Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, apostolic delegate to the United States, says he thinks most of the liturgical changes requested by American bishops will be approved by the Holy See.

The Vatican diplomat said he did not know which changes would be approved or rejected, but added, “The Holy See is anxious to please the bishops.” He made his comments in an interview with the Georgia Bulletin during his two-day visit to Atlanta last week to commemorate the first anniversary of Vatican II, the end of the Archdiocesan Synod and the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Principal requests by the bishops would allow reading of the Canon of the Mass in English and the privilege of “controlled” experimentations in the rite of the Mass. Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan, newly elected chairman of the U.S. bishops’ liturgical commission, spearheaded the requests for changes in the liturgy. Archbishop Hallinan has said he would keep asking for approval of the changes if the first request is turned down.

Discussing the liturgy, Archbishop Vagnozzi commented, “I think the liturgy, in general, is developing very well. There have been a few excesses, but they have not been general, and I think the bishops are doing the best they can for the good of the people. It takes time to complete a text in English on the liturgy.”

While here the apostolic delegate met the bishops of the Province of Atlanta, was the principal celebrant at the Mass on Dec. 8, said Mass for the sisters and chatted with them at a reception and was honored at a public reception Friday night.

Asked what he and the bishops discussed, the apostolic delegate said some of the topics covered were schools, seminaries, appointment of bishops and the possibility of offering bishops of the South help in finding vocations.

Bishops attending the festivities in Atlanta were Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley of St. Augustine, Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh, Bishop Thomas J. McDonough of Savannah, Bishop Coleman F. Carroll of Miami, Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler of Charleston, and Bishop Charles B. McLaughlin, auxiliary bishop of Raleigh. Abbot Walter Coggins, O.S.B., of Belmont Abbey, N.C., and Abbot Augustine Moore of Our Lady of the Holy Ghost concelebrated Mass with the bishops.

Archbishop Vagnozzi said he and the American bishops do a great deal of consulting, adding that most of the faculties have been granted to the bishops. He said it is the desire of the Holy See to “solve the problem where it exists.”

The apostolic delegate also discussed church architecture and modern art in relation to the development of the liturgy. “I am for modern art, but it has to be liturgical and religious,” he said. “Not all of the churches of the past are nice, not all of them being built today are nice, but some are, and we can improve.”

He also said he was a strong supporter of the parochial school system, but “we cannot expect all Catholic students to be in parochial schools. The CCD program is a necessity and the CCD and parochial schools should complement each other.”

In the Mass Thursday, the decree of the Archdiocesan Synod were promulgated and a copy was presented to Archbishop Vagnozzi for forwarding to Pope Paul VI.

Archbishop Vagnozzi, in a brief talk at the public reception, said, “You have a dynamic archbishop and bishop.” Referring to the low percentage of Catholics in North Georgia he said, “It’s not numbers that count, but quality,” and urged Catholics to make “your community one of activity.”

The archbishop said he found a good spirit among Catholics and the “lively group of sisters.”

In his homily at the Mass of the jubilee, Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin said the clergy in the Church of North Georgia will not act unilaterally.

“The Synod calls for new structure which will give everyone -- priests, religious and laity -- an important voice in the life of the archdiocese. This does not mean, however, that the position of the archbishop and the priests has been weakened or changed radically.

“On the contrary, it has been enhanced now for our role as spiritual leaders who are to teach our people and guide them through humble service has been brought into sharper focus. Because the council, however, has told the clergy that they ‘were not by Christ to shoulder alone the entire saving mission of the Church toward the world,’ we will not act unilaterally.” “We will consult; we will listen; we will share responsibilities; we will provide for the exercise of initiative,” the bishop said.

Bishop Bernardin pointed out that although in accordance with the existing legislation of the Church, only priests took an active part in the Synod itself “their debates and their votes did not take place in a vacuum.”

He said the congresses which were held prior to the Synod provided a channel through which the laity and religious could make their recommendations.

He said, “Just as the council was only a beginning, so is our Synod only a beginning. The last chapter of the decree states quite realistically... the first Synod of the Archdiocese of Atlanta begins a decade of decisions and deeds. It will be a period in which Catholics are urged to study and to pray and to discuss; to act and to love, entering not only our own private world but the larger concerns of our society.”