Word: bernardins
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...choice of Bernardin to chair the nuclear panel was made in 1980 by Archbishop John Roach of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 61, president of the U.S. bishops' conference since 1980. Says Bernardin of his delicate assignment: "We don't expect everyone to accept our conclusions, but we believe we must think this thing through...
...Administration's case was made by National Security Adviser William Clark, a Catholic layman. In an open letter to Bernardin, he said that the White House agreed with the Pope's stand and, indeed, with much of what the bishops were saying. But Clark said that he and President Reagan were "especially troubled" that the draft ignored American proposals "on achieving steep reductions in nuclear arsenals, on reducing conventional forces and, through a variety of verification and confidence-building measures, on further reducing the risks of war." Clark noted that the Soviets had mounted a huge arms buildup...
...breed of bishops also has a strong sense of collegiality and a willingness to follow leadership regardless of rank. Bernardin and Roach, despite their relative youth, probably have more influence among their fellow prelates these days than do the Cardinals as a group Other emerging leaders in the hierarchy include Archbishops James Mickey of Washington, 62; John May of St. Louis, 60; and Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee, 55. All these men were advocates of a nuclear freeze even before the Bernardin committee issued the text of the pastoral letter. Krol, the leading figure among the older hierarchs, is staunchly...
...bishops to adopt a style of political propaganda and maneuver that, until then, had been more characteristic of liberal Protestants. For Catholicism, the abortion decision was a bold attack on human life and dignity. The radical change produced reflection upon other "life" issues, especially the arms race. Says Bernardin: "If you take a strong stand against abortion as the unjust taking of human life, then you cannot remain indifferent to nuclear warfare...
...bellicose rhetoric of the Reagan campaign alarmed many bishops, who feared that the new Administration might blunder its way into nuclear war. Many bishops became more active in various antinuclear efforts. In November 1980, the bishops authorized the Bernardin committee to begin work on the pastoral letter. Pressed by mounting local demands to help the poor and the unemployed, key church leaders like Roach also assailed Reagan's $1.5 trillion defense buildup. The ensuing antinuclear wave in Western Europe and the U.S. has strengthened the bishops' commitment...