Rev. Ralph Wiltgen: The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II

[Stone]

THE SECOND SESSION

September 29 to December 4, 1963

A SECRETARIAT FOR NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS

On Tuesday, April 2, 1963, Archbishop Zoa of Yaounde, Cameroun, a member of the Council Commission on the Missions, gave a press conference in which he stated his views on the schema on the missions.

He had felt, he said, that the first session of the Council had had only two main preoccupations: a pastoral preoccupation, causing it to study ways whereby the Church might better foster the spiritual growth of its own members; and an ecumenical preoccupation, dictating what was to be done or omitted in order to improve relations with other Christian bodies. What seemed to have been forgotten was that the Catholic Church was by definition a missionary Church. Its message, said the Archbishop, was not only to its own members, or to other Christians, but to all men.

Pondering over the Archbishop’s words that night, in a dimly lit chapel, I thought of the immense good that had been accomplished by the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, and wondered if a similar secretariat might not also be founded for non-Christian religions. There were over a billion members of Judaism, Islam, Brahmanism, Vedaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism. Such a new secretariat might initiate and foster dialogue with these great world religions with as much success as the already existing Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity had done for non-Catholic Christian churches. The more I thought about it, the more necessary such a secretariat seemed. And should there not be observers from these non-Christian religions at the Council?

Early the next morning I telephoned Archbishop Zoa, believing that his reaction would be significant, since he had so many Moslems in his archdiocese. When he favored the project, the next question was, could a bishop be found who might be willing to launch the idea at a press conference?

It so happened that Bishop Anthony Thijssen of Larantuka, Indonesia, was spending a few days in Rome in the same house as I. We discussed the idea of another secretariat, and he told me that, while lecturing in Northern Europe in the previous weeks, he had advocated inviting observers from non-Christian religions to the next ecumenical council, although not to the present one.

Chinese-born Thomas Cardinal Tien was also in Rome at this time, and reacted very favorably to the proposal. He felt that, since the major non- Christian religions were mainly concentrated in Asia, the idea should not be launched by an Indian bishop, as planned, but by a European. In the East we have a saying,” he said, “that you should not invite yourself.” He also believed that the Vatican would more readily accept the proposal if it were made by a European, and he agreed to make a statement to the press in support of the secretariat, once a Council Father had come out publicly in favor of it.

Bishop Thijssen was then contacted again and, after further consultation, agreed to hold a press conference on the subject on April 6. The conference was attended by representatives of all the international news agencies with Rome bureaus, as well as by members of the embassies of India, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia.

Bishop Thijssen explained that he was Dutch by birth, but had been an Indonesian citizen since 1949. “Indonesia is known all over the world for its religious tolerance,” he said. “And 1 myself have many personal friends whom I respect highly, who are Moslems and Hindus.” T. he Bishop said that he would like to see “a special secretariat founded in Rome for the major non-Christian religions of the world.” The advantage of such a secretariat would not be one-sided. “We Catholics, for example, could learn much from the liturgy, culture, and philosophy of these non-Christian religions.” He was not proposing some kind of religious syncretism, he said. “No, not at all! We shall all simply come to understand each other better.”

The Bishop believed that the world would welcome the establishment of such a secretariat. He felt that it was in line with the aspirations of the major non-Christian religions of the world, and in harmony with the spirit of Pope John XXIII, who had said that he wished to be regarded as “a true and sincere friend of all nations.”


Bishop Thijssen was asked to comment on a statement by a Buddhist priest—reported in a Tokyo paper on January 18, 1963—to the effect that, while the Ecumenical Council would do much to promote religious and international harmony, the presence of observers from Buddhism and the other great non-Christian religions “would make the Council even more effective as an instrument of world peace and religious cordiality.” The Bishop replied that, while appreciating the views of the Buddhist priest, he personally considered the proposal premature in relation to the current Council, which was concerned with the internal reform of the Church and unity among Christians. “There would be little of very direct interest” to non-Christian observers, he said. He was deeply convinced, however, “that the formation of a special secretariat for the major non-Christian religions would be of inestimable world-wide value, and would indirectly enrich the religious life of all of us.”

Asked by the representative of the Middle East News Agency whether he had already spoken to the Pope on the subject, the Bishop said that he had not, and that he had wished first to get the reaction of the press, which had its finger on the pulse of the world. He said, too, that he would appreciate the assistance of the press in making the idea known throughout the world.

Another reporter asked the Bishop whether he knew of other Council Fathers who might favor the plan. The Bishop answered that he had spoken on the subject in general terms during the Council with the two Jesuit Indonesian archbishops of Semarang and Djakarta, as well as with Bishop van Bekkum of Ruteng. “All three were in favor of the idea,” he said.

Immediately after the press conference, Bishop Thijssen attempted to speak on the matter with Gregorio Cardinal Agagianian, at the headquarters of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. In the Cardinal’s absence, he was received by Archbishop Pietro Sigismondi, who expressed his pleasure that the Bishop had spoken to the press about a special secretariat for non-Christian religions. He assured the Bishop that he would inform Cardinal Agagianian about it, and that the Cardinal would likewise be very pleased about the press conference. Bishop Thijssen explained to Archbishop Sigismondi that he had not advocated inviting representatives of the non-Christian religions to the Council hall, since so much of the terminology used there would be incomprehensible to them. They would derive more benefit, he felt, from explanations given by the special secretariat outside Council meetings, if the secretariat were to function in conjunction with the Council at all.

