January 13, 2012

What was in the news on Jan. 12, 1962?

‘Lay senate’ proposed for Church operation, Criterion opens branch office and religious film rated an abysmal failure

Criterion front pageBy Brandon A. Evans

This week, we continue to examine what was going on in the Church and the world 50 years ago as seen through the pages of The Criterion.

Here are some of the items found in the Jan. 12, 1962, issue of The Criterion:

  • ‘Lay senate’ proposed for Church operation
    • “ROME—A leading Italian priest has called on the forthcoming ecumenical council to make sweeping changes in the Church’s administrative staff, including the establishment of a ‘world senate’ of Catholic laymen. Father Riccardo Lombardi, S.J., founder of the Movement for a Better World, made his recommendations in a new book, The Council. He said there is a need for a ‘reform of the Church’ by the Second Vatican Council to offset a decline in morality, the growth of secularism and the efforts of an atheistic communism. The noted Jesuit preacher urged that it be made possible for non-cardinals to be elected to the papacy, and that the Vatican administrative staff—the Roman curia—be thoroughly internationalized.”
  • Unity seen ‘by-product’ of Council
  • St. Edward’s Hospital [in New Albany] to close January 15
  • The scourge of unemployment
  • Lawyers’ group schedules Red Mass on January 16
  • Variety of topics slated on ‘Family Day’ agenda
  • Criterion opens branch office
  • Race and Racism
  • Tax aid for church-related agencies upheld in three important Supreme Court decisions
  • Rome warns about use of horoscopes
  • Unity Octave observance slated January 18-25
  • High Court backs smut convictions
  • Religious travesty: ‘King of Kings’ rated as an abysmal failure
    • “The film [‘King of Kings’] has been pulverized, of course, by many Catholic critics [notably America’s Moira Walsh, who termed it a fraud, anti-religious and disedifying), and classified separately by the Legion of Decency as ‘theologically, historically, and scripturally inaccurate,’ which is about as chastened as one film can get. Any Catholic who would see this movie out of anything but cinematic curiosity deserves to be schlunked by a 10-foot spear.”
  • Don’t coddle students, Jesuit speaker urges
  • Cites theological aspect of ecumenical movement
  • Excommunication of Castro clarified by Vatican aide
  • Kentucky body votes to continue bus rides
  • Catholic students’ group hits extremists’ stand
  • Two laymen are included on new unity commission

(Read all of these stories from our Jan. 12, 1962, issue by logging on to our special archives.) †

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