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Registered by posting as a NEWSPAPER Category A (11)
6000
Perth, Thursday, June 12, 1980
No 2190
Pope defends teachings on birth control
Price 30 Cents
Eucharistic Procession
V ATICAN CITY (NC) — In a message to Indonesia bishops, Pope PaulII strongly defended the Church's teaching on birth control ohn J in what Vatican observers said was criticism of a statement by the bishops allowing artificial birth control in some circumstances. "In the question of the Church's teaching on the regulation of birth, we are called to profess in union with the whole church the exigent but uplifting teaching recorded in the encyclical 'Humanae Vitae,— the pope told the Indonesian bishops last week. At the end of 1972 the Indonesian Bishops' Conference issued a statement saying that parents who feel obligated to regulate births but cannot maintain temporary or absolute sexual abstinence"decide responsibly and do not need to feel that they have sinned, if t hey employ other methods."
CONTRARY In the 1972 statement the bishops ruled out sterilization and abortion, but not artificial contraception, as a means of family planning. They said that parents Should "always give properand full consideration to the position of the Holy Father," but added: "However, it is also understood and agreed Upon that parents . . . in Special situations perhaps will arrive at a conclusion contrary to the teachings of the encyclical precisely in respect to the teaching regarding the methods forbidden to use other than sexual abstinence in planned parenthood."
'BY CHRIST'
In his address to the bishops, the third group of Indonesian prelates making their official fiveyear visits to Rome in recent weeks, Pope John Paul did not explicitly m ention the 1972 statement. The papal teaching in liumanae Vitae" was put forth "by virtue of the mandate entrusted us by Christ," he said. A fter insisting on uPholding the teaching against artificial contraception, the pope added: "Particularly in this r egard we must be conscious of the fact that G od's wisdom supersedes human calculations and
His grace is powerful in people's lives. "It is important for us to realize the direct influence of Christ on the members of His Body in all realms of moral challenges." He repeated his words to another group of bishops last year. "Let us never fear that the challenge is too great for our people: They were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ — they are his people . . . "It is He, Jesus Christ, who will continue to give the grace to his people to meet the requirements of his word, despite all difficult ie s, despite all weaknesses." The pope's words were considered the strongest yet in his pontificate reaffirming church teaching
against artificial contraception. In his talk he also criticized abortion. "In our ministry at the service of life we are called to testify to the fullness of the truth we hold, so that all may know the stand of the Catholic Church on the utter inviolability of human life from the moment of conception," he said. "Hence," he continued, "We proclaim with deep conviction that any wilful destruction of human life by procured abortion, for any reason whatsoever, is not in accord with God's commandment, that it is entirely outside the competence of any individual or group, and that it cannot redound to true human progress."
Leading the canopy party with the Blessed Sacrament at the Corpus Christi procession at Clontarf last Sunday girls in Polish national dress strew flower petals along the path of the procession.
Pope to Italian bishops: Revive collegial tradition V ATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope John Paul II told the Italian Bishop's Conference to end its traditional reliance on the Holy See for national leadership.
It should take up "its own responsibilities" and "revive fully the collegial tradition in force in the church ever since the most ancient times," he said. The pope put the autonomy of the bishop's conference first on the list of issues that he wanted to "call to your attention." "First of all," he said, "is the problem of a correct and well understood autonomy of the bishops' conference for defining and carrying out its own pastoral duties."
IN CHARGE "This problem is peculiar to Italy since it can seem that the special links through which it has been and is related to the papacy and the Holy See at times have placed and are placing the bishops' conference itself in a shadow," he said.
"To dissipate this ambiguity," the conference should "know how to revive fully the collegial tradition in force in the church ever since the most a ncient times," he continued. He cited the Second Vatican Council's teachings on the importance of collegiality and national bishops' conference. "You, then, are the ones in charge of the church in Italy and you must be so in an ever more a ware and incisive manner. "Regardless of whether the pope is of Italian origin or not,but also taking into account, obviously, that he is the bishop of Rome and primate of Italy, the bishops' conference must proceed ever more organically and surely in taking up its own responsibililties.
The pope also attacked "secularism and materialism" in Italian society. "The picture that Italy offers is that of a country which is essentially Catholic at its deepest level," he said, "but which on the surface has had to confront attacks which, from the opposed fronts of secularism and materialism have inflicted serious wounds on the spiritual life of the nation." "We are thinking of the desacralization taking place, with fearful repercussions on the levels of family life and of public and private morality, and with the spread of disgraceful models of behaviour which have been deeply etched on the forms of individual and c ommunal life," he added.
A Polish tradition Last Sunday some 600 people kept up the tradition of the Polish c ommunity Corpus Christi procession that has taken place for over 20 years at Clontarf. Started by the late Monsignor Dzieciol, the procession this year was led by Polish/ Franciscan Fathers Bleslaw Smok, Janusz Trawinski and Szymon Bienias, of Maylands, assisted by Salvatorians Fathers Andrzeg Pyka of Bellevue and Franciszek, on a visit from Africa. People in national costume and representing religious sodalities also took part. The procession through the grounds halted four times for readings of the gospel, prayers and benediction from decorated altars. The various shrines were assembled and decorated b y the Polish Ex servicemen's Association, the Sikorsky Club, the Cracovia Club and the Polish Association. Father Smok said that these processions held in every Polish parish in Poland at this time were religious and patriotic expressions of Polish faith during the hard times of their history.
They firmly believed that only Christ could
help them in their difficult times.
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