Evening star., 1960-09-13

mony, WedulngS, funerals ana
so on. OF course. I would par
ticipate and have participated.
Question Of Taking Part
I think the only question
would be whether I could par
ticipate as a participant. a be-
lever in your faith and main
tain my membership in my
church. That, 1t seems to me,
comes within the private beliefs
a Catholic might have. But as
far as whether ! could attend
this sort of a function in your
church. whether I as Senator
or President could attend a
function in your service con-
nected with my position Of Of
fee, then I could attend.
Mr.. Norman--Very closely
allied to it was the position in
regard to the Chapel Of the
Chaplains that was dedi-
Gated. which you once accepted
an invitation to attend and
then the press has said that, I
believe. Cardinal DouRherty
brought pressure and you did
not attend.
Senator Kennedy - / would
be delighted to explain because
that seems to be a matter of
great interest. I was invited
in 1947 after my election to the
Congress by DR.. tDanieD Pol
ing to attend dinner to raise
funds for an interfaith chapel
in honor of the four chaplains
who went down on the Dor
chester which was IA years ago.
was delighted to accept
because I thought 1t was a
useful and worthwhile cause.
But a few days before I was
due to accept. l learned d.
two things: First. that I was
liSted-and this is in DR.. Pol
ing's book in which he describes
the incident-aS the spokesman
for the Catholic faith at the
dinner. Charles Taft. Senator
Taft's brother, was to be
spokesman for the Protestant
faith. Senator Lehman was to
be the spokesman for the jew
ish faith. The second thing I
learned was that the chapel.
instead of being located as I
thought it was as an interfaith
chapel, was located in the base
ment of another church.
Not Interfaith Chapel
It was not in that sense an
lnterfaith chapel. And for the
IA years since that chapel was
built. there has never been a
service of my church because
of the physical location. I.
therefore. informed DR.. Polling
that while I would be glad to
come, as a citizen-in fact.
many Catholics did go to the
dinner-I did not feel that I
had very good credentials to
attend as a spokesman for the
Catholic faith at that dinner
to raise funds when the whole
Catholic church group in Phil
adelphia were not participating
because the chapel has never
been blessed or consecrated.
Now I want to make it clear
that my grounds for not going
we're private. I had no creden-
tials to speak for the Catholic
faith at a dinner for a chapel
for which no Catholic service
has ever been held. So until
this day. unfortunately no
service has been held. But I
think if 1 may separate that.
If this were a public matter
told DR.. Polling that I
would go as an individual. but
I could not go as a spokesman
in that occasion"
Bible College President
Question: I am Max Dalcke.
president of the Gulf Coast
Bible college. and pastor Of the
First Church Of God here in
Houston, and I am a member of
the Houston Association of
Ministers.
Mr.. Kennedy. you very
clearly stated your position to-
night in regard to the propa-
CATION of the Gospel by all re-
ligious groups in other coun-
tries. I appreciated that much
because we Protestants are a
missionary people. However,
the question I have to ask is
this: If you are elected Presi-
dent, will you use your inf1u-
ence to get the Roman Catholic
countries of South America and
Spain to stop prosecuting Prot
estant missionaries and to prop
agate and to give equal rights