POPE 
 JOHN 
 
 the council 
 
 and 
 UNITY 
 
 by 
 
 Titus Cranny, S.A. 
 and 
 
 DeSales Standerwick, S.A. 
 
Pope John, 
 The Council, and 
 Unity. 
 
Imprimi Potest: 
 
 Bonaventure Francis, S.A. 
 
 Superior General 
 
 Nihil Obstat: 
 
 Myles M. Bourke, S.S.L., S.T.D. 
 
 Censor Librorum 
 
 Imprimatur: 
 
 »3& Francis Cardinal Spellman 
 
 Archbishop of New York 
 
 November 14, 1961 
 
 The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official dec- 
 larations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or 
 moral error. No implication is contained therein that 
 those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Impri- 
 matur agree with the contents, opinions or statements 
 expressed. 
 
 Leaflet No. 8-4 
 
 Designed and Printed at Graymoor Press, Peekskill, N.Y. 
 
 CENTRAL OFFICE 
 CHAIR OF UNITY APOSTOLATE 
 GRAYMOOR, GARRISON, N. Y. 
 
WE OPEN OUR ARMS . . . 
 
 By Titus Cranny, S.A. 
 
 On the final day of the Chair of Unity 
 Octave, 1959, Pope John XXIII electrified 
 the Catholic world by announcing a new 
 council of the Church. The announcement 
 was not unfitting, for he had spoken so 
 often of Unity during the first three months 
 of his pontificate. It seemed, moreover, 
 that he deliberately chose January 25, the 
 feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, and 
 the last day of the Octave, which he called 
 "a dear and providential custom." 
 
 Last year His Holiness displayed singular 
 interest in the prayer movement which Fr. 
 Paul began at Graymoor in 1908. On the 
 first day of the Octave, the feast of the 
 Chair of St. Peter at Rome, His Holiness 
 offered Mass for the intentions of the 
 Octave. He celebrated Holy Mass in the 
 famous Capranica College in Rome with 
 the professors and seminarians in attend- 
 ance. In a short talk he said: Never perhaps 
 has the way been so strait by which men 
 
 3 
 
must enter, as St. Matthew writes; this 
 means to enter but it requires will power 
 and abnegation. But if all of us act as the 
 Lord wants us to do, as He hopes and 
 expects us to do, then there will be many 
 who will enter His fold, into the peace of 
 His heart, into the unity of His teaching. 
 Two days later when he visited the hospice 
 for aged and infirm priests on Monte Mario, 
 he asked for prayers for his intentions dur- 
 ing the Octave. 
 
 When first elected to the throne of St. 
 Peter, the Sovereign Pontiff spoke of his 
 affection for all the members of the Church, 
 both of the East and of the West. Then he 
 added: We open our arms to all those 
 separated from this Apostolic See. . . . We 
 ardently desire that they return to the 
 house of a common Father and We repeat 
 the words of the Divine Redeemer: Holy 
 Father, keep them in Thy name whom 
 Thou hast given Me, that they might be 
 One as We are. He asked that this return 
 to the Barque of Peter might be "as soon 
 as possible with the inspiration and help 
 of divine grace/' 
 
 At his coronation on the feast of St. 
 Charles Borromeo (November 4) the Holy 
 Father spoke of the zeal of the Good 
 
 4 
 
Shepherd which is ready for every under- 
 taking, no matter how daring, straight- 
 forward, constant, even unto the supreme 
 sacrifice: 'The Good Shepherd lays down 
 his life for his sheep. 9 The Pope assumes 
 his role of shepherd from Christ Who gave 
 His life upon the Cross, the Good Shepherd 
 laying down His life for His flock. Many 
 popes of the first three centuries of the 
 Church's history fulfilled this office in 
 literal fashion. They died as martyrs, de- 
 fending the Church and its teaching against 
 the heresy, apostasy, and paganism. 
 Through every age the popes have served 
 as watchmen of the flock of Christ, stand- 
 ing in the forefront. 
 
 Our Holy Father continues that tradi- 
 tional role of shepherd today. Perhaps the 
 challenge is even greater now than in the 
 early days of the Church because the flock 
 of Christ numbers a half -billion souls. There 
 is no time for complacency or smugness 
 or indifference; Catholics must not indulge 
 in the consolation of numbers— the salva- 
 tion of the souls of men is still the great 
 adventure of creatures upon this earth, no 
 matter how great the progress of science. 
 The Holy Father has said that his principal 
 role as Pope is his office as Good Shepherd 
 
 5 
 
watching over the flock entrusted to his 
 care. 
 
