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INDEMNIFIED TO The EXTENT of 41000
No. 2938
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transmission by poet as
a
at the
(Reatstered
,
602 HAY STREET
Derth Thursday, August 11, 1960 t
Perth. Tor Newspaper!
The Town Hall is opposite.
Why We Will Petition Queen On Divorce Bill It has been announced by the Attorney General, Sir Garfield Barwick, that the Matrimonial Causes Act is due to be implemented on October 1. In making this law effective for the whole of the Commonwealth, Australian legalists can undoubtedly boast of a much more satisfactory system of Divorce Law than the previous varying and State legislations provided. But legal satisfaction must surely be small compensation to the people of Australia when this has been achieved only by discarding any semblance of regard for Christian principles. violation of a basic prinWhen opinions of leading
.
Catholic and Anglican churchmen are ignored by the nation's legislators then our situation is a sorry one. The same people, it may be added, don't hesitate to call on the churches to play their part when it comes to tackling problems such as child delinquency and even raise their voices in disappointment when they think the churches are not doing enough. So many social problems life, concerning family which are the concern of churches, follow in the wake of marriage legislation that it is surely not presumptuous to expect that authoritative and representative criticism be given the most serious consideration. The pattern followed in the case of the Uniform Divorce Bill would seem to be based on the a priori assumptions that the text book theories of good legislation and the preserving of the State's own choice of grounds for divorce must be absolutely respected even at the cost of sa-rificing the principles of a Christianity as professed by a notable section of the country.
ciple of Christian marriage led the way to ever more simple divorce in a country that received from her its legal tradition.
ciple of giving the innocent party relief and in effect
leaves the Innocent party completely unprotected. Sec. 28 (m) of the Act reads: "that the parties to the marriage have separated and thereafter have lived separately and apart for a continuous period of not less than five years immediately preceding the date of the petition and there is no reasonable likelihood of cohabitation being resumed."
Our Opinion Firm The Catholic opinion on this question is now what it always has been and what that a it always will be valid marriage is a lifelong bond giving a permanent marital status to both parties which can cease only with the death of one party. This status by Christian standards is not merely a legal recognition by the State but a status sealed by
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God.
(By A Special
The voice of the Catholic Church has been ignored in spite of its continual protestations against this inroad on basic Christian law and the successes of the century secularists 19th have carried on into the 20th century with an ever more clear-cut break from the 18 centuries old Christian idea of marriage. Consequently a Catholic opinion on any Divorce Bill must first and foremost be a reSad Development The development of Div- statement of unequivocal orce Legislation since its opposition to divorce on any inception in British Law in ground whatsoever. In addition it will speci1857 has been one of continuous simplification and fically oppose any tendency amplification. The Law to facilitate divorce by the addition of further grounds. makers have -apparently been more concerned with Hoping at least that its fitting their laws to the voice may be heard and the social behaviour of a min- numbers of divorces someority, that is indifferent to what lessened. When, therefore, the Unimorality or public opinion, than with any desire to form Divorce Law Bill was maintain the sound moral put before the Federal Parprinciples of national life liament the Church again raised its voice in opposition which are our heritage. Consequently the legisla- and the Australian Hiertion has followed the con- archy stated their position clearly in their 1959 duct of the few, and in en- quite deavouring to legalise their Pastoral Letter on Marriage. conduct has led the way in Bulldozed Bill encouraging others to folThe Bill was opposed on When public low suit. opinion and the law disap- general principles and speprove many will hesitate to cifically because the result be pioneers in flagrant mis- of the Bill would be to inconduct. But when these crease the grounds for divbarriers are removed the orce throughout the nation. public reaction is, commonAdmittedly for the first ly, to accept this as approv- time we did have legislation al and set their standards that included positive proviaccordingly. And so the sion for Marriage Guidance progress. Always a minor- Councils and this aspect of ity will go their own per- the Act deserves the highverse way, rightly or wrong- est praise. The fact rely, and the law kept chasing mains however, that in to give such cesspools an every State, except W.A., exterior of legal respecta- there would be more bility. grounds than ever before In W.A. the first Divorce allowed. If one considers Act was passed in 1863 with marriage from a purely the promulgation of the secular point of view it is Matrimonial Causes Code; in at least possible to underthe reasoning that 1948 the grounds of divorce stand reached a total of 14. When moves a government, indifferent to Divine Law, to original the one recalls that Divorce Act of 1857 in grant an innocent party Great Britain, which con- means of protection by against cruelty, cerned the permitting of divorce divorce only on the ground adultery and the like. Be that as it may, this of adultery, was passed only after long debate and close Bill introduces a ground voting one can see how the that departs from the prtn-
cause of the
deserter and
Let us hear someone plead the case of the innocent victim of divorce."
adulterer.
Senator McKenna: ". There is no more dreadful insult to a decent woman than to leave her for some other woman. Pursuant to this clause, we are saying, 'Well, that is unjust, but we will enable you to be divorced in the interests of your husband, to enable Divorce By Consent him to regularise his illicit In fact a husband who union'." takes to himself a lover Senator Tangney: ". . I can seek a divorce after am speaking about this leaving his wife and family clause from the point of stranded for five years. view of the women of AusChildren and wife are left tralia, particularly those of with the sole consolation W.A. The reason that I do that they may be granted so is that during the years maintenance money. since this law was foisted on Adultery is no absolute the public of W.A bar, the fact that a family women have been coming is left fatherless is no bar to my office with their tales and the firm desire of the of heartbreak, injustice and offended party to save fam- misery. In nine cases out of ten it is the woman who suffers from this provision. Correspondent) The man can put on his hat and go out." ily and marriage cannot prevent the marriage being Welcome Move dissolved. Opposing as we Catholics An innocent party by law do every step that leads to may be victimised in the a lessening of the sanctity interest of the erring party and permanence of the marand friend! This ground in riage vows, we welcome the effect introduces divorce by move initiated by the "Asconsent. With this we shall sociation for the Advancesee abolished the last shred ment of the family" in makof real permanence in the ing a formal protest against marriage contracts of Aus- this clause by way of a tralia. Petition to Her Majesty the No wonder that we heard Queen. voices of protest raised in This Petition is a nationthe Federal Parliament. wide protest being made beHere are some: fore the implementation of Mr. Wentworth, M,H.R.: the Act. By Sec. 59 of the Commonwealth of AustraI regard this new principle as repugnant, not lia Constitution: "The Queen law any only to this legislation, but may disallow also to the general princi- within one year from the Governor General's assent ples of law." Senator McManus: ". . . This move has received I have heard pleaded the .
