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Man Is One. The activist view won some powerful support, including that of France's François Cardinal Marty. Marty, the leader of the French delegation, appears to be an increasingly influential voice within the hierarchy. He warned the bishops: "It is necessary to avoid the danger of separating theological reflections from practical problems." The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Pedro Arrupe, made the same point: "Man is one, life is one. The priest is a person and must be treated as a person." Despite these appeals, the Synod leaders instructed the bishops to talk about only the theoretical aspects of the ministry when the meeting broke into discussion groups at midweek. Nonetheless, the group led by Marty plunged into practical issues, including social justice, the other major topic on the month's agenda.
On that score, the five American bishops had something to say. They issued a statement mildly criticizing a Synod paper for saying too little about nuclear war, the arms race, the repression of religious freedom and racial discrimination. American bishops, who are generally conservative on issues within the church, often prove progressive on external matters. Their statement was the first indication that this attitude might also prove true of the Synod in general.