Approval of Hatch Amendment Brings Mixed Reaction New Canon Law Will
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* :'v' ? i» Pennsylvania's >; largest weekly | circulation 138th Year, C XLIH No. 2 15 Cents Established in 1844: America's Oldest Catholic Newspaper in Conti f'uduesne University lay, March 19, 1982 _______ ! Librarian , j u»»u|i jonii n. nvcuoweu laiKS Will parish council members Helen Bailey, Sue Ondo, Listening to a session at the canon law seminar are, N.Y., Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua and representatives of Resurrection parish, West Mifflin from left, Aux. Bishop Anthony G. Bosco, Brooklyn, Bishop Leonard. M artha Kocsis and Dolores Rylatt. during the canon law sem inar last week. From left ari Says seminar speaker New canon law will mark end of Vatican II work By PATRICIA BARTOS ACCORDING to Fr. Morrisey, the will bring new concepts and terms new law would complete the task into prominence in church life, When the Church’s revised Code of given to the Vatican Council by Pope according to speakers at the Canon Law is promulgated, or John XXIII and would provide a set se m in a r. declared law, later this year it will of laws reflective of life in the late m ark the end of the work of Vatican 20th Century. It m arks the first such Among these are a sort of “bill of II and the beginning of the Vatican II revision of the code in 65 years, rights" for the laity, bringing men era, according to Fr. Francis G. sin ce 1917. and women into church roles which Morrisey, who spoke at a three-day had once been reserved for clergy. canon law sem inar sponsored by the To help prepare priests, Sisters Another emphasis in the new code is diocese last week. and laymen and women here for the that of unity and viewing the Church changes the new code would bring, as a "communion of the people of Fr. Morrisey, dean of the canon the diocese brought in experts to God," in a world where concepts of law faculty at St. Paul University in give presentations on parish God, religion and church are Ottawa, Canada, was among eight governance, sacraments, marriage, challenged. speakers to address the diocese- priestly life and the law for wide sem inar at the Hyatt House in R eligious. It d re w up to 1,000 for It stresses the need for pastoral Chatham Center, Pittsburgh. each of the sessions and soon more support of m arriage and recognizes presentations will be made on the conjugal love as the primary aim of deanery and parish levels. Similar marriage. It takes into account the The revised code, which includes seminars are now being planned for advances in behavioral science and Attending an early morning session at the canon law som e 1,728 canons, is e x p ected to be Midland; Fr. Charles Bergman, pastor of St. Gregory other dioceses. considers personality factors, the seminar, are, from left: Sister Anthony Krijan, SVC, in Zelienopie; Fr. Thomas Lakomy, pastor of St. promulgated by Pope John Paul II inability of a person to fulfill the of Holy Trinity parish in Ambridge; Sister Cecilia either on Pentecost Sunday (May Patrick in Noblestown; and Fr. Ignatius Aranowski, The new code will bring to reality Murphy, president of the Sisters of Mercy; Fr. pastor of St. John the Baptist in Baden. 30) or the first Sunday of Advent. many principles of Vatican II and it (Continued on page 2) Edward Hoffmann, pastor of Presentation Church in —Photos by John C. Keenan Approval of Hatch amendment brings mixed reaction By JIM LACKEY Catholic Bishops called the measure, said the committee vote head count of Senate members one of only two committee subcommittee last fall, opened the committee's decision to send the only proved that the amendment is WASHINGTON (NC) — The because it could be used by groups Democrats to vote for the debate by noting that nearly a amendment to the floor of the Senate "doomed to failure.” Senate' Judiciary Committee’s lobbying against Hatch. But he said amendment, said he was supporting decade had elapsed since the for debate “an auspicious event for nothing had happened in the it simply to get it to the Senate floor Supreme Court issued its initial approval of the Hatch amendment the cause of the unborn.” PRO-LIFE SUPPORTERS of on abortion M arch 10 was praised by Hatch have argued that, since the committee vote to change his list. for a full debate. decisions granting women an almost some pro-life groups as a milestone "This marks the first time a unlimited constitutional right to amendment merely returns the Pro-life opponents of the Hatch The amendment, he said, would in the campaign to protect unborn constitutional amendment to abortion. issue to Congress and the states, amendment prefer