March-April 1976
nusabe f on C Chn1st1an CIQ1l1zat1on
~ Price: $1 .50
THE TFP PROCLAIMS THE WHOLE TRUTH
The Church of Silence in Chile
They tied His hands because He used them to do good ...
In this present age in which Christ suffers His passion in His Mystical Body, the same dra1na unfolds. Behind the Iron Curtain there are millions of Catholics living in a Church of Silence with their hands bound tightly by the enemies of Christ, those ivho have continually said no to Him, no to His requests~ no to the good He wanted to do for them .. . And in one 1nore nation of the West there is a Church of Silence made up of anti-communist Cathol,ics whose hands have been tied because they usecl them to do good . ..
(;nu.sabÂŁ fon Chrushan C1v1hzabon i\
fSJorgoffen (9rufn~
Editor: John Hart Circulation Director: Philip Moran Foreign correspondents: Jules Ubbelohdc (England), Guy de Rider (France), Jose Luis de Zayas (Spain), Luis Dufour (Italy), Michel Renaud (Canada), Aloisia Schclin i (Brazil), Pedro Morazzani (Venezuela) Vol. 6
March-April, 1976
No. 2
CONTENTS
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"It Is Better That Some Scandal Arise Than Th at Truth Be Abandoned," 1 The Always Grave Obligation to Denounce the Heretics, 1
Q The Devil Also Has His Mystical Body, 1 O The Sphinx Souls. By Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira, 2 D The Autodemolition of the Church, 3 O The American TFP Sponsors Dr.
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Cosme Beccar Varela Jr. in Lecture Tour, 8 The Ozark Sunbeam Honors Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira, 8
O Book
Reveals the Drama of the Church in Chile, 9
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A Book of the Chilean TFP Makes Moscow Indignant, 12
D The Chilean TFP Comments on the Declaration of the Standing Committee of the Episcopate of Ch ile, 14
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Declaration of the Episcopate, 15 The Chilean TFP Toward the Apostolic Nunciature of Chile: Respect, Firmness, and a Request for Clarification, 16 Declaration of the Nunciature, 17
D Infallibility, Heresy, and the Catholic
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Conscience. By Dr. Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira, 18 Lumen Mariae in Elegant Opening for New Book, 32
DEPARTMENTS Forgotten T ruths, 1 Plinio Correa de Oliveira column, 2 The Autodemolition of the Church, 3 The Twentieth Century Ideological Crusade, 8
"IT IS BETTER THAT SOME SCANDAL ARISE THAN THAT TRUTH BE ABANDONED" From the Apology, a work wrfrten - as one reads in the prologue to "praise the Order of Cluny . . . and to reprimand those who reprimand it, as well as, none the less, to condemn all that in it which merits correction." "Although these abuses exist in your Order, I am far from imputing them to your Order .... It is not against the Order, but against its men and in favor of the Order; so then, I shall reprove not the Order in its men, but the vices of the men in the Order to which they pertain. And I'm certainly not afraid that those who truly love the Order will become annoyed with me in ( the carrying out of) this task: rather, on the contrary, I believe that it will be very pleasing to them that I persecute that which they hate. If some should be irritated, this by itself will reveal them as not having any love for their Religion, (a synonym for Order) for they do not want the vices that disfigure and corrupt it to be condemned. I will shut their lips (Hamil. 7, in Ezech.): "Melius est ut scandal um oriatur quam veritas reliquatur" ("It is better that some scandal arise from telling the truth than that the truth itself be left abandoned and defenseless.") - Apologia, cap. VII - Obras Completas de San Bernardo, translation of Father Jaime Pons, S. J., ed. Rafael Casulleros, Barcelona, Vol. IV, page 349, and Vol. I, page XXXV. - St. Bernard of Clairveaux, Doctor of the Church
THE ALWAYS GRAVE OBLIGATION TO DENOUNCE THE HERETICS On September 24, 1665, the following proposltlon was "condemned and prohibited, at least as scand alous," by a decree of Pope Alexander VII: "Although it be evident to you that Peter (someone) is a heretic, you are not obliged to denounce him unless you can prove it." (Denzingen 1105 ).
THE DEVIL ALSO HAS HIS MYSTICAL BODY "There are two mystical bodies in the world: the Mystical Body of Christ and the mystical body of the demon or of the antichrist.
(Continued on page 31) CRUSADE
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THE SPHINX SOULS By Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira
No Latin American - and I believe no North American either has forgotten that some years ago Castro's Cuba exported guerrilla warfare to the whole of South America. And the reaction to this undertaking also has not been forgotten, for without the allergy to Communism of almost the whole of the rural populations and the great majority of the urban masses, Marxism would have come to dominate all the vast regions between the Caribbean and the South Pole, between the Pacific and the Atlantic. This Castroist endeavor - which could be considered one of the most typical imperialist adventures in the post-war period - provides clear lessons which are still present in the memories of the peoples of the Americas. Nevertheless, what do we find happening? In the Fifteenth Consultative Conference of the OAS (Organization of American States) which met in Quito, Ecuador in 1974, Cuba came very close to being the full beneficiary of the following gifts: the absolution of the sins of its Communist leaders, the granting of an amnesty from all the blockades and sanctions to which it was subjected, and the reintroduction with complete honors and advantages into the family of American nations. To say simply that Cuba was one step away from winning this advantageous and clamorous political victory is to fall short of the reality. As many as a dozen nations voted in favor of the admission of Cuba. Only three pronounced themselves against it. Six maintained neutrality. In the loose and thoughtless atmosphere in which the non-communist world lives, it is we ll to note that the "defeat" of Cuba at the Quito conference was really a half-success that left everything prepared for a complete victory at another OAS meeting.
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Th is finally came at the Sixteenth Consultative Conference of the OAS, held in July of 1975 at Costa Rica, I FIDEL CASTRO, IMPERIA LIST ADVENTURER 1. Exported guerrilla warfare all
over Latin America. That imperialist adventure failed because of the allergy of our rural and urban populations to Communism. 2. In spite of this, the American nations permitted his return: in 1975 , the end of the blockade of Cuba. Now the only thing left is for her to be admitted as a member of the OAS. 3. Nevertheless, Cuba continues to be a poisonous spike, stuck into the flank of the United States, which Moscow can twist at any moment. 4. Cuban guerrillas at the service of Russia are agitating Africa and Asia Minor. II HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE FOR CUBA TO BE REINTRODUCED INTO THE PEACEFUL ASSOCIATION OF NATIONS? 1. "Confiden t" souls believe that
the Communists of Cuba, like those of Russia and China, are no longer the aggressive bullies they used to be ... 2. What happened in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Portugal is a categorical refutation of this thesis. 3. But the "confident" souls smile on ce again: the conversion of the Communists to pacifism is a fact known by intuition, it does not require proofs... III CONTRADICTIONS AND MYSTERIES 1. I-low is it possible to continue
believing in this pacifism in the face of the recent Cuban intervention in Angola? 2. The word "scandal" is colorless and insufficient to describe this mystery. 3. It is necessary to make a supreme effort to unmask this fam ily of sp hinx souls who are playing the game of international Communism.
when, by 16 votes to 3, with 2 abstentions, the blockade was in fact suspended, leaving each country free to resume diplomatic and econom ic relations with Cuba. Now the only thing that remains is for Cuba to be readmitted as a member of the OAS. This is m erely a step, the automatic consequence of the previous successes. * * * Intermingled w ith this complex of events is a simply shocking contradiction. It is one of those obvious and grotesque contradictions that will make the contemporary West the laughing stock of History as long as the world exists. In fact, in the case of Castro's Cuba (sometimes the instrument of Peking and sometimes of Moscow) , the "dossier" shows that its activities have not been limited to spreading guerrilla warfare in the immense regions of South America. In 1962 that island served, in the hands of Russia, as the powder train which almost set fire to the whole world. And it continues to be a poisonous spike sunk into the flanks of the United States. This spike - and we allude in th is way to all the tactical and logistical advantages that the geographical position of Cuba confers upon it - can be twisted at any mom ent by Moscow into the fl esh of the Southern coast of t he Un ited States. As if all this were not enough, Fidel Castro and h is henchmen must be mentioned as those responsible for the agitations that have been churning almost all of Africa for ten years now. Thus it is that Cuban guerrillas, supported by Russian techn icians an d armament, have been spreading Communist or para-communist revolutions in Algeria, the Congo, G uinea, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, and Zaire, not to mention Yemen, South Yemen, Oman, and Syria. (Continued on page 31)
flu Aurotlemolilioo
ol the etm,ek hierarchy of the Church and as a consequence the obliteration of the visible Church itself. Because the Revolution moves at diverse paces with varying degrees of success, we can examine contemporary events around the world with a view toward isolating the different stages of the process and then rearranging them so that the reader may have a sense of the over-all process. And this is what we propose to do in this essay in respect to the autodemolition of the Church.
In his Allocution at the Lombard Seminary on December 7, 1968, Paul VI described the Church as being in a process of "autodemolition." This self-destruction of the Church is being caused by the action of her own sons, filled with the spirit of the Revolution, and acting according to its consistent principles. There are basically two revolutionary aims: the liberalization of the Church and the advance of egalitarianism in it. Both of these drives have the same end: the destruction of the
THE SLOW PACE OF THE AUTODEMOLITION quick-paced revolutionaries in small ways, they act over the tendencies of Catholics to make them more amenable to revolutionary ideas and to prepare for their establishment in fact.
The slow pace of autodemolition is represented by the third-force clergy who do not agree entirely, but only partially, with the progressivist clergy. They help to weaken the 'barrier of horror' that the faithful would normally have against the progressives, in this way preparing the way for the quickpaced revolutionaries. Sometimes it may be no more than remaining silent when they should express their opposition; at other times it may be a criticism with qualifications, or an equivocation. By adopting the fashions or gestures of the
Though the timid actions of the thirdforce priests do not make sensational headlines, this does not discount their importance, but rather they are the most important because, being close in spirit to the general public, they are able to influence large numbers to move slowly toward the ends of the Revolution.
THE QUICK PACE OF THE AUTODEMOLITION Quick-paced revolutionaries are more radicalized and raise a standard which slow-paced revolutionaries in secret admiration follow.
THE CHURCH'S TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE ON SEXUAL ETHICS IS ATTACKED Paul Vi's former cathedral in Milan was invaded by 17 militant feminists protesting against the Vatican's recent reaffirmation of traditional Catholic sexual ethics which restated the Church's opposition to extramarital relations, homosexual acts, and others. (The Irish Catholic, Jan. 22, 1976).
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Challenging the authority of the Magisterium and of the whole tradition of the Church, Fr. Rene Simon, president of the moral theologians from French speaking countries, attacked the Vatican's recent declaration on sexual ethics for "using a largely irrelevant, very clumsy, and outrageously over-simplified concept of natural law." Father Simon refuses to accept that premarital relations are always sinful, in this way placing himself in frontal opposition to the doctrine of the Church. He believes that the fact that Paul VI merely read the declaration without signing it is a factor in favor of those who oppose it. (London Catholic Herald , Feb. 20, 1976). CRUSADE
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BISHOP "CONDEMNS CAPITALISM AND ITS ALLY THE HIERARCHY Ecclesiastics attacking private property and the hierarchical structures of Western civilization are undermining the very offices they represent. This is made explicit in a statement by Bishop Antonio Parrilla Bonilla of Puerto Rico, which is quoted below: "I was made a Bishop after Vatican II. I am in contact with the progressive priests of Latin America. I visit the political prisoners. During the Korean war, 1 made a special effort to console the true heroes, those who refused to serve in imperialist wars. " I consider that we have the righ t to use all the necessary means - even violence - to acquire ou r independence and our sovereignty. I do not say that we should do so now. We would not be followed by the masses. Right now we must continue the process of education, increase thei r consciousness. "I condemn capitalism. I am not a Marxist, but a transcendentalist. Capitalism is a system of exploitation, it is the incarnation of the anti-Christ; the devil made a structure. I believe in a world without classes; we live in a world dominated by the class struggle. " I condemn capitalism and its allies, the hierarchy. The bishops ought to be elected, and the priests too. "My· hope is that over the ruins of capitalism a form of socialism will be built in which the people will be able to participate truly." (Le Monde Diplomatique, J an. 19 76).
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As a word of clarification, it can be noted that the Church teaches that capitalism is condemnable only in its abuses, but that socialism is in trinsically wrong.
CHURCH GROUPS WARN GENERAL MOTORS Tbe Layman's Digest (Chicago, Dec. 15 , 197 5) reports that 15 high executives of different Roman Catholic organizations, as well as several protestant churches warned General Motors t hat their planned investment in anti-communist Chile where they are going to build a new automobile factory is "immoral" and economically wrong." The proMarxist coalition declared that the "Government of Chile . .. represses its people and is recognized as repressive by numerous churches, foreign govern-
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ments, and financial institutions." Why don't we see this same kind of toughness manifested against the gigantic repression being carried out by the Communist regimes? Among the parties signing the "warning" to General Motors are the U.S. Catholic Conference (organ of the Bishop's Confere nce), the Passionist Congregation, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Notre Dame Missionary Congregation, the Catholic Coalition for Responsible Investme nt, the Episcopal Church, the American Baptist Church, etc. The action of this coalition of ch urches and church groups makes it possible for leftist American politicians to pretend that the moral authority of the churches is united against repression in Chile, and, thus, push through legislation harmful to that nation. Indeed, fruits of this kind are already becoming manifest. As reported in OESP (Feb. 19, 1976), the U.S. Senate has decided to suspend all furnishing of arms to the anti-communist military government in Chile. The motion presented by Senator Kennedy proh ibi ting the sale of arms to the "present dictatorship in
Chile" was approved by 48 votes to 39.
MARX AND JESUS In an ecumenical gathering in Detroit of Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians from North and South America, the meetings focused on the theology of liberation. The participants would defend an argument by citing a scriptural passage from Jeremiah or a verse from Luke, then, just as earnestly cite Marx in condemning economic injustice." This practice whe reby Marx (the source of evil) is placed on the same plane with Jesus (the source of all good) is a clear reflection of the Gnostic heretical me ntality whereby good is equal to evil, and evil is good.
• • • "My Lord and Master, Light of light and my strength, in thy help alone do I place all my confidence and the exaltation of thy h oly name. All th ose that speak of otherwise I abjure, abhor, and detest." Our Lady's words to Our Lord as reported by the Venerable Maria de Agreda.
