the education of the new generations the hope for, and the mentality of, peace?
PROGRESSIVE PEACE Fortunately another set of ideas and facts appears before our gaze; and it is that of progressive peace. For, notwithstanding everything, peace marches on. There are breaks in continuity, there are inconsistencies and difficulties. But all the same, peace marches on and is establishing itself in the world with a certain invincibility. Every man is conscious of it: peace is necessary. It has in its favour the moral progress of humanity, which is indisputably directed towards unity. Unity and peace, when freedom unites them, are sisters. Peace benefits from the growing favour of public opinion, which is convinced of the absurdity of war pursued for its own sake and believed to be the only and unavoidable means of settling controversies among men. Peace avails itself of the ever closer network of human relations in the fields of culture, economics, commerce, sports and tourism. We must live together, and it is good to know each other, and to respect and help one another. A fundamental cohesion is taking shape in the world. This favours peace. International relations are increasingly developing, and they form the premise and also the guarantee of a certain concord. The great international and supranational institutions are seen to be providential, at the source as well as at the perfection of humanity's peaceful co-existence.
UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD
hood overflowing with metaphysical love, with supernatural charity. We can teach This consciousness of a universal human human brotherhood, that is peace, by teachbrotherhood is also happily developing in ing men to acknowledge, to love, to invoke our world, at least in principle. Whoever our Father in heaven. We know that we shall works to educate the rising generations in find the way to God's altar barred if we have the conviction that every man is our brother, not first removed the obstacle to reconciliais building from the foundation the edific of tion with our brother man (Mt. 5, 23ff., peace. Whoever implants in public opinion 6 : 14-15). And we know that if we are prothe sentiment of human brotherhood with- moters of peace, then we can be called sons out reserve, is preparing better days for the of God, and be among those whom the Gosworld. Whoever conceives of the protection pel calls blessed (Mt. 5:9). of political interests without the incitement What strength, what fruitfulness, what of hate and of combat amongst men, as logical and indispensable necessity of social life, confidence the Christian religion bestows on is opening to human society the ever effec- the equation of brotherhood and peace. tive advancement of the common good. Who- What joy it is for us to find, at the meeting ever helps in discovering in every man, be- point of these two terms, the crossing of the yond his physical, ethnic and racial charac- paths of our faith with those of the hopes of teristics, the existence of a being equal to humanity and civilisation. his own, is transforming the earth from an epicentre of division, antagonism, treachery and revenge into a field of vital work for POPE: civil collaboration.
REMEMBER THE POOR, SUFFERING
Where brotherhood amongst men is at root disregarded, peace is at root destroyed. And yet peace is the mirror of the real, authentic, modern humanity, victorious over every anachronistic self-injury. Peace is the POPE PAUL VI urged Christmas shoppers great concept extolling love amongst men who discover that they are brothers and de- not to forget "those who suffer, who live in cide to live as such. poverty and have nothing."
Speaking to crowds in St. Peter's square from the window of his study, the Pope called Christmas a "human and gentle feast" This then is Our message for the year when gifts are given as a sign of goodness 1971. It echoes as a voice arising anew from and joy. the conscience of civil society, the Declaration of Human Rights: "All human beings "But let us avoid waste and remember are born free and equal in dignity and rights. that around us and in the MAN'S MISSION — PEACE world there are They are endowed with reason and con- still many Before this double picture, on which are poor, many who are in need and science and should act towards one another superimposed phenomena contrary to the often do not have necessities while we enjoy in a spirit of brotherhood." This is the sumpurpose closest to Our heart—that is, peace— luxuries," he said. mit reached by the teaching of ambivalent civilisation. it seems to Us that a single, Let us not turn back. Let us not lose the observation can be drawn. Let us ask a twotreasures of this axiomatic conquest. Rather fold question concerning two aspects of the let us all give rational and resolute attention to-day: presents world the scene mbiguous a to this formula, this goal of human progress: • Why, today, does peace recede? • And why, today, does peace progress? "Every man is my brother." This is peace, in being and in the making. And it avails for What is the element which emerges, in a 25 YEARS AFTER all! sense, positive a in indeed negative sense, or For us, brothers of faith in Christ, it is And yet, what do we see after twenty-five from this simple analysis? The element is years of this material and idyllic progress? always man. Man abased in the first case, especially valid. To the human wisdom, We see, first of all, that, here and there, wars man upraised in the second. Let us venture which, with great effort, has reached such Still rage, and seem to be incurable plagues, to use a word, which may itself appear am- an eminent and difficult conclusion, we beWhich threaten to spread and grow worse. biguous, but which, given the thought its lievers can add a needed support—before all, We see a cc ntinuation of, and in places an deep significance demands, is ever splendid the support of certitude (for doubts of all kinds may besiege it, weaken it, destroy it), increase in, social, racial and religious dis- and supreme. that of our certitude in the divine word of crimination. We see a return of the old menChrist our Master, as inscribed in his Gospel: tality; man seems to entrench himself in LOVE situations of the past, first psychological and The word is "love": love for man, as the "You are all brothers" (Mt. 23:8) then political. order. We can offer encouragement as to th6 highest principle of the terrestrial The demons of yesterday rise up again. Love and peace are correlative entities. Peace possibility of applying it (for, in practical The supremacy of economic interests, with is a product of love: true love, human love. reality, how difficult it is to be truly brothers the all too easy exploitation of the weak, Peace supposes a certain "identity of choice": to everybody!) We can do this by turning; once more returns; so does class hatred and this is friendship. If we want peace. we to another of Christ's fundamental teachglass warfare, and thus is born again inter- must recognise the necessity of building it ings, as to a practical and standard rule of national and civil strife. The struggle for upon foundations more substantial than the action: "Treat others as you would like them national prestige and political power is back; non-existence of relations (relations among to treat you: that is the meaning of the Law the inflexible conflict of opposing ambitions, men are inevitable; they grow and become and the Prophets" (Mt. 7:12). an . d of the rooted and uncompromising pre- necessary), or the existence of relations of How philisophers and saints have medipchces and ideologies has returned; recourse self-interest (these are precarious and often tated on this maxim, which implants the or iS had to i IStandards crime and violence, as a burning deceptive), or the web of purely cultural universality of the precept of brotherhood Ideal, heedless of the conflagration that may f ortuitous relations (these can be double- into the individual and positive actions of ensue. edged, for peace or for combat. social morality! Also FOOD & PIE WARMERS Peace is again thought of as no more than True peace must be found upon justice, a balance of mighty forces and of terrifying upon a sense of the intangible dignity of DEEP WELL FRYERS in GOD OUR FATHER armaments. Once again people feel a tremor man, upon the recognition of an abiding and T OASTER GRILLERS stock And so, finally, we are in a position to proof. fear lest some catastrophic imprudence happy equality between men, upon the basic LOW OVEN RANGES Might lead to incredible and uncontrollable principle of human brotherhood, that is, of vide the supreme argument: the concept of HOTCUPBOARDS holocausts. What is happening? Where are the respect and love due to each man, be- God's Fatherhood over all men, proclaimed We going? What has gone wrong? Or what cause he is man. The victorious word springs t o all believers. A true brotherhood, among is lacking? Must we resign ourselves to f orth: because he is a brother. My brother, men, to be authentic and binding, presupdoubting that man is capable of achieving a our brother. poses and demands a transcendental Father-
EVERY MAN MY BROTHER
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