 How his heart must ache at the tragic 
 situation of the Church in so many areas 
 of the world. In lands behind the Iron 
 Curtain Catholics are carrying great bur- 
 dens; in the great vastness of China 36 
 priests have become nationalist bishops, cut- 
 ting themselves off from the unity of the 
 Mystical Body. No wonder the Pope spoke 
 of schism as a word that "almost burns our 
 Hps and wounds our heart." And how des- 
 perate is the need for priests in all of 
 Central and South America, 
 
 Our Holy Father has an immense love 
 for souls. There is a striking story told 
 about him when he was leaving Bulgaria 
 for a new post in Constantinople. It was 
 Christmas, 1935; hearts were heavy as he 
 bade the people farewell. He thanked 
 them for the funds that they had given 
 him and then spoke to them of the Irish 
 custom of placing a candle in the window 
 on Christmas Eve to show the Holy Family 
 that there was room for them there, if 
 not at the inn. Anywhere I go in the world, 
 he said, if someone in need from Bulgaria 
 passes my house at night, he will find a 
 lighted lamp in the window. Knock— knock 
 
 6 
 
... 7 will not ask if you are a Catholic or 
 not. If you are from Bulgaria, that is 
 enough. Two brotherly arms will embrace 
 you and the warm heart of a friend will 
 make a feast for you, because such is the 
 charity of the Lord, Whose graces have 
 sweetened my life during my residence in 
 Bulgaria during the past 10 years. 
 
 That love of the Pope burns in his heart 
 for all the peoples of the earth. It is not 
 Bulgaria, or the countries of Europe that 
 are now his concern. The entire world is 
 the object of his Christ-like love. It reaches 
 out to 500 million Catholics and to the 
 other sheep— to the orthodox who number 
 almost 200 million, to the 325 million Mos- 
 lems, to the 250 million Protestants, and to 
 other uncounted legions. 
 
 Love of souls has inspired him to call a 
 new council, the second Vatican Council, 
 the 21st in the history of the Church. It 
 will be summoned to deal with important 
 matters, such as church discipline and a 
 reform of canon law; it may deal with 
 special teaching, e.g., relating to Our Lady. 
 By the positive design of the Holy Father 
 it will deal with Christian Unity and it may 
 become the greatest meeting in the history 
 of the Church and of the world. 
 
 7 
 
Other councils have dealt specifically 
 with questions of unity, such as the second 
 Council of Lyons in 1274 and the Council 
 of Florence in 1439, but the effects they 
 achieved were not long-lasting. The last 
 general council was that of the Vatican in 
 1870. Its most famous act was the definition 
 of papal infallibility and of the primacy 
 of the Roman Pontiff. The coming council 
 might be called an application of this sub- 
 lime and sacred office by which the Pope 
 will strive to bring back or prepare the way 
 for the return of the millions separated from 
 the Apostolic See. More than 3500 pre- 
 lates will be invited to take part in the 
 meeting. 
 
 Recently the Holy Father wrote to 
 Bishop Matthias Wehr of Trier, Germany, 
 where the tunic believed to be the robe 
 of Christ was exposed for veneration. The 
 Pope referred to the seamless robe of the 
 Master as a symbol of the unity of the 
 Church; he asked that the exposition of 
 the relic might inspire the faithful to prayer 
 and sacrifice for the cause of reunion. 
 His Holiness also changed the prayer of 
 Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
 by omitting reference to the Jews and 
 Moslems, lest they consider it a harsh refer- 
 
 8 
 
ence. In such little ways is he seeking to 
 establish the atmosphere for unity. 
 
 The faithful can share in the cause of 
 unity and prepare for the council especially 
 by prayer. The Chair of Unity Octave in 
 January offers a providential means of help- 
 ing to attain both objectives. Pope John 
 has indicated a special interest in the 
 Octave, begun at Graymoor more than 50 
 years ago. His hope for reunion can be in- 
 creased by the prayers, sacrifices, and 
 charity 7 of all the faithful for the eight 
 days of January 18-25. His hope will be 
 further increased by daily prayer and good 
 works for this cause so close to the Heart 
 of Christ and the Immaculate Heart of Our 
 Lady. 
 
 9 
 
• . . FOR WHAT UNITES 
 
 By DeSales Standerwick, S.A. 
 
 The now-famous characters in the Ugly 
 American might look with envy at Angelo 
 Giuseppe Roncalli. Because 35 per cent of 
 the world's population uses English either 
 as a native or a second tongue, English- 
 speaking peoples, like the characters in 
 that book, disdain the other languages (and 
 sometimes the peoples) of the earth. But 
 Monsignor Roncalli, appointed first to Bul- 
 garia, then to Turkey and to Greece, and 
 thence to France, was soon at home in each 
 of these lands, having started to learn the 
 respective languages almost as soon as he 
 arrived. "Elementary," you might shout 
 back at me, but not so elementary that the 
 United States has not jeopardized its 
 reputation and its influence in foreign 
 countries from the presence in these lands 
 of representatives who did not know and 
 would not learn the language of the coun- 
 try in which they were working. 
 
 But Angelo Roncallfs unassuming and 
 
 10 
 
prosaic start in an off-the-worn-path town 
 in Italy belies the innate wisdom and tact 
 of the man. This wisdom and tact, ex- 
 ploited to their fullest in delicate inter- 
 national crises, become prominent character 
 traits when we think of his amazing con- 
 vocation of an Ecumenical Council which 
 will deal with the perennial and sore 
 question of the reunion of people outside 
 the Fold with the One, True, Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 Suppose we listen first to what this man, 
 who constantly and consistently has looked 
 upon himself as a father and pastor to 
 those under his care, has said. Then we 
 shall look at some of the actions that have 
 flowed from these words and come to the 
 conclusion that, if success is not the result 
 of the Council's efforts, it will not be the 
 fault of Pope John XXIII. 
 