THE EGALITARIAN AUTODEMOLITION ACTIVIST NUNS CALL FOR ORDINATION OF WOMEN Holy Tradition and Sacred Scripture are unanimous in proscribing th e ord ination of women, another hierarchical attribute of the Church which egali tarian spirits find reasons to oppose. This was show n recently when the National Assembly of Women Religious (NAWR), which has a membership of 3500 nuns, called for the· inclusion of women in "decision-making bodies at all levels" of the Roman Catholic Chu rch and for the ordination of women as deacons , priests, and bishops. This statement was contained in resolutions approved in a meeting of some 800 Catholic nuns in San Francisco. (Tbe Cbristian News, Aug. 25, 1975).
ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE AT GRAYMOOR ATTACKS THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPE Tbe Tablet, Brooklyn (Oct. 30, 1975) describes a conference at Graymoor Ecumenical Institute in Garrison, New York, which brought together "theologians" of the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican Churches to explore their re-
spective views of the Papacy. Nothing about the report suggests that any effort was made to get the Protestant theologians to accept the Catholic doctrine of infallibility which has been infall ibly defined by Pope Pius IX and Vatican Coun cil I. Accord ing to Tbe Tablet, that two day confere nce attracted some 60 priests, ministers, seminarians, and ecumenical officers of various churches, and a variety of views of the papal office were explored, including that of an "ecumenical pope" who perhaps "without the controversial mantle of infallibility and supreme authority," could be "first among equals" among the world Christian leaders, serve as a symbol of unity for the universal church, and be its chief spokesman.
CARDINALSUENENSSAYS PARISH MUST BECOME A "PRAYER LIFE" COMMUNITY The prophetic groups serve as an agitational arm to establish small " base commu nities" in which clergymen and laymen stand side by side in the most egalitarian conditions. These "base communities" m ay be given the name of "prayer groups," "prayer life communities," "charismatic groups," or " little
parishes." They work to weaken the hierarchical structure of the Constantinian Church. In this respect, Cardinal Suenens has declared recently that parishes can be transformed into truly apostolic communmes by allowing "spontaneous communities of prayer life" within parish es. These communities would be made up of people committed to each other within the parishes, but wou ld also "find other Christians (outside the parish) with whom to love Christianity in depth."
WISCONSIN PARISH FORMS SEVERAL LITTLE PARISHES According to The Catholic News (J anuary 22, 1976), a Roman Catholic parish in Me nasha, Wisconsin is implementing a program called "little parishes." Now in its third year, the program establishes smaller units within a large parish.
The coordinators of the program are Father Roland Laliberte and Sister Marjorie Maly, S.F.C.C. Members of the "little parishes" go through six weeks of instructional meetings with the coordinators. When a group completes its training, a "commitment service" is held at the time th at members gather at home for Mass. The group's name, symbol, leaders, andcommunityprojectare chosen earlier. Each member of a group signs a personal commitment and a commitment to the group, which are read during the offertory of the "commissioning Mass." The community project is the area which ties the "little parish" to the larger parish. One "little parish" may work on parish communications, another may work with the elderly, and so forth . T he phenomenon of the prophetic groups was analyzed by Harold Wyn Newcastle in depth in Crusade for a Christian Civilization (Nov.-Dec., 1975 ).
AUTODEMOLITION IN THE MORAL SPHERE The advance of the revolutionary principle of lib eralism in the Church becomes increasingly manifest as members of the clergy defend the relaxation of the discipline of the Church, attack and violate God's law, and bring their au thority co bear in the temporal sphe re in order co effect the liberalization of the laws of a nation. All of this shows the aurod emolition of the Church in the moral sphere.
APOSTATE PRIESTS AND THE IR WIVES ATTEND MEETING IN CHICAGO T he Association of Chicago Priests held a meeting co which priests who have left the "active priesthood" were
invited to attend with their wives. The meeting was chaired by J ohn Hill, a priest who resigned and was one of the leaders in the establishment of the Association of Chicago Priests and the National Federation of Priests' Conferences. (Our Szmday Visit or, March 7, 1976).
THE VATICAN STILL DEBATES THE QUESTION OF SEX According to O Globo (Jan. 30, 1976), the Osservatore Romano made a long first- page analysis of the recentdocument in which the Ho ly See affirms that homosexuality is in principle sinful. The article in Osservatore Romano comments that, with rare exceptions, the homosexuals suffer from "unj ust d iscrimination." It adds that chis is un-
just because "homosexuals freq uently have a more interesting personality than those wh o recriminate against them." The Vatican paper insists that the general rules of the Church on th is matter be applied in accordance w ith each individual case. The article asserts that diverse psychological and physical factors influencing homosexuals make it possible for some homosexual acts to be not sinful. The author of the analysis, Fr. Dome nico Capone, who is president of th e Roman Institute of Mo ral Theology, affirms th at the Vatican declaration "was not directed at the men and especially the youth who experience the problem and the tension of their sexuality, but rather at the theories that reduce sexuality to an entertainment of physical love without any limits." After saying that homosexuality is in itself a moral disturbance, Fr. Capone advised moderation in judgment, sustaining that "going from the general theory co real life requires flexibility in the application of the general rules."
RIGHTS OF HOMOSEXUALS D EFENDED BY BROOKLYN DIOCESE Bisho p Mugavero of Brooklyn has affirmed: "Being subject to misunderstanding and at times unjust discrimination has resulted in an overreaction o n the part of some persons of homosexual orientation ... Our com munity must explore ways to secure the legitimate rights of all our citizens, regardless of sexual orientatio n . . . " (Pastoral letter Sexuality - God's Gift). ' And Father Anthony J. Bevilacqua, chancellor of the Brooklyn chancery, explains: " . .. it can be said in general chat ho mosexuals have the same righ cs as any other human being, that is, there should be no unjust discrimination against a homosexual simply because he or she is a homosexual." ( The Table t, Brooklyn , March 4, 1976). These statements, bad in themselves, are made worse by their timing, for coming now they provide a strong assistance to pending legislation favoring a liberalizatio n of the laws aga inst homosexuality.
Shown in the photo a nun, with a priest to her right and left. A friend is to the far left of the picture. The pictu re reflects very well the ideal of the prophetic groups: a desacralized disalienated clergy in the new Church. CRUSADE
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It is obvious that if homosexuality is professed publicly, it is being done to facilitate the practice of this sin and crime. That is why discrimination against homosexuals by law is essential to protect the rights of the general public. Could not the "compassion" which Bisho p Mugavero shows toward homosexuals be understood as a lack of consideration for the decent citizen who will be victimized by a lib eralization of the laws against this vice, for which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
MINNESOTA BISHOPS DEFEND LEGISLATION WHICH WOULD WEAKEN THE FAMILY
legislation would have a devastating effect in the moral sphere.
According to The R e111na11t (Feb. 18, 1976), Archbishop Roach, speaking for the Minnesota Conference of Bishops, has defended Walter Mondale's Child and Family Service Bill - S626 and HR 2966 - with the words: "The attacks on the bill are dishonest, and we, as the bishops of Minnesota deplore them." If passed, the bill would weaken the control that parents have over their own children by transferring authority that rightfully belongs to them to the federal government. Since parents have the responsibility of inculcating moral values in their ch ildren , the passage of such
CHURCH LEADERS OPPOSED BRITISH DEATH PENALTY With the full backing of all Britian's church leaders, the House of Commons rejected a d emand for the restoration of the death penalty for terrorist murders. In a separate letter, Roman Catholic Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer of Birmingham wrote; " ... reintroduction of the death penalty now would be neither justified nor effective." (The Catholic News, December 25, 1975). In this way we see how the action of th e clergy encourages the continued growth of terrorism in Britain . .
THE "CATHOLIC" - COMMUNIST COLLABORATION: THE OPEN COOPERATION OF THE HIERARCHY IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CHURCH Members of the hierarchy and the clergy in the West commonly take stands on political issues in such a way as to favor the autodcmolition of the Church and the advance of the Revolutio n in the West. What happens in those countries where Communist regimes arc already manifest? Do we find the Bishops crying out for human rights, and working against the repressive tactics of the regime?
selves to th e revolution, which intends radically to transform society in Mozambique into a community for solidarity for all people of good will whether believers or nonbelievers." "The Gospel is an ever new force for the liberation of man from oppression," th ey added, sayi ng Christ was present in the history of mankind " in every struggle for justice and liberty."
MOZAMBIQUE BISHOPS FAVOR A SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONt
The Catholic Bishops have allowed the Catholic schools and hospitals to be closed rather than to protest, saying that it brings the Church closer to the poor.
According to Our Sunday Visitor, Samora Machel , Marxist president of Mozamb ique, has proclaimed his intention ro impose Communism in that country . Though he lacks support among the people, the Bishops o~ Mozambiq~e, voicing their support of the soetaltst revolution, declared: "We pledge our-
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THE CHURCH WANTS COEXISTENCE IN RED HUNGARY The following statement is based on accounts in OESP, Feb. 17 and 2 1, 1976.
The successor of Cardinal Mindszenty as primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom is Dom Laszlo Lekai, an ecclesiastic who had previously s,vorn his fidelity to the Communist Constitution of Red Hungary. The new prelate granted an in terview to the press of Budapest; it was published by the journal of th e Hu ngarian Communist Party. The prelate promised that, if the rights of Catholics are respected, he would work in harmony with the Co mmunist government and follow a "realistic" orientation in regard to relations between the Church and the State, giving it to be understood that in acting this way he is obeyi ng orders from theVatican. He appealed to Catholics to mobilize their forces for the good and prosperity of the natio n: "Hungarians must take into account th at which unites them and avoid that which separates them." In respect to relations between Catholics and Communists, he declared: "We Catholics wish to respect the convictions of those who have a different vis ion o f the world, but we h ope that they also will respect our convictions." After prom ising to respect a declaration adopted last year by the Hungarian Episcopate which affirms that "the Church has found a new place in the socialist society," and ough t to participate in the destiny of the nation the Archbishop th anked the Vatican for the "realism" with which it approached relations with theCommunist government. Finally, taking a position that contrasts sharply with that of the former primate, Cardinal Mindszenty, he re-
vealed that he will not u se the title of Pr ince, to which the Primates of Hungary have had a right for 250 years, enjoying thereby certain prerogatives as "Prince Prim ate ." Dom Lek a i ex plained that the Vatican had ordered the ecclesiastical hi erarchy to re nounce all secular titl es and p osts.
Prof. Plinio Correa d e Olive ira proves the following: " If any given earthly government deman ded, as a co ndition for the Church's liberty, t hat she reno unce the preach ing of a ny one o f the precepts of the Law, She could not accept this liberty which would only b e a sham.
In an article which is part of a camp aign begun some time ago by the Catholic Hierarchy and the Red regime to demonstrate that relatio ns between the Church and the State have b ee n norm alized , Bishop Cserha ti, of Pees, affirmed that the numerous agreeme nts signed between the Vatican and Hungary ought to co nvince Catholics that the Vatican "accepts the historical re ality. " He stat ed : " Th e role of the Church in socie ty corresponds to her way, that is to say, to the spiritual sphert. T he Church as a religious institu tio n must not m ake politics; h er o bjective is not to mod ify any political structure." Th e decl aration of the Hu ngarian prelate in a society where the socialists have all the power contrasts strangely with the clamorous outcries of the hie rarchy all ove r the world , calling for social change m the n o n-communist countries.
"We affirm that this liberty would b e a sham because the teaching mission of th e Chu rch h as as its objective the teaching of a doctrine wh ich is an indivisible wh ole. Either She is free to fulfill the mandate of Our Lord Jcsus Christ, teaching that whole, or She must consider herself oppressed and persecuted. If h er complete liberty is not recognized , She must - du e to her militan t nature fight against the oppressor. The Church cann ot accep t a p artial silen cing of her teach ing fun ction nor a partial oppressi on in order to obtain a partial libe rty. It would be a complete be traya l of he r mis-
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In hi s cl assic wo rk , T be Freedom of tbe Cburch in the Co1111111mist State,
sion."
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The Sac red Congregation of Seminaries an d Universities of Ro me described Professor Olive ira's essay as a "most fai thful ech o of all the d ocumen ts of the supreme Magistcrium of the Church, in cluding the encyclicals Ma ter et Magistra of John XXII I and Ecclesiam Suam of Paul VI. . . " ( Letter by G. Card inal Pi zzardo , Dec. 2, 1964).
THE END OF THE PROCESS: THE DESTRUCTION OR NEAR DESTRUCTION OF THE VISIBLE CH URCH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NOT VISIBLE IN MAO'S CHINA Christ to the World ( Ro me, 1974) reports that a certain number of Chinese, fore ign priests, Chi nese nuns, and Catho lic layme n have obtained permission in che p ast few m onths to visit their parents. Up on their re turn, they have given impressio ns of different regions, but they are unanimous o n one poi nt: "The Catholic Church is not visib le any m ore in Communist Ch ina." The Cath o lic Ch urch which impressed the visitors of 25 years ago with its sanctuaries, h as disappeared . The Church edifices - i t is true - still ex ist, "although some of th em have been destroyed or are in ruins," but th ey have been put co o ch e r uses: athe ist schools, museums, stores, read ing rooms, and observatories, such as in th e case o f the famous Basilica of Zo-se, near Shanghai.
There arc two exceptio ns. One is the church in South Pek ing, which is ope n on Sund ays for the functionaries of foreign embassies. T he other is a tiny ch apel in Canton. Th ese arc probably open to sh ow foreigners chat religious freedom is gu aran te ed b y the regime. Ca th o lic priests who h ave b een th e re as tourists h ave reported that they foun d no place to say Mass, except for their h otel rooms. T he twenty legitimate Bishops that were th e re in 1949 have d isappeared w ithout a trace . Arc they alive or dead? Bishop Ignatius Ki ong of Sh anghai, for exam ple, was taken prisoner in 19 55 and condemned to life imprisonment . The 45 bishops favo rable to the regime who were consecrated in 1957-1958, have been swep t away by the Cultural Revo lution and n obody can tell where they arc or where they live. Priests are not visible either. Ir is known chat there are priests in the fo rced
labor camps; othe r arc employed m agricultural communes ; othe rs work m factories. Does this mean chat in this a tmosph ere of terror the fa ith is dead in the hearts of the Christians who have survived the horrors of the persecutio n? Everything leads us to believe t he contrary. Fµgitives escaping fro m the cou ntry and reach ing H ong Kong h ave not broke n with the Church. A Ch inese pries t who visited the Continent affirmed that the Rosary is recited in secret. Some young people, knowing that h e was a priest, said to him : "We are in favor of th e Chu rch."
