More than 200 of us boarded planes at Chicago, Houston, Anchorage, (Alaska), Hawaii, Atlanta and dozens more cites, and aimed at Washington for a six-day meeting.

Plane travel these days is the dullest way to go-endless ramps, showing your ticket four times, mediocre service, stacked up planes no vision at the land below, plastic food, poor lighting and cramped seats.

Then you are dumped just about where you boarded –a vast wasteland an hour or more from the city. Wish they’d restore the trains!

Saturday we met all day as the Administration Board planning next week’s agenda. Sunday we met as Board of Trustees for Catholic University but there was a post-Curran sense of exhilaration. Father Whelan and Dr. Nuesse are the new acting heads of the university. The Ad Hoc Committee is restructuring the whole framework. It looks bright.

Sunday night our Bishops’ Liturgical Committee laid plans for the presentation of new methods of liturgical experiments (Monday and Tuesday the liturgy was debated for nearly five hours but the proposals won, 11-2).

Wolves In Miters?

We had our opposition, of course. Father DePauw’s traditionalists picketed our meetings with a batter of signs, mixed with hatred and wit. I enjoyed especially the sign that read,

WITH SHEPHERDS LIKE THESE- WHO NEEDS WOLVES?

They seemed to grow weary as the week went on. By Wednesday most of them had gone back to read copies of the Wanderer.

It was good to hear reports on the recent Synod of Bishops from Archbishop Dearden and Bishop Wright, Cardinals Krol and Shehan and Bishop Fulton Sheen. The healthy note of the Lay Congress was brought out sharply by Archbishop McGucken.

There was a “collective pastoral” on the Church which was cut from 132 to 120 pages. There were statements on priestly celibacy, Catholic education, war and peace. We set up and approved the budget.

Signs Of Hope

Most eloquent, and incidentally most closely linked to Vatican II’s Church and the Modern World, were several moves the Bishops took-

1. Closer ties with African nations, especially to help the anguish of refugees;
2. Strong words to Congress demanding “strong and adequate legislation supporting the war on poverty”
3. Voted that Bishop Unterkoefler’s plan to reinstitute the permanent married diaconate be heard in detail at the April meeting.
4. Approved wider powers for local bishops to settle more marriage cases at home instead of the delay of sending them to Rome.

High Spots

There are always a few who are outstanding:

Bishop Primeau asking eloquently why a local bishop could not better settle some marriage cases instead of sending “a scrap of paper” to the high authorities.

Bishop Bernardin giving his own experience as celebrant of about 30 “home Masses” in his parish out of nearly 100 held them. Bishop Boudreaux spoke splendidly in the same vein.

Bishop Zaleski, chairman of Theological Committee, backing up his “optimism” on doctrine in the American Church and refusing to panic in fear. “We bishops shouldn’t be surprised at some of the questioning going on the in the Church. After all we started some of it ourselves at Vatican II.’

No Help To Liturgy

One bishop on his way to offer Mass saw another in his pajamas standing in the door of the hotel room.

“Listen, Frank. I’m all for these experimental Masses, but this is ridiculous!”

Paul J. Hallinan

Archbishop Of Atlanta