 As Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Roncalli 
 liked to think of himself in these terms: 
 "I stand for what unites. And I hold at a 
 distance all that which divides." This frame 
 of mind is beginning to exist, at least in a 
 theoretical state, in the hearts of all men. 
 The danger of the world's population being 
 wiped out by fearsome hydrogen bombs; 
 the recent terror-propaganda of an earth 
 
 11 
 
teeming with unfed people by the billions; 
 the immediate nearness of everyone through 
 the jet age; the not-so-puny attempts of 
 man as such to reach beyond his own 
 planet into unknown and perhaps hostile 
 worlds— these and countless other interna- 
 tional strains have presented man with the 
 idea and the fact of the solidarity of human 
 beings. Everyone longs to be at-one with 
 his fellow-strugglers. But apathy and na- 
 tionalism and greed prevent individual men 
 from rising, rocket-like, above the divisions 
 that separate us, until one does come in 
 our midst and does rise, and proclaims, 
 "I stand for what unites." 
 
 And in the same vein, when Angelo Ron- 
 calli was Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and 
 Greece, he said, "I believe in the strength 
 of charity and love in international affairs." 
 For too many years the nations of the 
 world have resorted to bestial force to 
 achieve their too-often evil goals. The 20th 
 century, despite its all-embracing and all- 
 destructive conflicts, has seen the rise of 
 international charity, cooperation, help, and 
 efforts towards a neutural betterment 
 among the peoples of the world. We are 
 discovering a basic sameness and even like- 
 ableness in each other, as, for example, 
 
 12 
 
when our diplomats and pliticians meet 
 the Russian people on non-formal, non- 
 military, non-political levels. Monsignor 
 Roncalli discovered this sameness and like- 
 ableness of people years and years ago. He 
 has shown all his life that charity can step 
 into the midst of the most delicate inter- 
 national upset and act as a sweetening 
 and softening agent. 
 
 It was in Bulgaria that Delegate Ron- 
 calli was commonly called 'The Monsignor 
 whose approach is: 'Let us have good will 
 for one another/ " The smile and gracious 
 attitude that continually grace his presence 
 are outward aspects and proofs of his good 
 will towards all men, a good will he exer- 
 cised especially in his dealings with non- 
 Catholica. 
 
 The problem of religious unity with 
 which Pope John is at present so concerned 
 resolves itself into two main divisions: the 
 reunion of the millions of Orthodox peoples 
 in eastern Europe; the reunion of the 
 Protestants in the western world. Pope 
 John is in the most favorable position in 
 regard to the Orthodox. Ten years in Bul- 
 garia and 10 years in Turkey and Greece 
 (in which countries Catholics are in the 
 extreme minority) have acquainted him 
 
 13 
 
with the language, customs, beliefs, at- 
 titudes, and difficulties of the Orthodox. 
 More important than this is the esteem 
 and love these Orthodox feel for Pope 
 John because, during his entire stay among 
 them, he never failed to talk and visit 
 with them, help them, be friendly to them, 
 love them. In all these countries one of the 
 more important items on his agenda was 
 the visiting of every parish, as far as pos- 
 sible, under his care. These travels brought 
 him into contact with thousands of people 
 of the Orthodox faith— not only the Patri- 
 archs and priests and leaders, but the un- 
 seen and unnoticed people who, unaware 
 of the historical and political issues in- 
 volved, saw in this man of God only a 
 friend and a helper. 
 
 Monsignor Roncalli's great friendliness 
 and charity exhibited themselves during 
 the shattering war years when he used all 
 his energy and power to alleviate the suf- 
 ferings of soldiers and non-combatants, 
 whose pain he made his own. What a 
 man's religion was did not concern the 
 great heart of this man. Like the Divine 
 Redeemer before him, he turned to who- 
 ever of God's children was in need. It is 
 no small wonder that the people of Bulgaria 
 
 14 
 
and Turkey and Greece hold him in such 
 veneration. 
 
 The Catholic world can feel confident 
 that the tact and sincerity and wisdom of 
 its new father will offer to the Orthodox 
 and Protestant worlds new and weighty 
 reasons for reconsidering seriously their 
 position outside a Church that has flowed 
 down through the years direct from the 
 Divine Christ. Pope John's tact bridged 
 difficult political-religious gaps in Turkey 
 and Greece. His sincerity shone bright in 
 his statements and actions of love towards 
 the Bulgarians. Greeks, Turks, and French 
 among whom he worked. His wisdom 
 was tested in France regarding the issues 
 of Church-State relationships after the war 
 and of the priest-worker movement in large 
 French cities. 
 
 With all this behind him, it was not 
 a mere dream or whim that prompted Pope 
 John XXIII to aim for the accomplish- 
 ment of religious unity. For he himself has 
 said, "It should only be necessary to de- 
 mand that, once hope is well founded, one 
 should look to its execution." His years of 
 experience have created this hope within 
 his heart. Now he longs for its execution. 
 
 15 
 
that all 
 may be one 
 
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