....
In the wake of these events, the Vatican R ad io eulogized Chou En-Lai, emphasizing his role as a defender of dialogue w ith the We ste rn world . The radio statio n said: " T o his tenacity a nd daring as a rcvolu tio nary, he added a se nse of prude nce and diplomacy." And it contin ued: "Ch ou was a convinced d efender of dialogue between the Chinese reality a nd the cap ita lise world , and o ne of the m ost renowned men of co ntempo rary Ch ina."
CAMBODIA: BRUTAL COMPULSION TRANSFORMS A NATION OESP, February 28, 1976 . Th e characteristic b ru tality of t he Khmer Rouge has estab lish ed in th e last few months a totall y repressive Comm unist regim e in Cambod ia. O ne might (Continued on page 31) CRUSADE
7
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY IDEOLOGICAL CRUSADE THE AMERICAN TFP SPONSORS DR. COSME BECCAR VARELA JR. IN LECTURE TOUR The celebrated Argentine writer and orator, Dr. Cosme Beccar Varela, Jr., is coming to the United States where he
will begin a lecture tour on April 29th. Dr. Varela is a best-selling author and th e dynamic president of the brilliant Argentine Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Pro perry. His writings, which have electrified Argentine public opin ion, are recognized by the
press as being the principle obstacle co the progress of the Peronist attempt co uni fy labor under the standard of the left.
THE OZARK SUNBEAM HONORS PROF. PLINIO CORREA DE OLIVEIRA
Man at the left shown reading CRUSADE while another is making a purchase from a militant of the American TFP.
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Tbe Ozark Sunbeam, of Seligma n, Misso uri , has nominated Prof. Plin io Correa de Oliveira as an honorary member o f its staff. Th e text of the distinguished citation reads: "know ye by these presents : Professor Plinio Correa de Oliveira, in co n(Conti1111ed 011 page 32)
., ...
Th e reception at the Liede rkranz Club in Manhattan for Lum en Mariae Publications' first book - Cursillos in Christianity.
8 CRUSADE
BOOK REVEALS THE DRAMA OF THE CHURCH IN CHILE The Chilean TFP, which eight years ago launched in that country F abio Xavier da Silveira's book Frei, the Chilean Ke rensky, which proved to be prophetic of events to come , has just published a book destined to have even greater national and international repercussions. Written by the TFP itself, it is entitled Th e Church of Silen ce in Chile: the TFP Proclaims the Whole T ruth. During the first days of its publication in the middle of F ebruary , it was the object of vociferous attacks by Radio Moscow and another radio station in Moscow. T wo weeks later th e book was denounced by the Chilean Episcopate and the Apostolic Nu nciature in Chile. The Chilean TFP published serene answers to all of th e charges raised against the book. All o f the documents involved in the exchange were widely disseminated in Chile, and appear in this issue of Crusade f or a Christian Civilization. None o f the attacks against the book have succeeded in quelling the very great interest o f the Chilean people in it since it first ap peared in that country. It has already gone th rough two editions, and the third edition is n early sold out. A fourth edition is being prepared by the University of Chile Press, the most prestigious publisher in Chile. In addition to being sold in the street during the campaigns of the TFP, it is in all o f the book stores of the nation where its sales are running from 15 0 to 200 copies per day per sh op . It is now the best selling book in Chile. The great reception of the Chilean public to the book is expressed also in the ample publicity being given to it. For example, the Chilean T F P reports that it has already collected over 100 clippings about the book from the Chilean daily papers. In the United States, the publicity is just beginning with articles about the book appearing in a number o f m ajor news-
papers (Th e T ablet of Brooklyn, T he Los A ngeles Herald Examiner, etc.).
THE RELIGIOUS DRAMA OF PRESENT-DAY CHILE Why is the book attracting such great interest ? What is its theme? It portrays Chile as b eing at a crossroads in history, facing the dramatic interplay of ideological and religious factors. It shows that the immense majority of Chilean Catholics are reduced to the spiritual situation of an authentic Church o f Silence, confounded and kept in fear by the proceedings of the canonical power by which the le ftist priests and bisho ps support themselves as they dedicate all of their efforts to bringing about a reversal of the counter-revolution by which the Chilean people overthrew the Marxist regime o f Alle nde. Considered as a whole, the n ational episcopate under the leadership of Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez constitutes, in the eyes of leftists in Chile who are nostalgic for the deposed regime, the great h o pe for the restoration of a Marxist regime in Chile. This hope is founded on the pro-marxist at titudes taken by t he majority o f the prelates or their representative organs a fter the suicide o f Allende. O n the other hand, those Catholics who oppose the return o f the sinister Marxist adventure, find in these same attitudes a cause for apprehensio n and perplexity . Indeed, a dramatic question o f conscience has been created for them by this situation and it fills them with anguish and suspense. As Catholics, do th ey have an obligation to follow these shepherds in a m arch headed for the self-destructio n of the Church and the ruin of their country? In order to resp on d to this delicate situation, th e CRUSADE 9
book of the TFP focuses on the historical panorama that precedes the ac tua l situation.
A PERFECTLY LOGICAL AND STRUCTURED PROCESS The Chu rch of Silence i11 Cl1ile is based on more than 220 d ocu mei~ts, and embraces 15 years ofChilean ecclesiastical civil h istory . It d e picts the action of Cardinal Raul Silva Henriqu ez, mos t of the episcopate, and a d ecisive part of the cle rgy in favor of the implantation of th e Marx ist regime chat devastated Chile, de monstrating in the course of th e presentation chat the sup po rt of the leftist ecclesiastics was the decisive factor in the rise of the Marxist Allende to powe r. It shows, moreover, that the events giving rise to this situ ation developed as a perfectly consistent and s tructured process. EVERYTHING BEGAN WITH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRACY The first s tage in this process was the formation and launching of the Christian Democratic Party, which presented a liberal permissive program in the political and social spheres and a socialistic a nd co nfiscatory one in the economic sphere. Shepherds committed to th ese programs, b y the adherence they demonstrated, began the process by which traditional Catholics were t o become m ore and more isolated. This initial stage cu lmina ted with the rise to power of Eduardo Fre i in 1964. With the inst allation of the Kerenskian government of Fre i, the second stage was set into motion.
Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez in Allende's home. With this visit, he recognized the Marxist candidate as the presidentelect even before congress settled the electoral impasse.
During this period, prestigious sup port was m obilized for his socialistic and confiscatory reforms, the reby preparing the way for Marxi sm to come to power. The bish ops and priests le d by Cardinal Silva Henriquez adopted - in various degrees of radicality - all the measures necessary to destroy the foci of anticommunist ideological resistance such as existed in th e Catholic University of Santiago; the y combated as much as possible the public action of the anticommu nist Catholics who denounced the tragic direction of the events; they convoked, especially in Santiago, a pastoral synod in which priests and layme n advocating a more open collaboration with Marxi sm had in practice every opportunity to poison the ecclesiastical struc tures, religious congregations, apostolic organizations, etc . Finally, afte r the move me nt co the left in Chile had been radicalized, these shephe rds threw the ir support into the political are na in critical ways chat were d ecisive for the final victory of the Marxist-Le ninist, Allende.
THE ALLENDE PHASE Mr. Patricio Larrain, president of the Chilean TFP, leading a march of Chilean peasants aga inst agrarian reform during Frei's regime.
10 CRUSADE
During the t hird s tage, the revolutio n ary bishops and pries ts transformed th emselves into one of the most fundamental supports of the Marxist re gime of
Allende as it applied programs aimed at the gradual communization of Chile. Insensible to the popular clamor against the moral ruin and misery produced by the regime, these shepherds continued to stand behind it right up to the last moment when Allende, not able to carry out the bloodbath he had planned, committed suicide. THE POINT OF THE LANCE
The fourth stage of the process covers the period beginning with the fall of Allende and continuing into the present. The book demonstrates that during this stage, the leftist majority of the episcopate and clergy actually transformed itself into the point of the lance of an offensive to return Marxism to power in Chile. The book shows that during a 15 year period - in spite of strategic retreats - the aforementioned prelates have continued to support inflexibly a confiscatory regime contrary to Christian principles - a regime indistinguishable from Marxist socialism of the style being proposed by the Communist Berlinguer in Italy and b y Marchais in France. This is a Marxist socialism which, in order to gain the acceptance of the noncommunist majorities, presents itself in its early stages as having been purged of its militant atheism and its open bloodthirstiness. HOW THE CHURCH OF SILENCE WAS FORMED IN CHILE
Thus it was that the activities of these 15 years gene_rated in the Chilean Church an immense category of faithful Catholics who were perplexed and silent , handcuffed by the spiritual iron of the ecclesiastical artifices and by fear of canonical sanctions from the revolutionary shepherds. Accordingly , an uncountable number of these faith fol Chilean Catholics did not know which way to turn in the face of the work of demolition that was being carried out by these shepherds and priests. More and more, within the depths of their souls, they were asking themselves if they had an obligation to follow such pastors. In its conclusion, the book, basing itself firmly on theology and canon law, sh ows that Catholics do not have the obligation to follow the erroneous orientation of such bishops and priests. Th is inevitably leads to the formu lation of other grave questions: what then is the position that one ought to take toward shepherds who have departed from their mission and their flock to the extent that the flock no longer has the obligation to follow t hem? What is the situation of these sheph erds? The book does not back away from these questions which Chilean Catholics have b een formulating
silently to themselves. It turns to the history of the Church and Canon Law to find the answer. And this answer is simple: A bishop can enter into schism not only by breaking with the Roman Pontiff but also by abandoning the essential obligations of his charge. And this unhappily is what the facts show has happened to the Chilean prelates who collaborated in the implantation of the Marxist regime in Chile and who today are trying to facilitate its restoration. At the same time , the book shows that the systematic favoring of heresy creates, according to canon law, the suspicion of heresy which, according to the gravity of the case, generates in its turn the entrance into h eresy as such, properly so-called. A CALL TO THE FAITHFUL ECCLESIASTIC
Next, the book turns to those Chilean ecclesiastics and theologians who have not applauded this process of demolition of the Church and of the country and who up till now have maintained a relative silence. It calls upon them to pronounce publicly upon the moral and canonical aspect of the delicate case expounded by the book, and thereby make their own position known. WHAT MUST A GOOD CATHOLIC DO?
Concerning what a good Catholic of the Church of Silence in Chile should do in such grave circumstances, the book affirms that he has the right to resist, that is, not to obey those orders and dictates of the sheph erds which favor the Marxist cause. He may resist actively , that is, oppose himself against these destructive shepherds and priests by all licit means that morality and right offer, so that they may be hindered from continuing to use the prestige that comes from the positions by which they support themselves and from doing all the evil that is described in this book. In regard to the religious situation o f the Catholics of the Church of Silence in Chile, the book sh ows that there are no longer any conditions for continuing the obligatory and habitual ecclesiastical relations with these destructive bishops and shepherds whose conduct - in the objective plane of facts - cannot fail to be classified as schismatic and favoring heresy. Finally, the book explains that it was written so that the immense majority of Chilean Catholics who are incarcerated in this way within the Church of Silence, might know the reality of their situation and th e sacred rights that assist them , so that they will no~ take desperate attitude~ but will remain firmly united to the Roman Ca th olic a nd Apostolic Chu rch as intransigent defenders of the true faith and 0 f their threatened cou ntry . CRUSADE
11
A Communique from the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property
MOSCOW TRANSMITTERS DEFEND THE RED BISHOPS OF CHILE The lively repercussions in the length and breadth of Chile to the book Tbe Cburcb of Silence in Cbile: Tbe TFP Proclaims the Whole Trntb, recently launched by the Ch ilean TFP, is a clear sign o f the angu ish in w hich t he consciences of uncountable Catholics are submerged due to the action of numerous leftist ecclesiastics. F o r Catholics, this book rep resents a factor of clarification that illuminates the way to be fo llowed, and in the proclamation of the TFP, they are finding relief from that which disturbed them to the depths of their souls.
A
JB(O)(O)I[ (O)JF
1rJHIJE CJHIIlJLJEAN
1rfIP> MAKES MOSCOW IlN[))IlCGNANT
fered, promptly informed the Russians, and asked for orientat ion from their guides and mento rs in the Kremlin. Since their Catholic rank and file, d ragged along in a deceptive way by the leftist clergy, do not heed the o fficial Comm u nist voice emitted directly from Mosco w, it is also to be presumed that the undergr ou nd action of the Russians at t he natio nal level was made ineffective through the impact of the book. Indeed the reaeton of Moscow to the book The Church ofS ilence i11Cbile: Tbe TFP Proclaims tbe Wbo/e Trutb was so immediate that o ne may presume one of the firs t copies put on sale was sen t by extraordinarily rapid means to Moscow. In responding, Moscow delayed only a sufficient time fo r a meticulous
study of th e m aterial contained in the book and for an immediate refl ection on h ow to act. The fru it of t h is reflection corresponds to a directive emitted by the Russians to the Chilean Communists and the Catho lic ecclesiastics and laymen wh o are so vastly influenced by the Marxists of o u r country. This d irective was commu nicated in the Spanish language by speakers having an undisguisable Ch ilean accent as they transmitted th e program made b y Radio Moscow "Escucha Chile"( L isten Chile) of February 23 and by another radio station in Moscow b y the name of Peace and Progress o n the following day. A record ing of th e radio program picked up by the TFP is in the office of this
THE COMMUN IST REACTION As is natural, Communism cries o ut against th e blow that has harmed the most central plan in its subversive design - this plan which they have been applying successfully thanks to d1 e cover and collaboration of important Chil ean eccl esiastical sectors, or th at is, of the Card inal Archbishop of Santiago Msgr. Raul Silva Henriqu ez - and a great part of th e ep iscopate and clergy. T o the detriment of me subvers ive forces, th e action that the Reds have been carry ing out through this lance point of the Comm unist onslaught in Chile, constituted of the destructive ecclesiastics th emselves, has been made evident and therefore u nusable through th e book launched by th e TFP.
THE ORIENTATION FROM MOSCOW Everyth ing seems to indicate that the Chilean Communists grave ly disoriented by the serious blow which they had suf-
12
CR USADE
The Chi lean Card inal welcom es the Red butcher, Fidel Castro.
