r diocese of fall river
t eanc 0 YOLo 23, NO. 5
FALL RIYER, MASS., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1979
Church Conferences Decry Social Security Cutbacks WASHINGTON (NC) - The National Conference of Catholic Charities and the U.S. Catholic ConfeJ:'ence have joined a coalition of more tHan 115 organizations opposing Soc,ial, Security benefit cuts proposed by the Carter administration, which they said break a "moral compact" with the American people. The coaiition, Save Our Security, said the cuts would hurt the poor, women, minorities and the elderly, and charged they would change Social Security from a social insurance program to a welfare program.
King Proclaims Schools Week Governor Edward J. King has designated the week of Feb. 4 through 10 as Catholic Schools Week in the Commonwealth. In the Fall River diocese the observance took place this week but next week will also see many parents' programs in diocesan schools. The governor's proclamation follows: WHEREAS: Catholic schools have advanced the cause of religion for a century and more through the support of self-sacrificing parents and benefactors and the dedication of sisters, brothers, priests and laypeople, who teach by what they are; and
President Jimmy Carter said the programs to be cut were minor and unnecessary. He said they benefited many who did not need them and that those who did need them could be helped by welfare programs. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph Califano said the proposed cuts of $600 million in fiscal year 1980 represented only one-quarter of one per cent ,of Social Security spending. However, the amount affected would rise to $7 billion by 1984. But the chairman of SOS, former HEW Secretary Wilbur Cohen, said the principle, not the amount of money involved, was the major issue. Cohen said the coalition has already won "round one" because the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Al Ullman (D-Ore.) has said the committee will not deal with the proposals this year. Here are some of the Carter proposals: - Elimination of the $255 lump sum death benefit. The administration proposed an alternative death benefit under the Turn to Page Seven
SI.DELIGHTS OF PAP'AL TRIP As the pope entered Rome's Fiumicino airport to embark on his historic trip, police called his atten~ion to a mother and her infant .son, suffering from a serious heart ailment. The mother had brought the baby to see the pope. "I will pray for him," the pontiff assured her. '
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Before he left the Vatican, the pope gave a fatherly admonition to Italian youngsters: "Be good while the pope is away from Rome!"
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On his flight to Latin America, 'Pope John Paul sent greetings to the heads of state of Italy, France and Portugal as he flew through the air space of their countries. An exchange of greetings with U.S. President Jimmy Carter, sent路 as the pontiff flew over Puerto Rico, was cut short because of a poor radio connection to the White House.
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What does the pope eat? The papal breakfast, the first Turn to Page Seven
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Latin Trip Triumph For John Paul II By Jerry Filteau MEXICO CITY (NC)-A busy Pope John Paul II became a crowd-pleasing success as soon as he stepped on Latin American soil. His trip has been filled with numerous public triumphs and he delivered a major speech on the church and society. He also appears to have scored some significant points for im. proved church-state relations in Mexico. To miilions of people in Mexico and the Dominican Republic the most important thing was simply that they saw the pope in person. One elderly woman along the papal motorcade route from the airport into,Mexico City was still crying and visibly sha-, ken five minutes after the pope had passed. TougH-looking soldiers and policemen assigned to provide security and crowd control doffed their caps and blessed themselves as the pope went by. But besides the public relations successes of a pope who naturally loves crowds and often thrills them with his appearances, the eight-day trip, ending today,
WHEREAS: Catholic education has demonstrated its ability to contribute to the national welfare throughout America's history by raising national levels of knowledge, competence and experience; and WHEREAS: the commitment of Catholic schools to Christian values and the Christian moral code renders a profound service to society, which depends on spiritual values and good moral conduct for its- very survival; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Edward J. King, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts do hereby designate the week of February 4 to 10, 1979, as Catholic Schools Week and urge the citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event.
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WORK PROCEEDS at St. Mary's Cathedral for diocesan jubilee year. Pews have been removed for refurbishing and scaffolding enables workers to renova~e walls and ceiling.
was a watershed in setting the tone of his pontificate. In a major speech opening the deliberations of the third general assembly of the Latin American bishops in Puebla, Mexico, Jan. 28, the pope declared that the churCh was firmly and by its very nature committed to fighting injustice. He also sharply warned against linking the church with any particular socio-economic solution to human woes. Tum to Page Three
Pope, Gromyko Talk at Length VATICAN CITY (NC) - Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope, gave the longest private audience to any government official so far to Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, whose country is a dominant factor in Polish affairs. The audience, just before the pope's departure for Latin America, lasted an hour and 45 minutes. In his airplane press conference during his trip to Latin America, the pope said he and Gromyko discussed achieving world peace. He said that peace was his main topic in all discussions with political representatives. The Vatican press office said that problems related to the life of the Church in the Soviet Union were also touched on. About 8.5 million Catholics live' in the Soviet Union. Of these, about five million are Latin-Rite Catholics living in the Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latavia and Estonia. Another 1.5 million are Ukrainians. The meeting was the sixth time Gromyko has met the pope. L'Unita, the Italian Communist Party daily, said the men met alone and spoke Russian. Meanwhile in Warsaw, Poland, the government news agency reported that Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski of Warsaw and Polish Communist Party leader Edward Gierek met to discuss churchstate matters. A church source said the two discussed a possible visit to Poland later this year by Pope John Paul.