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Postmaster: If undeliverable, send Form 3579 to The Texas Observer, 600 W. 7th, Austin, Texas 78701 “The announcement of the decision to produce and stockpile nuclear warheads,” he said, “is the latest in the series of tragic anti-life decisions taken by our government.” “If there were an abortion clinic in Amarillo there isn’t and a Catholic was working there,” he.told the Observer, “I would feel morally bound to say to a Catholic working there, ‘Look, you can’t work in a place like that and consider yourself to be a practicing Catholic.’ What’s the difference? Both are taking life” \(that is, both abortion and President Reagan takes the position that the neutron bomb will have a deterrent effect, and there’s “some validity to that,” the Bishop continued. “At the same time, there is no defense against this thing. The Church used to operate by the doctrine of the just war, the right to defend yourself against unjust aggression. Now there’s no defense against these weapons, just or unjust.” Born in Olfen 30 miles northeast of San Angelo 61 years ago. Matthiesen attended seminary in Columbus, Ohio, studied journalism in Colorado, and edited the West Texas Catholic for many years. He was made a Bishop a year ago. His diocese covers 45,000 square miles, basically the Panhandle and the South Plains, including Lubbock and Lamesa. There are 90,000 listed Catholics in his territory. For ten years he was pastor at St. Francis Catholic Church, which he said is near the entrance of Pantex. The construction of the Pantex plant in World War II originally it was a conventional armaments plant had a negative impact on the church property at the time, he said. Although the matter did not make the state press, recently six religious protesters scaled the outer fences at the Pantex plant. They stopped short of the inner fence, which is electrified. Earlier this year they were tried in federal court and prison terms were meted out. The idea of “the Pantex Six,” as Matthiesen said they are called, was to give “a demonstration of invading the plant. . . . They climbed over the first fence. The second one is electrified -if you touch it you’re fried. And they have machineguns there, and all. “They asked me to join them. I turned it down,” the Bishop said: “I don’t believe in that approach. I don’t believe in what the Berrigans are doing. That approach provokes violent reaction, and that’s not what we’re trying to do.” A “Father Larry,” a priest whose last name was not on the tip of the Bishop’s tongue, was one of the demonstrators. “Father Larry actually got into this accidentally” when another demonstrator was called back to his home in another state and asked the priest to take his place. “I visited him when they had him in jail,” Matthiesen said. The priest is now in a federal prison in the north. Reagan, authorizing the neutron bomb, is responding to what he perceives to be public opinion and is carrying forward policies of the Carter Administration, Matthiesen said. A public opinion poll, Matthiesen thought, would show that “this is what the American people want, bigger and better bombs. Some of us are saying that’s not what we want. I’m saying, ‘Let’s try the way of Christ.’ ” . The Bishop’s startling statement was well played in the Amarillo Globe and News on Aug. 21 and 22, but the sevenparagraph AP pick-up on it was not published in some major Texas dailies and made only page 18 of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and page 19 of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Matthiesen prepared the statement upon Reagan’s neutron bomb decision to have available if he was asked for it, but he did not release it to the press, someone else did. Terry Goodman, associate editor of the West Texas Catholic, said she leaked it to a friend in the Amarillo press. “We’re really quite proud of the Bishop,” she said. “It’s a lot harder to be courageous on social justice in the Panhandle than in any other part of the world.” R.D. 9521; S! …21,,1 -” ;$: N -W., \\s F. JHE SAN ANTONIO Democratic 1…eague meets the first Thursday of each month. For information, call Jim Bode at 344-1497. .,,e .4.01N THE ACLU. Membership $20. Texas t Civil Liberties Union, 600 West 7th, Austin 1.78701. 03ACKPACKING MOUNTAINEERING -RAFTING. Outback Expeditions, P.O. Box 4, EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT NUCLEAR POWER IN TEXAS BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK. This is a handbook covering all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle in our state. Send $2.50 to the Lone Star Alliance, 1022 W. 6th St., Aus tin 78703. rent political’ and e utors include Tha Rothbard, Nathaniel you are concerne d REASON is forkOikket:t Special Finance iSStte. SUNRISE TRADING. Congress Ave., Austin, 441-4565. Free booldist on request ; OUT store. FREEWHEELING BICYCLES. 24\(14 San Gabriel, Austin. For whatever your bicycle needs. MOUNTAIN RETREAT & HOT SPRINGS in private valley. Enjoy room, meals, swimming. sunbathing and, exercise classes from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. IUNITY ORCiANIZ I organizers to w eratincome f amilies sta and economic justice. Direct actidn rhood deterioration, utility rates, taxes;;’i health care. Tangible results and enrk wards long hours and low pay.’ Train’ 6989. Houston; Classified advertising is 30 per word. Discounts for multiple insertions within a 12month period: 25 times, 50%; 12 times, 25%; 6 times, 10%,. 24 AUGUST 28, 1981