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WILLIMANTIC, Conn., Dec. 15--In a retreat house on a hill in the woods, the Roman Catholic priests of the Diocese of Norwich gathered today to prepare themselves for teaching their parishioners, many of whom help build Trident nuclear submarines, that nuclear war is immoral.
Their Bishop, one of the five authors of a pastoral letter stating that the use of nuclear arms to destroy civilian targets violates Catholic principles, has asked them to devote January to preaching about the letter.
"What we are really trying to do," the Bishop, Daniel P.
Reilly, told them, "is to get our people to think in terms
of peace rather than in terms of war. We are calling our people
to hope in a time of terrible danger."
The 115 priests and laymen who attended the session will be facing a tough audience. The diocese includes Groton, home of the Electric Boat shipyard, which produces nuclear submarines, and a United States Navy base where seamen are trained how to use them.
What to tell people whose livelihood may depend on their employment with the arms industry, how to decide what the letter really says and what the priests themselves think about it formed the basis of a day of questioning.
"People start thinking about how this letter is going to affect their pocketbook," said the Rev. Peter Liszewski of Stafford Springs.
"And justifiably," said the Rev. Joseph Finnerty of Preston. "If I had three or five kids to support, I would think about it, too."
The pastoral letter, issued in May, was endorsed by the American bishops. Practicing Catholics are expected to understand and think about the precepts it espouses, Bishop Reilly said.
"If you're a Roman Catholic, you
just can't ignore the letter," he said.
"It has to be taken seriously by those who embrace the faith."
Over and over throughout the day-long session, priests returned to the question of what they should tell their parishioners in towns where the Catholic Church's position on nuclear arms is not an academic issue. And over and over, their Bishop told them that it is neither the priests' nor the church's role to make up anyone's mind.
"I think many people would prefer we say 'Yes' or 'No,'" said
Bishop Reilly. "There is no outright condemnation of the
existence of nuclear weapons. What the letter really says is
'No' to nuclear war and ultimately to all war.
"We ask that people use the moral principles of this letter to inform their consciences. If someone in the defense industry decides to leave, we should be ready to support them."
By "support," he said, he means financial and spiritual help. The diocese has established a fund to help people who decide to leave the arms industry for religious reasons.*
After the Bishop outlined the pastoral letter's principles, the priests met in small groups to discuss the implications of his words. for some, the letter represented a striking departure from the traditional posture of the church; for others, it reaffirmed that tradition.
The Bishop's directive to preach about the letter next month, however, left some wondering if they understood it well enough to do so.
"I don't think that I can preach this letter," said Don Donahue, an ordained deacon in North Stonington. "I'd have to be more familiar with it. It's much too soon. I don't want some 28-year Navy veteran to come up to me and not be able to answer him.
"You don't have to stand up there as if you're the answer man," Father Finnerty said. "You are making the journey with them."
As an ordained deacon, Mr. Donahue may administer the
sacraments of the church--such as marriage and baptism--but
works with a priest, the Rev. Francis McMahon.
"What's important is that this is not something new," Father McMahon said. "The Fifth Commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill'--how does that apply now, 4,000 years later?"
Bishop Reilly said one priest at a small group session asked him how the Catholic Church, known for its opposition to Communism, could endorse a letter that seemed to underestimate the threat from the Soviet Union.
"Many do have an emotional difficulty in accepting the fact that Russia isn't a monster," Bishop Reilly said. "When all the shouting is done, the Catholic Church will still be there opposing Communism."
Others who attended the session faced more direct questions about their roles as priests or deacons in the military. One priest who serves as a military chaplain said he did not see any conflict between the teachings of the letter and his military service.
"The letter supports the military," said the priest, who
would not give his name. "I have helped people get out of the
military and have helped others to stay in. Our job as clergy
is not to push buttons. Our job is to say mass."
(article accompanied by photograph of Bishop Daniel P.
Reilly holding copy of pastoral letter titled: "The
Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response",
captioned:
Bishop Daniel P. Reilly meeting with priests of the Norwich, Conn., diocese to discuss teaching about nuclear war.)
(article accompanied by photograph of Roman Catholic priests
captioned:
Priests of the Norwich, Conn., diocese listening to Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, at a meeting on nuclear war.)
*-I AM IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE SUBMISSIONS TO THE HOLY FATHER AND THE SIMULTANEOUS ONES TO "ISLAMIC CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION" AND THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AS PROMISED IN 1978.
DON'T THINK THE WISDOM OF THOMAS
JEFFERSON IS PASSÉ YET IN WHAT YOU ARE ENTITLED
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TO SEE THE
TEXT OF THE ACCOMPANYING ARTICLE ABOUT AMERICAN ROMAN CATHOLICS
AND WHAT THEY WERE BEING TAUGHT ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR DURING THE
FIRST REAGAN ADMINISTRATION TERM OF OFFICE TAKE YOUR NEXT FOOTSTEP HERE.