·~ Moscow Radio never expressed any idignation over the misery which Marxism produced in C~ ile. The Chilean Episcopate · ·1ar re t·ice nce • Why this common si lence of the wolves and the sh epherds over the plig ht of the sheep.1 showed a s1m1
entity a nd is at the disposition of the Ch ilcan radio stations.
THE KREMLIN DEFENDS THE PREROGATIVES OF THE HIERARCHY AND THE UNITY OF CATHOLICS The o rd er cm ittcd by Moscow consists in taking up the defense of those who are advocates of Communism, that is, to defend those who defend them, chat is, Cardi nal Sil va Henriquez and a great part of the episcopate and clergy. More yet, in order to maintain th e unh appy Chi lean Church of Silence spiritually tied to the aforementioned bishops, Moscow goes so far as to raise its voice in defense not only of the unity of Catholics but also of the prerogatives of the hierarchy!
• 'TELL ME WITH WHOM THOU GOEST . .. " On the basis of this fact and call ing to mind the old proverb " Te ll me with whom th ou goest and I shall tell thee who thou art," we conclude paraphrasing the same: "Tell me what defenders arise in thy favor and I shall tell th ee what cau se thou servest."
THE INDIGNANT HOWLING OF THE KREMLIN In its program of February 23, Radio Moscow, giving a proof of its profound concern over the effects that the book has been having in Cathol ic circl es, frequently being dragged unwarily in to Comm unism by members of the episcopate and clergy, tries from the beginning to falsify the reality by presenting the work referred to as an attack against the Church : "A new wave of attacks
aga inst the Catholic Church" it points out a nd adds "the Chilean fascists have opened a new front o f attack against the Catholic Church a nd Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez with the bombastic lau nching (of a book) edited by the socalled Ch il ean Society for the Defense of Tradition, F amily, and Property." Show ing that it possessed d etail ed in format ion abou t the Chilean TFP, a nd in deformation of the facts in order to deny the local autonomy of this society and to accuse it of belonging to a n international network, it adds: "This society is commonly known in Chile by the name of Fiducia because this was the name of its magazine when it was published years ago. The Chi lea n Society for the Defense of Trad ition, Fam ily, and Property forms p art of an international chain of organizations of the same name existing in Brazil, Colombia, Arge ntina, and other countries - the stand ard bearers of the most outmoded religious fa:1at icism of the extreme right." After vociferating against the Fiducian aristocrats, stude nts of the Catholic University and of religious preparato ry schools, a nd imp ugning them for distributing the book Frei: Tbe Cbilea11 Kerensky, the transmission of Moscow returns, d u ring its address to a Cath olic people dece ived by a leftist clergy, to raise itself up in defense of theological o rth odoxy and the Cardinal: "The new book which has bee n put into circulation by the Fiducians of Chi le dedicates its 468 pages to attacking with the most siby lline language covered over by a pretended Christ ia n and theological conten t the ecclesiastical autho rities. The on,slaugh ts are directed especiall y aga inst Cardinal Rau l S ilva He nriquez who app ears in a photograph on th e cover of the bo ok next to the assassi nated Constitutional Pri:sid ent Salvador Allende.
Adding other "theological" consider,ltions always w ith the purpose pointed out above, the Kremlin emissa ry impugns th e TFP with ma ni fest falsity of h aving pronounced itself "violently against the Church for its actions in defense of hum an rights. ' ' Fin ally, Radio Moscow and R adio Peace and Progress proclaim pharisaically their co ncern about the possible division that m ight be brought about in the Church by the launching of the book by the TFP. A nd afterwa rds, with undisguisable aims in respect to t h is society, which all of Chile kn ows to be a private e ntity, they spread the fa lse rumor that it acts in dependence on the Chilean executive. Ne ith e r this affirmatio n nor the o ne that a Ch ilean sta te or semi-state entity has dona ted to the Chi lean TFP its seat and its printing shop is true.
A GRAVE TACTICAL ERROR In both of th ese transmissions from Moscow, one notes the comple te absence of t he Commun ist d octrinal premises of the dialectic and of the language so characteristic of the Reds. Th is co nstitutes a proof that Moscow was not speaking on ly to Communists. The Kreml in knows that it exercises influ ence over broad Catholi c masses, a nd co nceived these broadcasts in orde r to influence them in favo r of the Chilean Cardinal and Bishops. This was a tacti cal error a nd a grave one, for it very well confirms the "Catholic" - Commun ist pact pointed our in the book of the TFP. Let us see if in the next broadcas ts the same erro r persists and if the wolves continue h ow ling in defense of the Shepherds.
CRUSADE
13
The. Chilean TFP Comments Committee of the Episcopate of Chile:
A declaration of the Standing Committee of the Chilean Episcopal Conference signed by bishops Juan Francisco Fresno and Carlos Camus Larena, President and Secretary respectively, was released the 9th of this month on the book The Church of Silence in Cbile: tbe TFP Proclaims tbe Whole Trutb, written and edited by this Society. The aforementioned declaration contains many points which in themselves m_ake one wonder and even give rise to protest. In the interest of brevity, we shall point out only some of them: 1. In the book referred to, the TFP on the basis of 220 documents affirms that almost the whole Chilean Episcopate and a great part of the clergy have left the mission confided to them by the Holy Ghost, to "Rule the Church of God," and have dedicated all of their authority and prestige to promoting the late Marxist President Salvador Allende's rise to power and to keeping him there. Strengthened by this support, the president of the Republic at that time and his collaborators applied the gravely anti-Christian, unjust, and tyrannical principles of Communism as much as they could in Chile. One of the consequences of this was the misery that spread all over our country. These same bishops and priests, far from fighting for the Church, for Christian Civilization, and for their hungry people, supported Allende up to the last moment, and after he had fallen, they dedicated themselves to raising up again the Marxist power that the Chileans had overthrown. 2. Any judgment that may be expressed about the conduct of the TFP, and about those who have collaborated with it by printing and distributing this book, can only be considered serious and efficacious on the condition that it answer clearly and categorically the following questions: a) Are the facts related in the book of the TFP well documented? b) Are they true? c) Are they analyzed objectively? 3. If these questions are answered in the affirmative, the inevitable conclusion is that the aforementioned prelates and priests are in a state of schism and are suspect of heresy , according to Canon Law (Th e Churcb of Sile nce in Chile, conclusion, items I and II , pages 337-390). 14 CRUSADE
As a consequence, they thus lack the power to declare schismatic and suspect of heresy those of the faithful who have denounced their gravely irregular conduct and who have drawn from it the conclusions that every one of the faithful may licitly draw in circumstances like the present ones. Far from giving a clear answer to the questions enunciated above, the representatives of the Episcopate have cautiously eluded dialogue about the matter in their public declarations. They are not offering the least explanation to the faithful - who are buying the book with such interest and sympathy that it could be said to amount to an ovation - of their reasons for considering the affirmations of the TFP to be unfounded. 4. On the contrary, the bishops, who are so zealous about being up-to-date, respond merely with the argument of authority. The reason adduced to prove that they have not departed from the fulfillment of their mission is their own word - "Hoc volo, sic jubeo: sit pro ratione voluntas," Juvenal, Sat. VI ("So I will , so I command: my will is my reason"). 5. Naturally, since the authors of the declaration realized the obvious lack of basis for their arguments which are contorted into a vicious circle, the bishops appeal to the supreme authority by alleging that their lamentable behavior is not schismatic nor suspect of heresy because they supposedly have been approve-cl by Paul VI. Taking up this matter with the unlimited veneration that we profess for the Chair of Peter, we merely call to mind in passing that the Chilean public does not know of a single document in which the Sovereign Pontiff has officially expressed his approval for the over-all activity of the Episcopate which is related in the book by the TFP. On the other hand, and even more summarily, we emphasize that the declaration of the Standing Committee of the Episcopate does not take into consideration the principles contained in Revelation - and carefully studied by theologians, canonists, and moral theologians - in respect to the distinction that exists between the doctrinal documents of the Supreme Magisterium and the conduct of the Popes considered as a norm for the thinking and action of the faithful.
It would be indispensable for the bishops to make this distinction before they, in order to resolve the difficult situation that they have created for themselves, seek to declare us to be as it were persons who have resigned from the Church. Their attitude, which is canonically unfounded, has a summary character that differs from the respect and charity the Sovereign Pontiff and the bishops of the whole world in conformity to a tradition coming from the beginnings of the Church, h ave always gloried in showing in dealing with their sheep. 6. A serene analysis of the de claration demands still another observation on our part. The amply ecumenical sentiments of the Cardinal and the other ecclesiastics of our country has been manifested on several important occasions. One of these was the official presence of rabbis and protestant ministers at the "Te Deum" sung in the cathedral of Santiago on th e occasion of President Allende's inauguration. It is obvious that the premise underlying the h olding of such activities is the acceptance of the broadest religious liberty . In view of this fact, we do not understand how the signers of the declaration are able to ask, or even more, to demand that the civil authorities fall with their power upon us, Roman Apostolic Catholics, who in the book The Church of Silence in Chile do n o more th an evaluate in respectful language the atti tude of these prelates, thus fulfilling an obligation of our faith in accordance with the law of the Church. We act in this matter also within the liberty that the Chilean State allows to all those who, like us, take their p osition in an essentially religious sphere . Emphatic ecclesiastical repres- . sion, affecting n ot only the TFP but also all those who collaborate with it in the publication and distribution of this book. Threat of possible police repression. With measures such as these - never,
absolutely never adopted by anyone in the present Chilean Episcopate against Communism - the Standing Committee of the Episcopate is trying to intimidate and reduce the faithful to silence. If no other eviden ce existed, th is would already be enough to demonstrate that there does indeed ex ist a Church of Silence in Chile, as our book affirms ...
* * * The Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property manifests sadly its profound disagreement with these attitudes of the Standing Committee of the Episcopate.
Th e National Council of the Chilean TFP Santiago March 11 , 1976
DECLARATION OF THE EPISCOPATE "For some time now there have been diverse tendencies in one direction or an other to construct in the Chilean Catholic Church a parallel magisterium. The ultimate concrete expression of this we see in the book The Church of Silence in Chile edited by the so-called Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property." "We know that we have been placed by the Holy Spirit to govern the Church of G od (Acts 20: 28). A nd we are in profound com munion w ith the Ho ly Fathe r Paul V I, w h o has always accom pa nied us in ou r decisi on s w ith enormous clarity and tender kindness. We recall the word s of Jesu s Christ: ' He w h o hears you, hears me, and he w h o despises you, despises m e' (Luke 10: 16) and we find ourselves obliged to express publicly: "1. The persons w ho h ave coll a bo rate d in these writings and in this cam paign whether it be by writing, editing, or di stributing this publication h ave put the mselves by their own actions, outside of the Ca th o lic Church' w hose sp irit is absolutely opposed to what they are doing. ' "2. We ask Catholics that they keep in mind that the Church is bu ilt on J esus Christ in commu n ion w ith the Hol y Father and the legitimate bishops. He who does not accept this doctrine does not be long to the Catholic Church. "3. It seems strange to us that in the present situation suc h an attack 's permitted, and that in a regime of authority proclaiming the Christian orientation of its principles, people are allowed freely to offend Ho ly Mo ther Church in this manne r and call for di sobedience to its legitimate shephe rds." Juan Francisco Fresno, Archbishop of la Se rena, President o f the Episcopal Conference of Chile
Carlos Camus Larena, Secretary of th e Ep iscopal Conference o f Chile
CRUSADE
15
The Chilean TFP Toward the Apostolic Nunciature of Chile:
The Hon. Apostolic Nunciature widely distributed yesterday a note about the book The Church of Silence in Cbile.- the TFP Proclaims the Wbole Truth. In view of the high respect due to the Apostolic Nunciature as the representative of the Holy See in our country, we direct without delay to his Eminence the Most Rev. Archbishop Sotero Sanz Villalba, Apostolic Nuncio, who signed the aforementioned note, the explanations which the latter requires from us. Before doing so, we proclaim in the full measure established by the doctrine and by the laws of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, our entire and loving obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff and our profound respect for him who acts as his representative among us. * * * Respect for authority is an obligation. Frankness in relation to the same authority is also an obligation, especially in circumstances like th e present ones. We begin then by expressing how much it pains us that, without hearing us or previously admonishing us, Archbishop Sotero Sanz has publicly expressed in such a categorical way - better yet we would say a rude way his "rejection with all force," and his condemnation of the "inadmis16 CRUSADE
sible invitation" to resist ecclesiastical authorities who favor Communism, which is contained in our book. The gates of the Apostolic Nunciature, which were recently opened with so much concern and cordiality to grant asylum to mirists (Editor's Note: Communist guerrillas of the MIR - Movement of the Revolutionary Left), were closed to us. Once more, we deplore this. * * * Let us go on now to the facts. The Apostolic Nuncio occupies almost the entire length of his communique in affirm ing a principle that we do not deny but, on the contrary, love from the depths of our hearts. It is that of the obedience of the faithful to the shepherds of the Holy Church. Nevertheless, his Excellency passes over in silence the key point of the book. Citing St. Thomas Aquinas and doctors and canonists of great authority, Tbe Cburcb of Silence in Chile (pages 386, 391, and 393) affirms that obedience to the Holy Church, in the case of a Shepherd who has separated himself from his mission by teaching or ordering that which is contrary to what the Church teaches and orders, consists in not following the disobedient Shepherd. Why did the communique of the Most Rev. Nun cio not treat this point, when it is precisely the point on which we base our position?
Perplexed, we must say that we do not find an answer to this question, which we here place in the hands of His Excellency. * * * Let us proceed. Have almost all the Chilean Archbishops and Bishops and the great majority of the Clergy acted in a way that is opposed to their sublime mission by favoring the rise of the Marxist President, by imp lementing the false Marxist postulates in the political, social, and economic life of our country, and by lending prestige to the shattered remnants of Ch ilean Communism? We have published a careful study of nearly 500 pages, based on 220 documents, and written in clear and respectful language, to affirm that th is is so. In order to exp lain to the Ch ilean public the reason for his harsh rejection, the Apostolic Nuncio satisfies himself by affirming that this considerable and attentive study is nothing more than a (compilation of) "partial versions of documents and postures." And he fails to state how these "versions of documents and postures" are partial. By His Excellency's leave we ask him: does he imagine by any chance that with such a succinct commenta1y he will satisfy the legitimate intellectual demands of a people as intelligent as ours? Moreover, does His Excellency imagine that with no more than this he will convince the thousands
of readers eagerly acqumng the work in our bookstores? Does His Excellency think that these words of his are enough to change the conviction of the thousands of Chileans who - sunk in anguish, pain, and hunger - witnessed the march of so many of their Shepherds toward Marxism? The moral and juridical authority of an Apostolic Nuncio is indeed very great. We respect it with all our souls. Nevertheless, according to the doctrine and the laws of the Church, it does not reach the point of being able to imp ose on the faithful the acceptance of this authority in that which is contrary to the evidence of the facts. Let us ponder this respectfully.