legislation serve future law school classes as an human life. protect unborn human life has Hatch's measure could gain the introduced by Sen. Jesse Helms (R- example of poorly constructed He said his amendment could end reached this -stage in the support of "moderates” who might But other pro-life groups which N.C.) which, while not a legislation, adding that it was still the stalemate which surrounds the congressional process," said Father be opposed to a broader abortion oppose the amendment said the 10-7 constitutional amendment, would unclear to him exactly what the abortion issue by removing the Daniel F. Hoye, NCCB general ban. committee vote showed that the define life as beginning at amendment would accomplish. debate from the pro- and anti- secretary. “Especially encouraging Mackey maintained however that conception. abortion extremes. Hatch measure does not have the for its future prospects is the the Hatch amendment picked up no Sen. John East (R-N.C.) said that votes needed to pass the Senate. bipartisan support it now enjoys." The most outspoken opponent of support from committee moderates. DESPITE THE VOTE in favor of he too had reservations about the the amendment was Sen. Max Groups favoring the right to He pointed specifically to Sen. the amendment, some committee The U.S. bishops last November Hatch amendment but urged its Baucus (D-Mont ), who said abortion, meanwhile, decried the Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), Senate members said they had serious passage, saying no legislator can broke precedent and endorsed the abortion is a "highly personal and committee vote as another right- minority leader, who cast one of the reservations about its current Hatch amendment. Previously the wait for the perfect proposal on any emotionally difficult issue" which wing attempt to curtail civil seven .“ no" votes on the wording. Two, Sen. Alan K. Simpson bishops had declined to endorse subject, including abortion. ought not to be addressed by lib erties. am en d m en t. (R-Wyo) and Sen. Strom Thurmond specific amendment wordings. C ongress. (R-S.C.), said they would prefer a The debate, in a packed THE HATCH AMENDMENT, Also viewing the vote as historic "Those are the kind of people that committee room with another crowd introduced last September by Sen. (Hatch amendment supporters) "states' rights" amendment on Biden, in a lengthy speech was the president of the National abortion instead of the joint federal- outside waiting to get in, lasted an lamenting that his views on abortion Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would Right to Life Committee, Dr. John C. promised would vote for the hour before the roll call vote was remove the right to abortion from amendment," said Mackey. state power contained in the Hatch would satisfy neither hard core pro- Willke. "This victory will spur our am en d m en t. taken. To become part of the nor anti-abortion positions, said the Constitution and would allow Ernest Ohlhoff, executive director Constitution, the amendment now members on to redouble theirefforts despite his misgivings about the Congress and the states to pass new of the National Committee for a Thurmond, the Judiciary needs two-thirds votes in both the in this Congress and the upcoming wording of the amendment it was abortion restrictions. It has split the Human Life Amendment, which C o m m ittee c h a irm a n , sa id he would election campaigns," Willke said. Senate and House and ratification im p o rta n t th a t the p roposal go to the pro-life movement, with some supports the Hatch amendment, offer an amendment on the Senate by three-fourths of the states. But John P. Mackey, special Senate floor. groups regarding the proposal as a said his organization still counts floor to make the Hatch measure a counsel for the Ad Hoc Committee in compromise of pro-life principles. enough votes for Senate passage. states rights proposal. HATCH, WHO steered the He also commented that as a Defense of Life, one of several a m e n d m en t th ro u g h se v e ra l d a y s of Catholic he believed abortion was The National Conference of groups opposed to the Hatch He declined to release his group's Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.), hearings in his Constitution (Continued on page 3) Analysis on pro-life issues Future cloudy for Hatch By JIM LACKEY commit tee. Two other proposed bills serious issue than gun control, said on ab o rtio n in tro d u ced by Sen. Je s s e both issues should be treated in the. WASHINGTON (NC) — Though Helms (R-N.C.) have found their the Senate Judiciary Committee same way: states should be free to way onto the calendar by back-door decide their e?ss.