The 1976 U.S. Catholic Bishops' Call To Action Conference in Detroit

Commonweal Special Supplement
Unrehearsed & unforgettable

JOHN CARDINAL DEARDEN

 

Looking back, I see the entire program that culminated in the Call to Action conference as one whole. It is true that the Detroit conference was planned to be and is seen as, a distillation of all that had gone before and as a vehicle for making concrete recommendations to the bishops' conference. The reality is that the proposals that had come from the local and diocesan groups were too numerous and, often, too substantial to be dealt with properly in just a few days. And no summary or discussion of these proposals by representatives in Detroit could ever capture the intensity of feeling - the joy and pride, the pain and anguish, the hope and trust that was sensed at the local level. In my own memories of those months of hearings, the most poignant and moving of all that we heard could never be caught a second time. The Unrehearsed plaint of a farmer who lived on the land he and his parents before him had tilled. . .the testimonies of blacks caught up in the seemingly hopeless cycle of metropolitan poverty. . .the simple narratives of migrant workers telling of the bleak ..anguish of rootlessness. . .all this was unrepeatable. From the beginning it was evident that the distorted judgment of the media - their emphasis on the sensational and their passng over the substantial deposit of positive and significant recommendations - hurt the public estimate of the value of the process and its results. Perhaps now: in the calmer reflection of today's society we can see the entire enterprise in perspective. It did have value. It showed us an eager, awakened, and concerned church. It made us reflect on what it means to be a Catholic and how to live out that commitment responsibly in the United States today. That was a mature way to celebrate the bicentennial of our country.

Has all this affected the activities of the bishops' conference? In many ways I believe it has. It has reinforced the bishops' conviction about the value and necessity of consultation with the entire Christian community. Note the process involved in the drafting of the major pastorals on war and peace and the economic order. Note, too, the present series of consultations in preparation for the Synod on the Laity, 1987. Note also the more mature style of these pastoral letters. They make a clear distinction between what is basic Catholic teaching, and application of it in particular instances that might be open to different interpretations; and they call people to reflect upon and study these issues. Quite a different modus operandi from that of days past.

A great deal has been written and said about the bishops' conference response to Call to Action. It is important to remember that there are limits to what the conference can do. It cannot impose its will on its member bishops. Each bishop has special responsibilities that are uniquely his. That so much has been done through collaboration is a testimonial to the readiness of the American bishops to work together for the good of the church and its mission.

If we were beginning today, would we do it differently? Certainly, the process of hearings and grass roots involvement would be retained. Any concluding conference could profit greatly by limiting the scope and range of the issues to be dealt with, by directing the focus to those judged of highest concern. Discussion should be less hurried and more reflective. But the basic process and fundamental value of listening to the people would be safeguarded.

John Cardinal Dearden, the archbishop of Detroit from 1959-1980, headed the Call to Action program as chairman of the Bishops' Bicentennial Commission.

 

This Special Supplement, dated December 26, 1986 has been reprinted with permission of Commonweal Magazine.