* * * The Apostolic Nuncio affirms that his "rejection with all force" is made "as the representative of the Pope in this country." We are certain that everyone in Chile would like to h ave a clarification in this respect. Does His Excellency here manifest his personal opinion, making use for this end of the faculties ordinarily inherent to an Apostolic Nuncio? Or does he express, more than that, the very thinking of the Holy Father Paul VI in respect to the events that have occurred in Chile and that have been related in our book? Moreover, it is precisely the immense majority of Catholic Chileans who would like to know whether it is in his own name or officially expressing the thinking of the Holy Father, that His Excellency has affirmed in an explicit or implicit way: a) That the bishops and priests referred to in our book did not do what was mentioned in it. b) That such actions, so evidently favorable to Marxism, did not constitute, nor do they constitute, an advance in a direction manifestly opposed to the pastoral mission confided to them. If an expression of the august
thinking of the Sovereign Pontiff exists, is it to be found in an official document of the Holy Church? This is another important question, to which finally one more is to be added. If such a document exists, dealing with an evaluation of concrete facts, to what degree does this evaluation impose itself on the conscience of Catholics according to the doctrine and laws of the Church? We know very well that as such, an Apostolic Nuncio does not have an obligation stemming from his high mission to make a public pronouncement on these delicate matters. Nevertheless, since His Excellency has publicly expressed his thinking and position in regard to the book of the TFP, i r appears to
us that it is natural for us to desire to know this thinking and stand to its full extent. This is all the more the case, since this thinking and stand are crucially related to our own thoughts and our own stands.
* * * The Apostolic Nuncio concludes his declaration by "beseech ing" the Virgin Mary to make us see our error, that we may thus be promptly reconciled with the legitimate authority of the Church of God. We, for our part, while expressing our gratitude for the good intention of these prayers, beg the most Holy Virgin that She grant us the grace to be always faithfu l to legitimate authority, that is, that which does not lead toward either Marx or Brezhnev. The National Council of the Chilean TFP
DECLARATION OF THE NUNCIATURE "The book entitled The Church of Silence in Chile for whose publication the 'Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Prope rty' makes itself respons ible constitutes a grave accusation against the episcopal hierarchy of this country and against the greater part of the priests and rel igious who are our collaborators in the tasks proper to their ministry. It is, in addition to an offense, a call to resist their teachings and decisions as is understood explicitly from the pages of this publication. "As representative of the Pope in this country, I can do no less than reject with all force such a painful accusation and condemn such an inadmissible suggestion. "In the course of the more than five years of my stay in Chile I have been able to admire the generosity and the elevation with which the Shepherds of the Catholic Church, even in the midst of situations that were by no means easy, have put the interest of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God above any partisan option. "In the exhortation that the Holy Father addressed on the 8th of Decembe r 1974 to the Episcopate, the Clergy, and the faithful of the whole world on the subject of reconci li ation within the Church, one reads these words: 'The au thority with wh ich they (the shepherds) propose (the Gospel) is binding, due not to men's acceptance but because Ch rist has conferred it (authority).' As a consequence, since those who hear th e m or despise them hear or despise Christ and Him who has sent Him, this obligation of obedience of the faithful to the authority of the Shepherds, is an ontological demand of their very being Christian . "The obligation already inculcated by Vatican Council 11 is also none other than this: 'The faithful for their part must be united to their bishop like the Church is to J esus Christ and like J esus Christ is to the Father so that all th in gs may harmoni ze in unity and grow for the glory of God. "With all my soul I deplore the attitude of those who by means of partial versions of documents and postures seek to separate the faithful from their communion ~ ith their Bishop and Priests: may the Virgin Mary ma ke them see the ir error so that they may promptly reconcile themselves with the legitimate authorities of the Church of God." Sotero Sanz V, Apostolic Nuncio
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DOGMATIC THEOLOGY
lrnfallibility, 'Heresy, anil tqr <tratqolir <tronsrienrr
Today, modernism, condemned by the Church, has taken hold in the Church, as Pau l VI recognized implicitly in his statement about "the sm oke of Satan" penetrating into the temple of God (Allocution of June 29, 19 72). Although modernism had been beaten back by the heroic labors of St. Pius X, it did not cease to exert its poisonous influence. Once outlawed, it concealed itself in the secret socie ties as St. Pius X has said (Motu Proprio Sacrorum Antistitum, Sept. 1, 1910) and continued to spread its errors. And 110w the modernists, and tl1eir successors the progressives, work brazenly and openly to reconcile the Ch i( rch to a modern, evolutionist, and sensual world, in wl1at ltas come to be known as the "post-conciliar" Church . Seci11g these conditions develop ing, we recognized, dun'ng the first issues of the publicatio11 Crusade for a Chris tian Civil ization, tltat the Cath olic, beset by the raging onslaugh t of e rrors and disorders within the very f abric of the Chu rch, needed in particular to understand clearly three ,natters: ( 1) the nature of infallibility and ecclesiastical authority , ( 2) the definition of heresy, and (3 ) the obligations of the Catholic conscience in such a situation where erro r is being fom ented within tl1e Church on a large scale. In response to this need, we published in October 19 72 an essay entitled "infallibility, Heresy, a,:zd the Catholic Conscience," which is a comp ilation of three Sl(mmaries of longer essays by Dr. Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira which had been previously published in Catolicismo and other South American journals. The repercussions from the first publication of this matter in the United States were excellent. Many readers thanked us for making available such a clear exposition of the Catholic doctrine on the central questions which are of primary concern to Catholics today. So,ne of them asked for and received from us permission to reproduce it and disseminate it further, which gai1Led for the essay additional friendly readers. Considering now that the questions which it treats are more pulpable than ever and our many new readers, we judge that the time is pressing and opportune for its wider distribution . The text of the essay follows. 18
C~U SADE
WHAT IS THE DOCTRINAL AUTHORITY OF THE PONTIFICAL AND CONCILIA R DOCUMENTS 1 The infallibility of the Sovereign Pontiffs and of the Church is the guarantee of Tradition and of all that is con tained in Revelation. THE MODERN SPIRIT OF INSUBORDINATION TO THE TEACHINGS OF ST. PETER
The times in which we live are subversive of all values. In such a period of crises, when as stated by J o hn XXIII, the rule is the antidecalog, it is fundam ental for us to know the extension of the infallibility of the Pope and of the Church . As early as the pontificate of St. Pius X, the modernists were already refusing to accept decisions of the Apostolic See which did no t involve infallibility. And in our days also we find the same lack of submission, as disobedience to the teachings of the Church permeates the Cath olic popu lation .
* * *
·"'1.•. : . -w ' I •
THE EXTENSION OF PONTIFICAL INFALLIBILITY
The idea that the Sovereign Pontiff is infallible in everyth ing he says has taken root in the minds of many Catholics having an average religious instructio n. Among other Catholics, we encou nter the equally mistaken notion that onl y the solemn difinitions, such as the Assumption of O ur Lady, are in fallible . Other Catholics ask: Is an Ecumenical Council always infallible? Can the Pope be wrong? Do I h ave to b elieve everything the Popes have taught throughou t the centuries? Do I have to believe all of the doctrinal d ocuments published by the Roman Congregations? Do I have to believe everything taught by the Bish ops, o r at least by my Bishop? We wi ll analyze the fundamental points of these questions. THE MAGISTERIUM, PONTIFICAL AND UNIVERSAL
Before broach ing the subj ec t of infallibility, we need to est ablish some fu ndamental distinctions. T h e ecclesiastical Magisterium sh ould be divided initially into the pontifical Magist erium and the universal Magisterium. The pontifical Magisterium is that of the Pope, Supreme Chief of the Church. The universal Magisterium is th at of the Bishops united with the Pope. Now we need to establish another basic division: It is the one which distinguishes the ordinary from the extraordinary Magisterium.
Two views of St. Pius X. Above: in the full ness of papal splendo r; below: when he was younger.
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In the extraordinary Magisterium, each statement possesses infallibility in itself. These statements are the solemn definitions, such as the ones on the Immaculate Conception, th e pontifical Infallibility, the Assumption of Our Lady. As we will see further on, however, not every teaching of the Popes, the Councils, and the Bishops is infallible in itself (extraordinary Magisterium). There are teachings of the Popes, the Councils, and th e Bishops which belong to the ordinary Magisterium. The ordinary Magisterium is the one which does not fulfill the necessary conditions of a statement that is infallible in itself. Both the pontifical and the universal Magisterium may be ordinary or extraordinary. There are, therefore, four different modalities of teachings in the Holy Church as shown by the scheme below: EXTRAORDINARY: Solemn papal statement, in itself infallible. Examples: Definitions of the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption ¡of Our Lady. PONTIFICAL MAGISTERIUM
ORDINARY: The Pope's common teachings, in which each statement is not infallible in itself. Example: The doctrine generally contained in the encycl icals, etc.
UNIVERSAL MAGISTERIUM
EXTRAORDINARY: Solemn statement, in itself infallible, of the Bishops jointly with the Pope. Example: Definition of the dogma of pontifical infallibility by Vatican Council I. ORDINARY : Common teaching of the Bishops jointly with the Pope, in which each statement is not in itself infallible. Example: The teaching of the universal mediation of Our Lady, for the whole world, in the complex of pastoral letters, preachings, etc.
WHAT IS AN "EX CATHEDRA" PONTIFICAL STATEMENT? Let us analyze the extraordinary pontifical Magisterium. The Pope is infallible whe n he speaks "ex cathedra," and on matters of faith and/or morals. What does "ex cathedra" mean? First it may be noted that these Latin words mean literally , "from the chair," in this case, Peter's chair, the seat of authority in the Church. Then certain questions may be raised. Does speaking from Peter's chair mean only official teaching? Is it a speaking to the universal Church? Are the Encyclicals, for instance, as official docume nts addressed to the entire Church, "ipso facto" "ex cathedra" statements? 20
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The comple te resolution of these problems is to be found in the definition of pontifical infallibility given b y Vatican Council I. The Constitution Pastor Aeternus establishes the necessary conditions for the in fallibility of the pontifical de finitions. It teaches that the Pope is infallible when he speaks "ex cathedra," which means, when in the use of his privilege of 1\!Jaster and Shepherd of all Christians, and by his supreme apostolic authority, he defines the doctrine which, in matters of faith and morals, must be supported by¡ the entire Church. (Denzinger, Ench. symb., 1839). Four conditions are necessary for the statement of an extraordinary pontifical teaching: (1) The Pope must speak as the universal Master and Shepherd; (2) he must make full use of his apostolic authority; (3) he must exteriorize the will to define; (4) he must teach on matters of faith o r morals. Infallibility is a power established in the person of the Pontiff, as a being endowed with intelligence and will. He will use this power or not, according to his wishes. It is evident that the Pope does not use the power of infallibility in order to define statements made by him in his private life, for instance, in a conversation with friends or in a letter to his relatives. Th is case does not fulfill the first condition, that he speak as the universal Master. But for the occurrence of infallibility it is not en ough that the Pope should speak as the universal Master. In fact, a second condition must be fulfilled; he must speak in the full use of his powers. Such is the impo rtance and gravity of an infallible statement that it should be made quite clear that, in doing so, the Pope is making full use of t he privileges which are his by right as the legitimate Successor of Saint Pe ter. Even this, however, is not enough. For speaking as the universal Mas ter and in the use of all his authority, the Pope may o nly recommend a doctrine , or order that it be taught in the Seminaries, or warn of th e danger there may be in denying it. That is wh y there is a third condition: the exteriorization of the will to define. The last condition is that the statement sho uld cover matters of faith or morals.
THE EXTERIORIZATION OF THE WILL TO DEFINE The most crucial point t o be considered is the third condition: that there should be the intention to define.
How is that intention disclosed? Is it by the words "we define"? Is it by the excommunication of those who contradict it? Is it by the juridical nature of the document?
crees are proposed as infallible. And he concludes that if the words are not clear in this particular, it is not assured that the doctine be an article of faith (De Cone., 2, 12). And if it is not assured, it is not dogma. CONTINUITY OF A TEACHING IN THE ORDINARY MAGISTERIUM
None of these signs has an absolute value. The fundamental point is that it be made clear, in any way , that the Pope wanted to define a dogma. Thus, in the solemn definitions, the Popes accumulate verbs to make their intention undoubtable: "we decree, we declare, we proclaim," etc. In other cases, these verbs are not used, but the will to de fine is made manifest by the circumstances involved with the document. For example , when the Pope imposes on the entire Church the acceptance of a formula of faith, the will to define has been exteriorized. It is also manifest when he solves officially and definitely a doctrinal dispute which has arisen between Bishops, in a d ocume nt addressed , in a more or less indirect manner, to the universal Church. THE EXTRAORDINARY UNIVERSAL MAGISTERIUM
Vati can Council I did not declare under what conditions an Ecumenical Counc il is in fallible. It may be said, however - by analogy with the pontifical Magisterium - that the same four conditions must be fu lfilled. Th us, as in the case o f the Pope, the Council has the power to be infallible, but may or may not use this power according to its wishes. At this point, many wrongly informed Catholics might object that they have always heard that every Ecumenical Synod is necessarily infallible. That is not, however, what the theologians say . Saint R o bert Bellarmine ex plains that only by th e words of the Council is it possible to know if its de-
We cannot define the ordinary Magisterium, either the pontifical or the universal, as that in which the teachings do not carry the note of infallibility. It is true, a teaching from the ordinary Magisterium does not involve infallibility when by itself, that is to say, isolated from the other teachings. Thus, the Encylical Ad Diem Ilium of St. Pius in defending the Marian Co-redemption says nothing that involves the pontifical infallibility. In this case, therefore, we are far from the solemn definitions such as, for instance, that of the Immaculate Conception in t he Bull Ineffabilis Deus, a definition which by itself would close the subject even if there were no other pontifical statements on the matter. T he ordinary Magisterium, however, may involve infallibility in another way. This is the case where the same doctrine is taught by the ordinary Magisterium continuously and for a long time . Accordingly , in regard to the Marian Co-redemption, Father ].A. Aldama, S.J. , says: "Though the o rdinary Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff is no t infallible in itself, if, however, it teaches constantly and for a long time a certain doctrine in the entire Church as occurs in our case (the Co-redemption), its infallibility must be absolutely admitted; otherwise, it would lead the Church t o an error." (Mariology, p. 418). Therefore, according to Fath er Aldama , the doctrine of the Marian Co-redemption is now considered to be infallibly taught by the Church, even though not the object of any stateme nt of the extraordinary Magisterium , either pontifical or unive rsal. This case illu strates the infallibil ity o f the ord inary Magisterium by the continuity of a same teaching, a very important principle usually forgotten by many Catholics who study our faith. The doctrinal basis of this claim to infallibility is the one pointed o ut by Father Aldam a : If the Popes and the universal Church could be wrong in a long and con tinuous series of ordinary documents on the same subject, th e gates of hell would have prevailed against the Bride of Christ. The Church would have been transformed into a teacher of errors, from whose dangerous and even fatal influence t he faithfu l would have no means of escaping.
