An ecumenical papal journey M AINZ Germany. Pope John Paul I I has made his journey into the seat of European Protestantism an ecumenical encounter, confessing "guilt" to his Evangelical counterparts but stopping short of intercommunion between Catholic and Lutheran churches. "Let us not sit in judgement on each possibility to gather around the one table of the Lord with one mind and one faith," the other, but confess our guilt to each Pope added. in a one-hour meeting said he ther," o I n his address, Pope John Paul recalled how with Protestant Church leaders. in 1510 Martin Luther had travelled to Rome "It was the first such meeting in 400 as a pilgrim in search of answers to his quesyears of church disunity. tions. And the Pope said: "Today I come to But in the Mainz meeting he told seven council members of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church that intercommunion must wait until full unity was achieved. A bout 47 percent of West Germany's 61 million population are Protestant, predominantly Lutheran. About 45 percent of the population is Catholic. "We are called together to strive for the full unity in faith through the dialogue of truth and love," he told the Lutheran leaders. "It is only the full unity which gives us the
you, the spiritual descendants of Luther, andI have come as a pilgrim." Bishop Edward Lohse, head of the Evangelical Church of Germany, said that his church hoped for a different approach from Catholics. "We welcome everybody to our services and do not turn away from the table of the Lord Christians of other confessions," the Bishop said. "We await with patient hope the expression of open invitation on the part of your church that we are welcome as guests and friends at
ARCHBISHOP 50 YEARS A PRIEST
PERTH, WA: NOVEMBER 20-26, 1980 TELEPHONE: (09) 328 1388 the celebration of the Eucharist, without relinquishing one's own church membership for it," he added. Later Pope John Paul met members of other Christian churches. He discussed the common responsibility of all Christians for the divisions and said that a "common service and witness" was needed to heal the breach. The Pope underlined the need to clarify fundamental issues first, before tackling concrete changes. The Pope and West German Protestant church leaders yesterday agreed to form a mixed ecumenical committee to study questions that divide the two churches. Protestant officials quickly welcomed the decision as an important step, although neither side expected quick results from the committee. Bishop Lohse, Chairman of the Evangelical Church had earlier expressed a hope for inter communion. The Pope also took special note of the Jewish community in Germany. A meeting with 42 representatives was re-
Archbishop Goody is celebrating this year the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood that took place in Rome on December 21, 1930. On Monday night more than 200 priests from Perth, Bunbury and Geraldton dioceses concelebrated Mass with him in St. Columba's church, South Perth, and afterwards at a jubilee dinner Bishop Quinn made a presentation of a painting to the Archbishop Goody to mark the event. See page 3
WHY WAS THE POPE • MISUNDERSTOOD
Father Pitman speaks out P16
NUMBER: 2214 PRICE: 30 cent
scheduled when Orthodox Jews complained that the earlier appointment would force them to travel on the Sabbath. Pope John Paul said that the meeting had a special significance because of "the persecution and attempted elimination of Judaism in this country." But the Pope has not limited his attention merely to inter-church relations. By the time the Pope left Mainz, he had addressed a series of major issues: Global hunger, the quest for peace, Christian unity, scientific freedom, the "painful division" between East and West Germany, abortion and family rights. The visit to West Germany gave the Pope an opportunity to reiterate his stands on the world situation. "We are reaching more and more the limits of economic growth," he told workers and their families at the Mainz-Frankfurt airport. "Even if we do not want to developments will force us to be less demanding and to manage without some of the material things of life in order to share the limited goods of the earth peacefully with as.k many people as possible," he said. In Cologne, Pope John Paul issued a stern warning to governments which threaten the rights of families. "State and society bring about their own downfall if they no longer really foster and shelter marriage and the family and set other, dishonourable ways of living together on the same level with them," he told more than 300,000 people at an outdoor Mass outside Cologne. In his homily the Pope also condemned abortion and extramarital sex.
With over 140 Savings Centres throughout Western Australia, we're near you. But no other building society conies near us.
Town &Country. Setting the Pace. Town & Country Permanent Building Society 297 Murray Street. Perth Telephone 327 3333.