FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPEI··· FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHU$En'S CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
VOL. 30, NO. 43
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Friday, October 31, 1986
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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$8 Per Year
Bishops ask voters to exercise rights Through the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the four Catholic bishops of Massachusetts, Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston; Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Bishop of Fall River; Most Reverend Timothy J. Harrington, Bishop of Worcester; and Most Reverend Jo-
seph F. Maguire, Bishop of Springfield, have issued the following statement regarding the N 0vember 4th General Election: A hallmark of our great nation is the right of the people to govern themselves. Enshrined in both the Federal and State Constitutions is the principle of representative democracy: government for, of and by the people! We
most vigorously protect this principle when we exercise our right to vote. Sad to say, all too many citizens fail to exercise this fundamental right':" perhaps because of cynicism or complacency. While no system is perfect, our form of government will function and improve only to the extent that as voting citizens we participate in it. To the degree we are involved, we shall receive the government we deserve. As Catholics, we are called
by Christ to love our neighbor, respect all human life and seek justice for all. The Church's ministry and mission require us to relate positively to the political order. We must assure that the actions of government promote social justice and protect human rights. As citizens ofthe Commonwealth, all of us are pledged to work for a society where the common good is promoted and where each person's rights and freedoms are respected. One ofthe most effective ways
in which we as citizens can work for a better society is by making sure we always cast a well-considered and conscientious vote. There are eight important statewide referenda questions on the November 4th ballot. Each deserves our careful attention. Of particular concern to us are Question #1 and Question #2, because they involve human rights and basic social justice. Question #1 is concerned with stopping taxTurn to Page Six
Religious leaders join in Assisi peace summit The day, which began with a ASSISI, Italy (NC) - Worldwide religious leaders joined Pope welcoming talk by the pope, conJohn Paul II in Assisi Oct. 27 in a cluded with a joint service and a common call for peace, while some common meal that broke several warring factions heeded a papal hours of fasting by the estimated call for a day-long truce. . 150 Christian and non-Christian Sixty government leaders - in- representatives. The following day, Oct. 28, a cluding President Reagan - expressed support for the peace sum- Japanese interfaith group participating in the event said it plans a mit, the first event of its type. In the Italian hill town of Assisi, religious summit meeting in Japan where St. Francis preached his next year to which the pope would peace message 800 years ago, be invited. In between, in a rich display of churches and civic halls overflowed with the sounds and sights of some the world's faiths, were separate peace prayers by Christians, Mos15 major religions.
(ems, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, African animists, American Indians and several other groups. Throughout, the pope was a host who madea point of respecting the various beliefs of his guests, while underlining their united concern for peace. He welcomed the delegates, male and female, individually as they entered the Renaissance Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. There, gathered in a circle next to St. Francis' monastic cell, they shared a minute of silence. The purpose of the meeting, the
AT· ANNUAL celebration of wedding anniversaries at St. Mary's Cathedral, 71 parishes were represented with over 120 couples marking significant anniversaries. At 65 years, the longest married couple were Mr. and Mrs. Albert Shovelton, St. Thomas More parish, Somerset, shown with Bishop Daniel A. Cronin and their priest sons, Fathers William and Gerald Shovel-
pope told them, was to invite the world to "become aware that there exists another dimension of peace and another way of promoting it which is not a result of negotiations, political compromises or economic bargainings. " "It is the result of prayer," he said. The groups spent the next twoand-a-half hours demonstrating that idea in separate prayer ceremonies. In the medieval church of St. Rufino, the pope joined other Christian leaders and reminded
them that the search for full Christian unity was a part of peacemaking. Sitting be~ide him were Archbishop Robert Runcie of Canterbury, head of the world's Anglicans, and Orthodox Archbishop Methodius, a delegate of the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I. "We must be true peacemakers ... in today's world, scarred by the wounds of warfare and division, indeed in a sense crucified," the pope told the Christian leaders. Leaders from nine other OrthoTurn to Page 13
ton. At left, permanent deacon candidate John deA. Moniz, celebrating with his wife their silver anniversary, was lector for the Cathedral Mass. There were three diamond anniversaries, 40 golden, 14 couples marking 40 years and 50 silver jubilarians. (Gaudette photos)
Vote your conscience on November 4