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What period of time is necessary for a certain truth to be considered infallible on the basis of the continuity of the ordinary Magisterium ? It is childish to try to decide these questions w ith an hour-glass in hand. Th e live facts are not measured by computers but by common sense , the only instrument capable of weighing that which is not capable of being weighed. And the facts of faith , which are not only live but of supernatural character, can only be measured by the Catholic sense, inspired by grace. FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONTINUITY It is evident th at time is not the only factor to be considered in establishing the series of continuity. There are many others, some of which will be pointed out: *The importance that the Pope grants to the document. - If the Pope grants grea t importance to th e d ocument, it will have more weight in establishing th e series o f continuity than another which was not th e object of any great insistence or enhanceme nt on th e part of the Pope himself. *The importance that subsequent Popes grant to the document. - Very frequently, the Popes mention th eir Predecessors, repeat what they have taugh t, and praise their d oc umen ts. This practice by a Pope makes it evident that he wishes to foll ow the same path as his Predecessor. *The solemnity of the statem en t. *The universality of the teaching. - The catechism classes that Saint Pius X gave to the people of Rome and the pilgrims have less authority than the Christmas radio broadcasts that Pius XII add ressed every year to the Catholic population. *The audience to which the Pope addresses himself - For example, the speeches to scientific congresses are particularly important because of the high technical level of the listeners. Such congresses sometimes act as amplifiers for the voice of th e Pope with the purpose of enriching it, of comme nting upon it, and of scattering it th roughout the world. *The attention given by the theologians to the statement. 22 CRUSADE
*The effect of the document on the Catholic world in general. - If a pontifical or conciliar statement is the object of a wide receptivity in the world of politics, newspapers, religious associations, etc ., and if the Po pe is silen t, it is because he wishes to see it widely disseminated. *That which is peacefully taught for a long time to the entire Catholic population easily acquires the characteristic of an infall ible teaching. *The continuous character of the series. - If a doctrine of several Popes is opposed by one of their Successors, or by a Council before it becomes an infallible teaching, it is evident th at the series is broken. This negative factor may considerably influence the establishment of the continuity. Is it possible for some pontifical or conciliar documents to oppose frontally infallible teachings of the past ? If the new statement is also infallible, this opposition cannot exist. But if the new statement is not infallible, authors of responsibility - such as Saint Robert Bellarmine, Suarez, Cano, and Soto consider that assumption to be theologically possible. And it is obvious that the Catholic should then remain faithful to the infallible doctrine. This assumption would lead the studious to a question m any centuries old, upon which the greatest theologians of modern times have particularly engaged themselves, th at of the possibility of a Pope heretic . . *The importance bestowed on the thesis in the document. *The manne r in which the document presen ts the subject. An example: private property. - It seems unquestionable that the principles laid d own by t he theologians, in regard to infallibility on the basis of the continuity of a same teaching, apply to the fundamental points o f the doctrine on private property. How is it possible to sustain that the series of teachings on private property is not as rich as that of the Marian Co-redemption, which, however , according to Father Aldama is no longer a free question among Catholics?
CANNONIZATIONS, LITURGY , ECCLESIASTICAL LAWS In the study of both the ordinary and th e extraordinary ~a~isteriu_m, special attention must be given to cano111zat1ons, liturgy, ecclesiastical laws, and the ap~roval o f the rules for religious orders or congregations. In a canonization, the Pope declares that a certain servant of God was sanc tified and deserves the veneration of t_he universal Church , presenting the li fe of that particular saint as a model to all the faith fol.
Actually, if that soul had been condemned, Holy Mother Church would be proposing to its followers a false cult and a model which w ould lead them to eternal damnation. And then, the gates of hell would have prevailed over Peter's Rock. For that reason, the Pope is in fallible in canonizations.
law of faith." How could the Church , by the prayers it recommends, instill into souls principles opposed to the Faith? The infallibility that exists in regard to an ecclesiastical law does not imply that it is the most perfec t possible, bu t only that it does not oblige the practicing of sinful acts. The legislation of the Church cannot oblige the practice of mortal sins. This is unquestionable. It cannot even recomme nd them. Can a certain ecclesiastical law ultimately insinu ate them? Can it expressly allow them? Can it tacitly allow them? Can it oblige the practice of venial sins? Can it recomme nd them, insinuate them, allow them expressly or tacitly . These points, which it is believed have not been studied by the theologians, are, h owever, of the utmost importance for the idea of infallibility .
AUTHORITY OF NON-INFALLIBLE DOCUMENTS Our concern with the study of infallibility should not lead u s to give little attention to the non-infallible documents. Actually , most of the teachings contained in the en cyclicals, in the pontifical addresses, in th e letters addressed by the Holy See to Bishops and congresses all over the world, and in the decrees of the Roman Sacred Congregations, do not involve infallibility. Should they be despised because of this? Monument of S t. Pius X.
Similarly, if the Pope put into force ecclesiastical laws or rules for religious orders designed to lead the faithfu l to e ternal perdition , the gates of hell would have prevailed over t he Church. Thus, for the same re ason, the ecclesiastical laws and particularly the rules for religious ord ers possess infallibility. If the Holy See forc ed the fai t hfu l to practice sinfu l actions or proposed obje ctionable rules of li fe, it would have been transformed into an instrument o f damnation. In prin ciple, * the prayers of the sacred liturgy, approved directly or indirectly, cannot contain errors. "Lex orandi, lex credendi" - "the law o f pray er is the *E ditor 's N o te: Sp ecial a ttention is c alled to the phr ase "in princ ip le,' ' since as Dr. Silveira h as shown in ano th er study, th e re are " grave reasons ... to doubt th a t th e universal liturgical laws implic ate alwa y s and necessarily the infallibility of the Church. " (S ilveira, The Infallib ility of the Church in t he liturgical l aws). Dr. Silveira p oints o ut th at " t he unive rsal li t urgica l disposi tion s involve th e authority of the Church .. . in th e m easure tha t the Holy See or the sacred Hierarchy, have com mitted in each spec ific case th eir o wn auth ority ." For exampl e, we know th e ex tent th at Paul V I h as des ired to com m it his authority t o th e ne w Mass from his own words about the ne w
A single citation of the E ncyclical Hu m ani Gen eris of Pius XII is sufficien t to resolve the matter. " Neither should it be thought that the teachings of the Encyclicals do not require assent p e r se under the pretence that the Popes did not exercise in th em th e power of their supreme Magisterium. These teachings are part of the ordinary Magisterium for which these words are also valid. 'He that heareth y ou heareth me ' (Luke 10: 16)."
THE PROBLEM OF WITHHOLDING THE ASSENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE After all of this has been considered, there still rema ins one problem: Is it licit to withhold the assent of the intelligence in regard to a document of the "Ordo": "th e rite and the respec tive rubrics ARE NOT by the m selves A DOGMATIC DEFINITION, they are SUSCEPTIB L E OF THEOLOGICAL QUALIFICATION OF VARY I NG VALUE" (Paul V I, Gene ral Audie nce. Nov. 19 , 1969, Jn seguame nti di Paulo V I, Vo l. V il , p. 1123 . - Th e c apitals are o urs.) In commenting on this p assage , Or. Silveira remarks tha t "if Paul V I himself declar ed explicitly that the rites and th e rubrics o f the new Mass ' ar e susceptible of th eological qualifica tion o f var y ing value ,' it d oes n o t seem to us p ossib le to sustain tha t the texts of the new Mass, as such, involve the infallibil ity of the Church." (S ilve ira , Th e inf allibility of the Church in the l iturgical l aws.)
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ordinary Magisterium if it opposes in a frontal manner a doctrine traditionally taught by the Church? Many theologians give an affirmative answer to that question. Others, however, do not allow the withholding of the assent of the intelligence in regard to such a document. The position of this latter group of theologians does not seem to be clear. In certain writings, they insinuate that Divine Providence will never allow the occurrence of errors in the decisions of the ordinary Magisterium. Thus, they do not make statements on the merit of the question, but refuse to study the assumption. In other writings, they admit the possibility of error, declaring that, if it is evident, " it is necessary to maintain a firm support of the decree of the Holy Congregation, considering it at least as probable, until the Congregation itself or a higher court decide differently on the matter." (Salaverri). It does not seem to us that these authors have faced the possibility of the following factors acting jointly in the same case:
( 1) The circumstances of actual life force the faithful Catholic in his conscience to take a position on a problem. ( 2) He has evidence that there is a precise opposition between the teaching of the ordinary Magisterium on the subject and the other testimonies of Tradition. (3) The infallible decision which could put an end to the ques tion - referred to above by Father Salaverri - has not been pronounced. It seems to u s, therefore, that the position of those who do not refuse to examine that possibility - at least as a subject for mere speculation - is more objective.
ARE THE DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN COUNCIL II INFALLIBLE? At this time there is a question which the reader
may have in mind: Did Vatican Council II use the privilege of in fallibility? The answer is a simple and positive no. The Conciliar Fathers never showed the will to define, that is to say, on no occasion did they fulfill the third condition for infallibility listed above. That Vatican II did not wish to define any dogma is proven by its records and the text of its documents; in none of these can the exteriorization of the will to define be unmistakeably found. Some theologians might oppose what has just been said, if it were not for several statements of Paul VI which have , in a final and irrevocable manner decided this important question. ' In closing the Council, His Holiness declared that in it "the Magisterium of the Church ... did not wish to proclaim an extraordinary dogmatic sentence" (Speech of December 7, 1965 ). Later, on less solemn occasions, but in an even clearer and more detailed manner, Paul VI confirmed that the Council "avoided proclaiming in an extraordinary manner dogmas endowed with the note of infallib_ility" but "conferred on its teachings the authority of the supreme ordinary Magisterium" (Speech of January 12, 1966); and that it had as one of its programmed ite ms " not to give new solemn dogmatic definitions. " (S peech of March 8, 1967 ).
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A Council has only the authority which the Pope wishes to grant to it. Accordingly, it is clear that the above pontifical statements, made after the publication of the conciliar documents, put an end to all doubts which might have occurred. We will not attempt, therefore, to give Vatican II an assent_ which t~e Council itself did not request. Let us obey its teachmgs to the full extent of the authority with which they are vested, and it should be understood that, in the measure in which the y maintain previous teachings of the Church, they may become factors of enormous weight for the establishment o f infallibility due to the continuity of a same teaching.
NOT ONLY HERESY SHOULD BE CONDEMNED BY ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY
Throughout the centuries, the Church developed a detailed classification of those half-errors which surround the total and confessed error. A knowledge of these half-errors can be obtained by a study of the so-calle d "theological admonitions." To know th ese theological admonitions is to be equipped with a sub24 CRUSADE
de _an? e fficient instrument for unmasking heresy yet m its embryonic form . . Ac_cor~ing to Tanquerey, the theological admonition 1s a ~udgmen t or sentence by which a proposition or doc~nne h armful to faith is marked by a note expressing the reason to be used in condemning it.
Thus a statement is censured as "heretical" if it fro ntally opposes a dogma, as "dangerous" if it contains a threat to faith , as "scandalous" if it causes scandal t o th e faithful, etc.
THE HERETICAL PROPOSITION According to canon 1325, the heretic is one who, after being baptized and mai n taining the condition of Christian, denies or puts in doubt stubbornly a truth which must be b elieved by Divine and Catholic Faith. The several e lements contained in this canonical th ought shall be summaril y analyzed along the lines developed by Genecot. The heretic is a baptized person and c onsiders himself as a Christian. Those who are not baptized, as for example a jew, or those who apostatize from Christianity cannot actuall y be c onsidere d heretical. It is necessary to be persistent in den y ing a truth of the Faith to fall into heresy. If som eone, fo r instance , due to plain ignoran ce, declares that the H oly Ghost proceeds only from the Son and not from the Father, he cannot be considered heretical only fo r ch is. U pon being warned, he will immediately correc t h is s tate m e nt. Heretics are those who deny a truth of the Divine a nd Cath olic Faith . A truth of Divine Faith is one chat was reve aled. And a truth o f Catholic Faith is one proposed by the Chu rch to its followers as one chat must b e believe d . Thus, if som eone da res to deny chat th e Cou ncil of Trent was a legitimate Cou nc il , he is no t a h eretic for this, since in Re velation nothing is dire c tl y stated in this respect. And if Saint Be rnard , fo r ins tance , denied th e Imm aculate Conception , he did not for this reason bec ome a heretic , sin ce in his days the Church had not yet proposed chis truth as one chat must be belie ve d b y the faithful. Finally , to be heretical it is no t nec essary to deny a truth o f the Divine a nd Catho lic Faith, it is e nough to d o ubt it pe rsis te ntl y . F o r as Ge nicot points o ut, he who pe rsists in s uc h a doubt ¡be lieves. formally o r virtuall y, that a d ogma submitted b y th e Churc h is incorrec t, and there fo re de fi es the authority o f th e Churc h .' ' An idea widely disseminate d amo ng C atholics in ge ne ral is th a t onl y a pro positio n whic h o ppose s a dogm a sole mnl y de fin e d by th e Chu rch - su ch as t hat o f pontifical infallibility o r the Immaculate Concepti o n - is he re tic al. Actu all y, t his idea is false. Accordin g to the unanim o us o pini o n o f th e th eologians, he resy is n o t o nl y th e de nial of a truth re vealed an d solemnl y defined b ut also th e de nial o f a truth reveale d a nd proposed as su ch b y th e o rdi nary a nd unive rsal Magis tc ri u m. CRUSADE
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cal. :11111111g at a grea te r clarification of th e dogmatic asp ect.
