The opening session of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ meeting here in Atlanta got underway on Tuesday morning with 237 bishops in attendance at the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel.

In extending the greetings of the Holy Father to the assembled bishops, Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, apostolic delegate, observed: “Your meeting takes place in Atlanta –a city that has become the symbol of the dynamism and vitality of the American people – confident, determined, idealistic and open to the future.”

Cardinal John Krol, president of the conference, said in his opening remarks that the meeting here had “”historic significance” inasmuch as “the presence of a select number of observers and members of the news media is without precedent in the 53-year history of the Conference.’

The first day’s business touched on many matters, much of it in the form of committee reports that were accepted without further action. Perhaps the most extended discussion, and the only real debate, concerned the question of lowering the minimum age for married deacons. The resolution as it came to the floor read:

“Resolved: that the N.C.C.B. of the U.S. request the Holy Father to grant ordinaries the faculty to dispense from deficiency of the 35-year age minimum required of married men, so that such married men who have indicated maturity in their family relationships and community responsibilities—even thought they be as young as 25 years old—may be ordained permanent deacons.”

In support of the resolution Bishop Walter Schoenherr of Detroit observed, “Under the present set-up not even the Lord Jesus could become a deacon.”

Most of the bishops who favored the resolution did so in the interest of strengthening the Church’s apostolate among minority groups, in which community leaders are often quite young.

Cardinal Lawrence Sheehan of Baltimore said that the married diaconate “seems to be important in cities with large black population.” There, he said, “the presence of a Negro married deacon is very important for the Church.” He noted that his own archdiocese has not even one black priest, even thought the city is fifty percent black.

Other bishops, principally Cardinal John Carberry of St. Luis, felt that lowering the age to 25 was going too far.

An amendment was ultimately passed by a vote of 148-89 which changed the suggested minimum age to 30, rather than 25. Afterwards the entire resolution was passed and will be forwarded to the Holy See for approval.

In other business Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York presented a draft resolution of the Dignity of Human Life which took exception to the recent report of the Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, particularly that part of the Commission report which endorsed abortion-on-demand. Cardinal Cooke’s resolution read: “Experience has already taught us that our social problems—poverty, disease, injustice and violence—are not solved merely by population decrease, but require a change of heart and a re-ordering of priorities for the entire nation.”

Cardinal Cooke was later questioned closely by newsmen who inquired why the draft resolution did not include a mention of the escalation of the war in Vietnam. The cardinal explained that such a “modem,” or amendment, could still be included before the final vote on Thursday.

Later the same matter came up again in a question posed by Ted Fiske of the NEW YORK TIMES to Bishop John Dougherty of Newark. Fiske asked: “What is there about their psyche or background that makes bishops react forcefully and in a visceral way to an issue like abortion or population control but not, despite minor exceptions, to the war issue, which at the present time seems to involve some of the same life issues?”

Bishop Dougherty responded in terms of the “socio-cultural character of the American Catholic community,” which he said is here as the result of fairly recent immigration. Further, he said, “social justice or morality has not had the same long development that personal morality has had.” Strong emphasis on social morality only began in the last century with Pope Leo XIII, he added.

In other action on the first day, the bishops gave the green light to development of a national catechetical directory, a set of guidelines for religious educators. The directory is to be completed before the end of 1974.

Also the bishops heard a report from their ecumenical committee in which possible membership in the National Council of Churches was discussed. “The NCC is ready to change its structure so as to have a place for the Roman Catholic Church,” said Bishop Charles Helmsing, committee chairman, but he said he could not predict how soon this might occur. He said that some serious questions remained to be resolved.

The same committee announced an invitation to participate in Key 73, a nationwide campaign for 1973 being sponsored by conservative evangelical churches. Bishop Helmsing hailed this as “a great movement throughout the U.S. to return to Christ” and he said that Catholic participation could present the “true image of the Church as deeply interested in evangelism.”

The bishops also heard their liaison committee report overtures from Dr. Eugene Bianche, a former priest now living in Atlanta. Dr. Bianche, representing the society of Priests for a Free Ministry, asked that “the Church offer some opportunity for a useful ministry for priests who have been lawfully dispensed from obligations of the priesthood.” According to Archbishop Thomas McDonough, who gave the report, “this group continues to seek from the Church a sign of hope that some efforts may be made to take advantage of their training and apostolic zeal.” They ask why their society “has such a bad image with the bishops.” The report was received without comment.

One former priest, wearing clerical garb and a pectoral cross, picketed the Biltmore briefly, and then disrupted a press conference by passing between the bishops and newsmen waving a placard. He was excused after being allowed to make a statement. He had no connection with the Society of Priests for a Free Ministry.