Pope Paul VI: 1963-1978 [editorial]

Title

Creator

Legaspi, Leonardo

Identifier

Editorial

Language

English

Source

Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas LII (587-588) October-November 1978

Year

1978

Subject

Paul VI, Pope, 1897-1978

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

EDITORIAL Pope Paul VI: 1963-1978 Paul VI was not the Pope this century wanted, hut the Pope that this century needed. His ascension to the Chair of Peter was not an enviable moment. For five years Pope John XXIII had captured the imagination and won the heart of the world. Ilis successor would almost certainly suffer by comparison. More basically and ini]X)rtantly, Paul inherited the effects of John’s throwing open the windows of the Church. Through the open windows came the breadth of the Holy Spirit and movements of human wisdom and noble ideals. There also came gusts of folly and self-ccntcred ambition. There were threats that solid values and essentials would be swept away with things that had outlived their usefulness- It was a mighty task to direct the fresh air to the work of rejuvenation, not of destruction. A lesser man could well have opted for safety and slammed the window shut. Not so with Pope Paul. He reassembled the Vatican Council on time, opened its discussions to the full force of the Holy Spirit and accepted the responsibility of translating into action what the Council could state only in principle. For some time, Paul VI was labelled a Hamlet, unable to make up his mind. But eventually he proved his critics all wrong, by the vast number of firm decisions he took — and he did so in his own time, the time when the truth was clear and the occasion prudent. He gave formal authoritative teaching on such subjects as the Eucharist and moral principles in marriage. He made firm disci plinary decisions such as that on the celibacy of priests. He re organized wide areas of Church life, such as those of worship and of Vatican administration. He pioneered in areas of ecumenism, per sonal contacts with people of many nations in their homelands and of Church developments in native cultures. lie did not receive particularly good publicity. But it slowly became more and more evident to more and more people that Paul was the leader the Church needed during these years. He was the leader not necessarily because lie reflected popular opinion, but be cause of his vision of the truth and his complete integrity in respond ing to it. We have good reason for public pridq in the achievements of Pope Paul VI in the past 15 years. Now that lie has left us, may he rest in peace and may the con tinuing fruits of his pontificate confirm that lie did not live and pasture Christ’s flock in vain. Bishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., D.D. In This Issue After paying tribute to Po]>e Paul VI, we invite our readers to consider the Future of Catholicism in Asia, which at first may seem scary and foreboding. But if one carefully considers that, though Asia is poor. Asia is young and Asia is moving into action, and one would finally conclude that the future of Catholicism in Asia is bright if we count on God’s grace and blessing.

pages

562-563

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