On April 8, before leaving Rome for Madrid, Cardinal Tien issued a statement for the press in which he made further suggestions. After pledging his full support for Bishop Thijssen’s proposal, he said, “It is most important that the Catholic Church come to understand better the major non-Christian religions of the world, and that the non-Christian religions come to understand the Catholic Church better.” This could best be done “by establishing a secretariat where outstanding scholars of non-Christian religions could meet and confer with outstanding scholars of the Catholic Church.” As to the date of its establishment, the Cardinal said, “I would like to see it established very soon, so that, when the next session of the Ecumenical Council opens in September, we may have here in Rome representatives of the major non-Christian religions.” He wanted such representatives to be allowed to attend a few meetings inside St. Peter’s basilica, but added that he felt it would be of little value for them to be present regularly.

The two statements of Cardinal Tien and Bishop Thijssen came in the wake of Pope John’s encyclical Pacem in Terris. Many commentators looked upon the proposed secretariat as a practical means of implementing Pope John’s desire for better international understanding among “all men of good will.”

Father Edmund Farhat, a Lebanese priest in charge of the daily newscast in Arabic on Vatican Radio, had attended Bishop Thijssen’s press conference and had become as interested in the project as I. We both felt that no cardinal in the Church was better qualified to head such a secretariat than Cardinal Konig of Vienna. He was internationally known as an expert on non-Christian religions, had written copiously on the subject, and had at one time taught comparative religion at the university level.

We decided to seek out an opportunity to put the idea to him.

All action in the matter was suspended on June 3, with the death of Pope John XXIII. In the weeks that followed, the great question was whether the Council would continue at all.

The world did not have long to wait. On June 22, 1963, the day following his election, Pope Paul VI delivered his first radio message to the city of Rome and to the world, and stated: “The pre-eminent part of our pontificate will be occupied with the continuation of the Second Vatican  Ecumenical Council, on which the eyes of all men of good will are fixed. This will be our principal task, on which we intend to spend all the energies which Our Lord has given us. . . .” The Council would be “the first thought of our Apostolic ministry,” and he pledged to do all in his power “to continue the work of promoting Christian unity so auspiciously begun, with such high hopes, by Pope John XXIII.”

All the cardinals could be expected to remain in Rome until the coronation ceremonies, scheduled for June 30. On June 25, copies of the statements of Cardinal Tien and Bishop Thijssen on the proposed secretariat were mailed to Cardinals Alfrink, Cushing, Frings, Gilroy, Gracias, Konig, Lienart, Meyer, Ritter, Rugambwa, Spellman, Suenens, and Wyszynski. On June 27, Cardinal Frings permitted me to question him on his reactions to the proposed secretariat. He agreed that it might well prove a source of as many blessings to the world as was the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, and added that he could think of no one more qualified to direct it than Cardinal Konig. He undertook to approach Cardinal Konig in the matter.

Father Farhat and I were able to speak to Cardinal Konig on the day of the coronation, June 30. He had already discussed the matter with Cardinal Frings and felt that this was certainly the right time for the establishment of such a body, since the non-Christian religions were bound to show less interest in the Catholic Church after the Council ended. Cardinal Konig said that he would speak to Cardinal Bea about it that afternoon at the coronation ceremonies.

Cardinal Bea, too, was in sympathy with the idea, as was Cardinal Gracias of Bombay. A few days later, Cardinal Lienart wrote that he had read the statements on the proposed secretariat “with very great interest.” In his view, “the idea of establishing a secretariat for non-Christian religions seems opportune, but the decision in this regard pertains to the Sovereign Pontiff.”

With the Cardinal of China and the Cardinal of India favoring the project, as well as Cardinals Bea, Frings, Lienart, Konig, and, presumably, Cardinal Agagianian, the next step was to bring the matter to the attention of Pope Paul VI. And since the matter had to be presented by a cardinal, the logical choice seemed to be Cardinal Tien, who had first given public support to the idea. I therefore approached him on July 3, and asked whether he would write to Pope Paul VI, proposing this new secretariat and suggesting Cardinal Konig as best qualified to act as its president.

The Cardinal agreed, had me write a preliminary draft of the letter, and then asked me to read it back to him. When I was halfway through, he put his hand on my arm and stopped me. Sitting back in his chair, and folding his hands over his chest, he said with a mischievous smile, “I think we should do it the Chinese way.” He explained that it was difficult for him to send such a letter to the new Pope, whom he hardly knew, or to propose the name of one particular cardinal as most suitable to head the new organization. “However,” he suggested, “if you were to write a letter to me, you could explain at length what the functions of such a secretariat might be, mention the names of cardinals and bishops who have expressed their interest in it, and indicate the qualifications of Cardinal Konig for directing the secretariat. You could also say that you have reason to believe that Cardinal Konig would not be averse to being assigned such a task.”

After reaching Taiwan, where he was to fly on the following day, Cardinal Tien would write to Pope Paul, enclosing my letter and stating that he heartily approved of the project. He had one last bit of advice: my letter to him, and his to the Pope, were both to be written in Italian, so that the members of the Roman Curia might be able to read them without difficulty.

On July 21, Cardinal Tien wrote me from Taipei, saying that he had mailed the two letters to the Holy Father as planned. “In my opinion, the Holy Father will not act quickly,” he wrote. “He will first have to ponder the matter, and then confer with other cardinals.”

But on September 12, less than eight weeks after Cardinal Tien’s letter, Pope Paul VI announced that “a secretariat will also be founded in due time for those who are members of non-Christian religions.” There was no indication as to the name of the president of the new secretariat.