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To Clear Up Any False Notions ON FRIDAY LAST, AUGUST 5, THE "WEST AUSTRALIAN" CARRIED A LETTER REFERRING TO AN ARTICLE ON THE PRESENCE OF THE ANGLICAN DEAN OF BRISBANE AT THE RACES, PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 2.
This latter article contained the words, "The Sydney spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church, Dr. L. Rumble, said priests were forbidden to attend race meetings." The letter to the Editor in Friday's paper complained concerning this comment. The Archbishop's Secretary has issued a statement, which, up to the time of this paper going to press, has not been published in the "West Australian." This statement included the comment "that Dr. Rumble was quite correct when he said that it was forbidden for priests to attend race meetings. An exception, however, is made, with the Bishop's permission, in the case of some country centres where the local priests are allowed to attend some meetings which are considered social events. In the metropolitan area one priest is appointed to act as chaplain to the courses in case of an accident." From Dr. Rumble we have ascertained that his words were prefaced by the statement that "it was none of his business what the Dean of Brisbane did." These words were not reported in the Press.
the approval and recommendation of our Archbishop of Perth as well as
the approval of Archbishop Mannix in Melbourne and members of the Anglican Hierarchy. It is hoped that the Catholic people of W.A. will lend their support by signing the petition forms
now being distributed in the parishes. In this way West Australians can make clear to the rest of the Commonwealth that it is their hope and prayer that others in Australia may be spared this iniquitous clause which we have had to tolerate since 1948.
Mrs. Kasenkina Who Leapt For Her Life From Russians Is Dead Requiem Mass for Mrs. Oksana Stepanovna Kasenkina, 64, whose leap to freedom from a window of the Soviet consulate in New York in 1948 was an international sensation, was offered in Gesu Church in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. school The Russian teacher died on July 24 of She had a heart ailment. been living in a downtown Miami hotel for nearly a year under the assumed name of Mary Kamita under the protection of the U.S. State Department. She Was buried in Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery here. Mrs. Kasenkina disclosed that her plans to come to the United States succeeded when she was appointed an instructor for the children of Soviet officials of the New York consulate and of the Soviet delegation to the United Nations. In 1948 she was ordered to return to Russia and passage for her was booked on a ship scheduled to leave New York on July 31. On the day she was to depart, she was aided by non-communist friends and escaped from the consulate to the Toystoy Foundations' Reed Farm at Valley Cottage, N.Y.
Russian consulate The officials charged she had been drugged and kidnapConsulate attaches ped. came to the farm and persuaded Mrs. Kasenkina to return to the consulate. Later, at the consulate, she told newspapermen of the a story that, "kidnap" she admitted later, she was instructed to tell by Soviet Ambassador Alexander S. subsePanyushkin, who quently was ordered to leave this country by the U.S. Government. On August 12, 1948, Mrs. Kasenkina made her famous leap to freedom from a third-storey window of the consulate to avoid being returned to Russia. A wire broke her fall, but she was hospitalised for some time with internal injuries and walked with a slight limp for the rest of her life. The Soviet Embassy demanded that the teacher be returned to Soviet custody, but the U.S. Government refused the request. Mrs. Kasenkina was a native of the Ukraine. Her husband
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Mass Time -Table For Assumption Times for the celebration of Holy Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral for the Feast of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation, are as follows: 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8.15 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 12.10 p.m., 5.45 p.m.
1.10 p.m.,
disappeared in a 1937 Red purge and her only son was killed in World War II. She became a U.S. citizen in 1957. She wrote a book, "Leap to Freedom," detailing her experiences.
Clergy Recollection Day Is Cancelled Priests of the metropolitan area are hereby notified that the monthly Day of Recollection has been cancelled until early next year.
Boy's Good Work Gets Partnership Admitted to p,rtnership in the farm of a family which had befriended him six years ago and the legal changing of his name to theirs is the happy ending for an orphan lad who was given a Christmas home from Clontarf by Mr. Frank Ayres and family of Cleary. When Lester John Corti (now Ayres) went with his friend Tony MacDonald to the Ayres home, Mr. Ayres noticed Lester's interest in
rural life. He encouraged him to maintain and extend that interest with a view to one day having a property of his own. Each Christmas the boys returned to Cleary and after sitting for the Junior exam both lads naturally migrated to the wheat belt. Lester went to work with Mr. Ayres and his sons. So industrious and well behaved was he that he won the affection of the Ayres and the farmers of the district. When he turned 19 on August 8 he was admitted to partnership in the Ayres farm and changed his name by deed poll to theirs.
Refugee Year Appeal Sydney: The chairman of Australia's World Refugee Year appeal has thanked Australian Catholics for helping the country's appeal reach its goal of £500,000. He said in a letter: "I am most mindful of the valuable aid rendered by the workers drawn from your churches, who so generously gave of their time and talents, and would be pleased if my message of appreciation could be conveyed to your people. World Refugee Year closed on June 30.