Show I Good News From Romp Rome There is good reason fo for gratification concerning the resolutions resolutions resolutions res res- res- res looking toward possible Christian unity passed by the theRoman theRoman theRoman Roman Catholic Ecumenical Council UNITY is the hope of mos most of the worlds world's liberal theological cal thinkers and one of the greatest obstacles in the path of this aim has been the position position tion of the largest of the Christian Christian Christian Christ Christ- ian churches the Roman Catholic Catholic Cath Cath- olic which has been in effect that the reformed churches were out in the cold and their members misled or mis mis- guided The various reformed churches church church- es considered themselves es reformed reformed reformed re re- re- re formed they also often viewed the he old mother church the theRoman theRoman theRoman Roman Catholic as an autocracy autocracy autocracy racy which refused to modernize modern modern- ize its absolute thinking or its institutions and government There was also resentment that the old church imposed authoritarian rules in effect banning freedom freedom freedom free free- dom of choice and thought equal respect for other individuals individuals and encouraging intolerance intolerance intolerance ance and divisiveness THE LATE Pope John started started started start start- ed the reform movement of recent recent recent re re- re- re cent days Pope Paul perhaps carried along by the present Council has lent support And although the majority of ruling off officials in the i ide d e church remain Italians and although al al- though hough the Council stopped short of the goals which will one day be realized certain major steps forward are sig- sig sig sig- The Council admitted that the he Roman Catholic Church might have erred common prayer and public meetings with other Christians has at last ast been approved the Council went vent on record as sharing authority authority au- au hority with the Pope some not all of the stigma was removed from Jews etc THE HOPE for progress is that bat the church will move on and next recognize freedom of oC choice hoice of members marriages in n other Christian churches re re- re- re move itself from politics and espionage will bow to the obvious obvious obvious ob ob- and necessary on birth control and become democratic democrat democrat- ic in organizational structure Of course other churches need much the same thing but because the Roman Catholic is the largest of the Christian churches its progress or lack of progress is important to all al Christians and the news from Rome recently has certainly been cen hopeful and gratifying I |