A PROPOSITION INDIRECTLY OPPOSED TO FAITH Only a proposition that frontally contradicts a dogma is he re tical. T hus the nu mber o f heretical prop ositions is limited b y chis condition , that is , the condition of direct oppositio n to faith. There are, however, seve ral t ypes of prop osition s chat are indirec tl y o pposed to faith. Among th ese, the th eologians - Tanque rey, He rve, Pa re nte, e tc . - list three large categories:
( 1) Th ose whose contents express a doctrine opposed to faith. (2) Those that are objecti onable becau se of the manne r in which they are expressed. (3) Those that are objec tionable because of the bad e ffe cts they ma y produce.
At the left, St. Augustine crushing a heretic. At the right, a medieval representation of a demon tak ing a damned soul to hell.
Th erefore, it is possible to have he resies against truth s not de fin ed solemnly. Th e prac tical ra nge of the correct unde rstanding of heresy is enormous. I t d ocs no t seem possible, for instance , as we noted in the first sect io n , th at nowadays the Marian Co-redemptio n or the basic principles of private property may be de nie d without falling into heresy. It should be pointed out that whe n we declare th a t a p ropositio n may be condemne d - either as heretical or as deservin g a less serious reproach we are, in th e prese nt article, considerin g the proposition in itself, in its obj ective meaning. We judge it in re gard to wh at is taught by the Church in its d ogmas a nd in the en tire scop e of its excee dingl y rich archives of Cathol ic doctrine . Actuall y, if someone d efends a proposition that is wrong, there are moral, canonicaJ, and d ogmatic conside rations. From a moral standpoint, th e question to ask is what sin is that person committing, and then it would be necessary to conside r if the person is ac ting in ignorance or if he is obstinate , e tc. The can onic aJ problem would consist in checking to determine the p e nalty t hat sh ould be imp osed on those wh o admit a ny of th ese condem nable propositions. In the present article, the referen ces which may be made to m o ral or canonicaJ aspects are o nl y inc ide n26
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Le t us anal yze summaril y each one o f these three categories. (1) Co11tents objectionab le. An asse rtion even if it is n ot he re tical , may have in itself an error, overt or disguised. In this class, for instance , a rc listed the propositions close to heresy, with the fl avor of he resy, th e ones in error, close to error, with the flavor of error, the dangerous ones (according to Tanquc rcy ). (2) Manner of exp ression objec tionable. It is possible to state eve n a truth in an objec tio nable manne r. Statements o f this kind make it possible for he resy to appear or to spread by p re paring the minds of the people to accept the error. That is wh y the Church condemns suspicious propositions, those that d o not sound correct , those that offend pious e ars, the dubious ones, etc. (according to Tanque rey) . (3) Objectionable because of bad effects tl1 ey may produce. There are propositions that, thou gh possibl y not objec tionable in the ir conte nts, will produce noxious e ffects and , for this reason, arc condemnable . In th is cl ass are the scandal o us pro positio ns, th e schism atic ones the seditious o nes those that arc n o t safe, e tc. ' '
A PROPOSITION CLOSE TO HERESY A proposition is said to be close to heresy whe n it opposes a truth not yet d e fine d , but tha t soon will be defined. E xa mple : T o d en y the Imm acu late Co nce ption shortl y b efore its de finition (accordin g to Tangue rey) .
A PROPOSITION WITH THE FLAVOR OF HERESY An assertio n is said t o have th e flavor of he resy when it is so a m b iguou s that , th ough it may have a good in te rp retation, every thing in it sugges ts a b ad in terp retation . E x am ple : Faii/1 j ustifies. (accord ing to T a nq ue rey) . T h is prop ositio n strongly sugges ts th e idea that fai t h jus ti fies w ith n o wor k , wh ich is a pro tes tan t here ti cal t hesis.
A PROPOSITION SUSPECT OF HERESY A proposition suspect of he resy is ver y close to one w ith the flavor o f heresy. But as the Salman tines explain very veil "we do no t de ny that in a certai n way they d iffe r. Suspicion implies a ligh t foun d ation whe reas fl avor contai ns a serious indication supplied by experi e nce . Moreover, less is requ ire d for a proposit ion t o be susp ic ious, than for o ne to h ave the flavor o f he resy : for th e latter the accum u latio n of more nu m er ous circu mstances is required. "
A WRONG PROPOSITION What d istinguis hes a heretical propos1t 1on from a wrong o ne is that the form er de nies a tru th revealed an d proposed as suc h by the Church, whe reas the lat ter de n ies a tru th not revealed but which necessaril y m ay be in fe rred from a revealed t ruth (acco rding t o T a nq uere y) . T h is in ference is so necessary th a t o nce the conc lusion is d enied, then "ipso facto" th e prem ise is den ied, a nd if the premise is asserted, th en " ipso facto" the conclusio n is asse rted. Let us give an example . It was no t formally revealed that the science of Our Lo rd was immune from any e rror . Therefore, th ose who deny that truth a re not heretics. But it was revealed t hat J esus Christ is God . and th e nce it is necessarily in fe rre d t hat His science cannot con tain any error. Th erefore, the proposition which de n ies tha t t ruth is wrong.
For concre te purposes - pe rh aps som e read er wi ll ask - w h at diffe rence 1s the re between heresy an d e rror? The basic diffe rence 1s that the reason for the asse nt given to a dogma is the aut h ority of God in revealing, for He cannot be wrong or deceive us. But if a truth was not formally reveale d by God , but is in ferred from another t ruth, wh ic h was revealed, the assent give n to t h is in ferred tru th is based not o n ly on the au thority of God in reveal ing but also on the hu man reaso ning w h ich made the in fere nce . This difference h as a g reat effect for concrete purposes : T he accepta nce of a heretical proposition eliminates from the Chu rch , because it is a de n ial of
what cons titu te s t he for mal reason for faith, whe reas t he acceptance of a w rong proposition is a mor tal sin but docs not exclude the faithful from the Church .
A DANGEROUS PROPOSITION A proposit ion th at opp oses sta temen ts comm only professed by the t heologians is called dangerous. Example : There are saints, beside Our Lady , conce ived w ithout original sin (according to Prumme r ). Another example: Mos t men who lead a bad life are converted at the moment of their death by a special grace of Divine Mercy.
A SCANDALOUS PROPOSITION Scandalous is the statement that, t h o ugh u ltimately contai n ing a truth, "gives cause for ruin , lead ing t he hea rers to sin and driving them from the exerc ise of virtue." (Cartechini). Example : God predicted th at you will condemn yourse lves, pe rish in sin, what ever you may do (according to Tanquerey ).
OTHER CENSURES So many a rc the censures w ith wh ich th e Churc h and the theologians L]Ualify the propositions wh ich m ay be condemned that we do not intend to define t hem all. The Dictionaire ,.le '/'/,eologie Cat/10 /iqu e ad vises us that " Antonio Sessa, a Fran c isc an from Pal e rmo, cou n ted 69 re proaches in the seven teenth century in his Scruti11i11111 Doctrinaru111. And until our CRUSADE
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days, oth e r kinds have increased this quite high figure" (Quilliet, co l. 2 104 ). F u rthermore, in view of the reprehensions that have already b een a na lyzed herein, it is quite clear which propositions are impious, blasphemous , improbable, d angerous, seditious, unsafe , captious, outrageous - not only against the Church but also against the secular authorities - those which have been condemned many times, the im pure, unsc rupulous, schism atic, those wh ich seduce simple minds, etc. (according to Quillict).
THE ECCLESIASTICAL MAGISTERIUM AND THE THEOLOGICAL CENSURES Misin fo rmed persons migh t object that propositions susceptible to a censure below that of heresy cannot be formally condemned by the Church. This idea is very common in certain Cath olic circles. Nothing could be more false . One nee d only open the Enchiridion Syrnbolon u11 to find in it for m al condemn ations of p ropositions qualified b y the widest range of theological censures. Saint Pius V condem ned 79 theses of Baio, declarin g that among the m were propositions that were heretical , wrong, suspicious, da ngerous, scan dalous, an d offensive to pious ears (De nz, 1001-1080). Blessed Innocent X I condemned 68 propositions of Molinas as heretical , su spicious, wrong, scandalous , blasphem ous, offensive to pious ears, dangerou s, destro yers of Chris t ian d isc iplin e, su bve rsive, and seditiou s (Denz , 122 1-1288). Alexander V III condem ne d 31 janscn ist prop ositions as dangerous, scandalous, bad sounding, injuri-
ous, close to heresy, with the fl avor of heresy, wrong, schismatic, and heretical (Dcnz, 1291-1321 ). Inn ocent X II con demned 23 propositions of Fe nelon , Archbish op of Cam bray, as dangerous, scandalous, bad-soundin g, offensive to pious ears, nox ious in practice, and wrong (De nz , 1327-1349). The list could be extended to the condemnations of the "fraticell i" (Denz, 484-490) , of Marsilio de Padu a (Denz, 495-500), of Master Eckart (De nz , 501 -529 ), of Wycliffe (Denz, 581-625) , of Luther (De nz, 741-78 1), of the Pistoia Synod (Denz, 15011599), e tc . But these listings, exten sive a nd tiresome, are qui te unnecessary.
A FINAL OBJECTION : TO CENSURE IS NOT PROPER FOR LAYMEN In view of this list o f doctrinal censures, some reader may perhaps object th at t his is n o concern of h is, for the responsibility of censuring a statement opposed to faith be longs o nl y to the Pope a nd Bish ops, never to a simple layma n. This object ion is incorrect. Actually, the t heologians, a fter showing that the task of pronounc ing doctrin,J cen sures is the responsibility , in the fi rst in stance, of the Sovereign Pontiff and of the Bishops, an d to all who have external jurisd iction , add tha t "private individuals may also use their C h ristian in telligence to evaluate and qualify books and proposi tions in regard to orthodoxy a nd to the usages. T h is is a right and, to a certain ex tent, a duty for each individual, the purpose of which is to maintain, defe n d, and disseminate the gospel. " (Quillic t , col. 210 1).
PUBUC 1?.ESISTANCE TO DECISIONS OT ECCLESIASTIC.-IL .-I UT/-1O/UT)'
The notion of auth ority is so essential to t he Catho lic, n ot only from th e standpoint of his way of thinking but also from that of his method o f conduct, that we would prefer not to look closely into this de licate question o f public resistanc e to the d ec isio ns of ecclesiastical a u th ori ty. However, w e feel drive n to this for nowadays amo ng this ve ry Sac re d Hierarchy the re are those who constan ti y scandalize th c peop le of t he Lo rd with th e ir utterings a nd behavior at variance with sound doctri ne. Suc h utterances a nd b eh avior e ndange r rh e fai th of many a simp le soul. We should not id ly watch suc h a serious evil b eing committed. Thus our aim is none oth e r than to provide guidan ce, h ow ever h umble, to th ose who stand perplexed .
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There fore, let us sec what Catholic d octrine has to say conce rning the possibility of a believer resisting wic ked disciplinary ac tion or the wronoful tcachin ot:> t:> of those who hold cle rical authority.
BISHOPS AND LOWER ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITIES In taki ng up th is matter, we prefer not to mix our voice with those of th e great saints and o f th e theologians approved in the Holy C hurch . Such being th e case , in the prese n t section, we sh ,JI lim it ourselves t o re produc ing what some of them h ave said . T o the m we sh all leave th e charge of teac hing us the exte nsion of the theses tha t they defend an d the argume nts upon wh ich they arc fou nded . Herc arc some tex t s th at refer to the legitimacy of
public resistance to episcopal authority. a) D. Gueranger. Writing about Saint Cyril of Alexandria, the outstanding adversary of Nestorianism, Dom Prosper Gueranger, Abbot of Solesmes, teaches: "When the pastor becomes a wolf, it is the flock in the first place that has the duty to defend itself. Normally, undoubtedly, doctrine comes down from the Bishops to the faithful, and subj ects, in the domain of faith, must not judge their chiefs. But there are, in the treasury of Revelation, essential points that every Christian by virtue of his very title of Christian, necessarily knows and has the obligation to defend" (D. Gueranger, L'Anne Lit Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, pp. 340-341 ). b) Herve. In analyzing the different factors that contribute to an even greater explication of dogma during the course of the centuries, Herve eulogizes the opposition mounted by the faithful against Nestorius, the heretical patriarch of Cons tan tin op le: "By an instinct of the Holy Spirit, the faithful may be led to a better understanding and belief in respect to what increases piety and worship, favoring in this way the progress of dogma. Indeed, the rnurmuring of the faithful against Nestorius was a great help toward the definition of the Divine Maternity of the Most Holy Virgin... " (Herve, Man. Theol. Dogm., Vol. Ill, p. 305). c) D. Antonio de Castro Mayer. The illustrious Bishop of Campos published recently a document in which he called to mind the traditional doctrine on the right of resistance to iniquitous ecclesiastical authorities. It was in a letter of praise of the magnificent Vadecurn of the Faithful Catholic, in which four hundred priests of different countries, combating progressivism, expounded the principles of the true Catholic Faith and invited the faithful to oppose the new heresy that today invades the whole world. In his letter of praise, the Lord Bishop of Campos declares this Vademecum to be most opportune and adds: " ... let no one come and say that it is not for the faithful - as the Vademecum proclaims - to pass judgment on what is happening in the Church; that it is for them only to follow docilely the orientation given by the Ministers of the Lord. It is not true. The History of the Church eulogizes the attitude of the faithful of Constantinople who opposed the heresy of their Patriarch, Nestorius." "I RESISTED HIM TO HIS FACE BECAUSE HE MERITED REPROOF"
Would it be legitimate, in extreme cases, to resist even decisions of the Sovereign Pontiff? In answering this question, we shall transcribe only documents that are related to public resistance because, if in
certain circumstances this is legitimate, with greater reason it would be legitimate to oppose a papal decision privately. No author, of whom we have ever heard, has ever raised any doubt about the right of such private resistance. We will pass on to the texts that admit public resistance in very special cases: a) Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Angelic Doctor teaches, in several of his works, that in extreme cases it is licit to resist publicly a papal decision. He states " . .. when there is a proximate danger for the faith, prelates .must be questioned even publicly by their subjects." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol. II-II 33 , 4,2). In his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, concerning the episode in which St. Paul resisted St. Peter to his face, St. Thomas writes: "The
St. Paul: "I resisted him to his face, because he merited reproof."
rebuke was just and useful, and its motive was not light: it was a question of a danger to the preservation of the evangelical truth ... The manner in which the rebuke was given was appropriate, for it was public and manifest. For this reason St. Paul writes: 'I spoke to Cephas,' that is, to Peter, ' before all,' because the simulation practiced by St. Peter created a danger for all. - In I Tim. 5: 20 we read: 'As for those who sin, let them be rebuked before all.' This has to be understood of manifest sins, and not of CRUSADE
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are, according to Suarez . .. , the more abundant help of the grace of God, the special protection of one's guardian Angel, the prayer of the universal Church, admonition or fraternal correction in secret or even in public, as well as legitimate defense against aggression whether it be physical or moral." (Wernz-Vidal, fos. Canon., Vol. II. , p. 436).
Prof. Plinio Correa de O liveira speaking in TFP auditorium in Sao Paul o, Brazi l. The banner reads: "Resistance."
hidden sins, because in the case of the latter one must proceed according to the order that is proper to fraternal correctio n." (St. Thomas Aquinas, ad. Gal. 2: 11-14, lec t. III , nn. 83-84). b) Vitoria. The eminent Dominican theologian of the sixteenth century writes: "If the Pope, by his orders and his acts, destroys the Church, one can resist him and impede the execu tion of his commands." (Vitoria, Obras de Francisco de Vitoria, pp . 486-487). c) Suarez . Suarez states: "If (the Pope) lays down an order contrary to right customs, one does not have to obey him; if he tries to do something manifestly opposed to justice and to the common good, it would be licit to resist him; if he attacks by force, he could be repelled by force , with the moderation characteristic of a just defense." (Suarez, De Fide, disp. X, sect V I no.16). d) Saint Robert Be llarmine. The Saint writes: "just as it is licit to resist the Po n tiff who attacks the body, so also it is licit to resist him who attacks souls, or who disturbs the civil order, or, above all, him who tried to destroy the Church. I say that it is licit to resist him by not doing what he orders and by impeding the execution of his will; it is not licit, however, to judge him, to punish him or depose him, for these are acts proper t o a superior." (St. Robert Bellarmine, De Rom. Pont. , lib. II , c. 29). e) Corne lius a Lapide. T he illustrious exegete shows that, according to St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Bede, St. Anselm, 路and many other Fathers, the resistance of St. Paul to St . Peter was public "so that in this way the public scandal given by Saint Peter was remedied by a re buke that was also publi c." (Corn elius a Lapide , ad Ga. 2: 11 ). f) Wernz -Vidal. Citin_g ~u~r~z, Wern_z-Vidal admits 路 extreme cases ' 1t 1s licit to resist a bad Pope : t h at, m . 路 e路 ans to be employed agamst a bad Pope "Th e JUSt m 30 CRUSADE
g) Peinador. T he authors of our days adopt as their own the assertions of the classical authors about the matter which we are analyzing. Thus it is that Peinador, citing large sections from St. Thomas, writes: " . . . 'a subject also can be obliged to correct fraternally his superior.' (S . Theol. II-II, 33,4 ). For the superior also can be spiritually needy, and th ere is nothing to prevent his b eing liberated from such need by one of his subj ects. Nevertheless, 'in a correction in which subjects reprehend their prelates, it behooves them to act in an appropriate manner, that is, not with insolence and asperity, but with meekness and reverence. (S. Theol. ibid.). Therefore, in general the superior must always be admonish ed privately. 'Keep in mind however that, when there is a proximate danger for the faith, prelates must be censured even publicly by their subjects (S. Theo[. II-II 33, 4, 2) .' " (Peinador, Cursus Brevior Th eol. Mor. II , Vol. I, p .. 278) .
CONCLUSION F inally we should like once again to profess our humble and loving submission, to the full extent laid down by canon law, to those who "appointed by the Holy Ghost, have succeeded the Apostles as shepherds of souls, and together with the Pope and subject to his authority, have been given the task of making the work of Christ, the Eternal Shepherd, an everlasting work." (Vatican Council II, Chris tus Dominus, Decree, No. 2). T o better illustrate the feelings th at we carry in our heart, we would like to cite some texts of Holy Scripture along with Pius Xi's words (Ubi Arcano, p. 21) in eloquent praise of the episcopacy; the Bish ops of the Church are " its chief members, joined together with loops of gold, they who preserve the strong unity of the Body of Christ" (cf. Eph. 4: 15-16 ); they are "doctors and parents of the Christian peoples, th e model for the flock (cf. I Pet. 5: 3 ), instituted by the Holy Ghost "to govern the Church of God." ( cf. Acts 20: 28).
DEVIL'S MYSTICAL BODY
(Continued from page 1) All men belong to one or the other. The Mystical Body of Christ is the Holy Church, His pure and faithful Spouse... The body of the devil is all of the im___...,1-' ious, for whom he acts at times as an
question. Any American from Alaska to Patagonia nced....only look around himself a bit, and he will find people in favor of tlie~ eadmission of Cuba into the OAS. lf~w ask- any! one of th ese advocates ot ' ~"'-t1!5y can maintain such a~ iQlrri;e,~ rtontradictory position, t~~'1;~ eh will, always be the same: â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘~ smile ./
of Christ and make them m embers of a prostitute?' (I Cor. 6: 15). It is as if he were to say, far from me to perpetrate such a crime. But, Oh, how many do that! St. Augustine writes: "They cannot be members of Christ and members of the harlot at the same time. Do not let them claim, even though they may receive the Body of Christ sacramentally, that they receive it spiritually. On the contrary, by not receiving the Body of Christ spiritually and by leading a bad life, th ey take members away from Christ by making them members of the demon, and so they reduce as much as they can the Body of Christ... " (Mariett 1931, page 114). St. Thomas Aquinas
of the world before the eyes leep ing and imbecilized West.
CAMBODIA
(Continued from page 7)
THE SPHINX SOULS
(Continued from page 2) In the face of th e enormi ty of these actions, co nsritu ting as th ey do so many other transgressions against the most basic norms of internatio nal relations, how was it possible fo r Cuba to be reintrodu ced in to peaceful association with so many nations of this hemisphere? Since Cuba is the most blatantly aggressive of the American nations, how could it even happen that it was practically invited to take its seat in honor and comfort among its peace ful sister nations? * * *
It would be a waste o f time to begin digging in th e secret files of the various state departments to try to answer th is
trust
try to minimize the atrocities reported by the re fugees, but the proofs that come from Cambodia point to a society moved by fear and not by in centives. The reports of the witnesses are consistent, not because of internal reasons. bur because the "hard line" provided th e Khmer Ro uge with its only opportunity for success. For the Khmer Rouge it was a problem of social co ntrol: how to organize discipline and direct the enormous and potentially hostile population of 7 million which had previously lived under Lo n No l? Of immediate concern were: * a great number of peasant families who, as the owners of the land th at they cultivated, represented a class on the rise; * businessmen, professors, university students, doctors, and intellectuals who cou ld be expected to resist a Communist governm ent; * active groups in resist ance w ho con-
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tinued to fight after the fall of Pnomh Penh. In the face of such a threatening picture, the army of the government was too small and its civilian cadre too limited to control these millions of people. The Khmer Rouge came to fear a wide counter-revolution by partisans of Sihanouk or a second civil war. By the force-marching of 4 million people and the killing of over a million, they transformed the urban population into a vast mass of isolated individuals who are disoriented, without property, contacts, or resources. This action had the same effects upon the peasants. With the invasion of their regions and the removal of their priests and other national leaders, they found themselves in almost the same situation as the city dwellers. The next task was to collectivize these individuals into small groups. The populat ion was organized into work and social units according to their age and civil status. Every group has a leader, and its members generally live, eat, and work together. These groups are the new basic units of Cambodian society. Each village has a clinic with a Khmer Rouge doctor who uses traditional remedies, generally herbs. There is also an elementary school, in which the children are instructed in lesser agricul rural chores while they learn revolutionary songs. According to the refugees, the teaching of reading and writing is minimal. The result is the transformation of Cambodia into an agricultural labor camp directed at the lower levels by Khmer Rouge "supervisors" and at the higher levels by economic administrators. The living conditions of the workers are extremely harsh - no salaries and no money. All that the worker receives is a little can of rice per day, weighing about a. quarter of a pound, which is much below the level recommended by the United Nations for a manual worker. (Indications exist, however, that the population is complementing this ration with fish and vegetables.) There is no freedom of movement. If a person merely asks where his group is going, he is viewed with suspicion.
•••
All that remains is fear, institutionalized torture, the forced break up of families, and the physical extermination of those who were considered the worst "class enemies."
• • •
The shriveling of the resistance move32
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ments and the reorganization of Cambodian society have reduced the masses to an indiscriminate level, in which all of the professions and institutions have gone through a process of fusion. "Your diplomas are worthless," the intellectuals were told. "Forget your academic formation." Replacing the family unit is a new unit of society: the collective cell, gnostic and impersonal. In these groups, all pursue the same occupation, t illing the soil with the hands; all receive the same subsistence, the same misery; all are grouped together, without privacy, without moral or physical protection. The magnificent diversity of the human creation, with its richness of culture, institutional order, civilization, as well as personal distinction, is obliterated, obscured, and blurred to the maximum extent in th is anti-natural society made up of egali tarian, anarchistic cells, held in place only by the iron of repression. The interior metaphysical principle directing th is repression is a hatred of God, for in obsu ring the hierarchy and diversity of creation, it distorts the mirror which God created of His own virtues and excellences. In such a society, where is the church which Christ founded, with its hierarchy, doctrines, and sacraments? Where are the families to teach the young and pass its traditions on from generation to generation? Where is the right of private property which gives stability and security to the family and permits its generous development? Within such a hatred of God, where is the love of God?
• • •
Against such a stark background, what better meditation is there than the passion of Our Lord in His Mystical Body, the Church, One, Holy, and Indestructible? How awesome the Holiness of the God and Savior of the world in His Church and Bride, which is destroying Herself, weakening Herself, to present Him to His most terrible enemy. How wounded the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the sins and ingratitude, sacrileges and treasons of ungrateful men by which He is too much offended. How awesome the wrath and power of the Mother of God coming to the aid of Her only begotten Son against His e nemies. How majestic and consoling Her promise at Fatima, confirming Our Lord's promise that the gates of h ell will not prevail against His Church. In the face of the reality we see, how great is the glory, how magnificent the triumph of the Im-
maculate Heart of Mary - the restoration of all hierarchy, all purity, all graciousness by Her Queenship in the hearts and souls of men. How sweet to contemplate the ultimate victory, which is the certain crushing of the whole Revolution, as embodied in Her words at Fatima: "In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!" OZARK SUNBEAM
(Continued fro111 page 8) tributing to The Ozark Sunbeam, has shown extreme courage and has by said contribution demonstrated that he is a dedicated American and concerned with the future welfare of his country. Be it known: that his contribution has won the admiration and respect of all the members and staff of said publication who have bestowed upon him an honorary membership on the staff of The Ozark Sunbeam. March 12, 1976. Delamer Duverus, Editor-in-chief."
LUMEN MARIAE IN ELEGANT OPENING FOR NEW BOOK In troducing its first published book, Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer's Cursillos in Christianity, Lumen Mariae Publications held a reception at the elegant Liederkranz in Manhattan, on April 3, for a capacity crowd of enthusiastic admirers. Addresses were given by John Parrot, president of the American TFP, and by John Spann. Mr. Philip Calder played the harpsichord. The event was continuously praised by the large crowd of friends and guests, who lingered there in warm conversation, loathe to depart from the convivial surroundings in which they had gathered.
Crusade for a Christian Civilization is a bi-monthly journal, the spokesman for the Am erican TFP. Annual price: $9,50. Mail your check made out fo Crusade for a Christian Civilization, to P.O. Box 1281, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801.
CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIL\ ITY
By Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer This book presents a profound critique of the doctrinal and moral dangers within the Cursillo movement and the inevitable consequences in the socio-economic sphere. In reading this book you will learn how traditional sp irituality, even that of the saints, has been ridiculed in some Cursillo circles; how the hierarchy of human fac ulties is overturned a nd intell ectual faith is replaced by a "faith" of emotions; how the effects of original sin are belittled, egalitarianism within the Church is promoted, and J esus Christ is referred to as a "Big Boss"; how subversion of present political and social structures is fostered, and in a manner favorable to Communism. Cursillos in Christianity is not only useful for analyzing the Cursillos, but also provides the doc trinal foundation for scrutinizing any movements of the apostolate in these critical times. (Price: $2.95)
A bi-monthly magazine, spokesman of the American TFP. Provides a penetrating analysis of international events relating to both the Church and secular society, and articles on the doctrinal, historical , philosophical, and aesthetic foundations of Christian Civilization. Shows just what must be done if the Christian Civilization is to be restored. Please enter my subscription to Crusade for a Christian Civilization for one year at $9.50 (Sl0.50 foreign). Name: Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip:
---------------Please send me _ _ cop ies of Cursillos in Christianity at $2.95 per copy. Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ Address: _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ Zip: mail to LUMEN MARIAE PUBLICATIONS P. 0. Box 99455 Erieview Station Cleveland, Ohio 44 199
Please make checks payable to Crusade for a Christian Civilization P. 0. Box 1281 New Rochelle, New York 10802
SPREAD THE FATIMA ISSUE OF CRUSADE! ORDER MORE COPIES I w ant _ __ _ (no.) copies of the
Please make ch ecks payable to Lumen Mariae Publications.
Fatima issue of Crusade at $2.00 per copy. Enclosed is my check
for _ _ _
·' J
r'
The Glory r of the Past Ga%I with Apprehensi at the Futur^'
• «« 4.
4
•
>
; i\ i
*
Sto^ cmd Bee... By Plinio Correa de Oliveira I could not resist. It was my intention to write about some matter such as the internal crisis of the
Church. But I did not feel the right conditions for that, either in me or around me. Instead, the harmo
nious and calming reminiscences of my Christmases of yore were rising up in my soul. Certainly, this is the state of spirit of many of my readers.
Let us open ourselves to the light of the Nativity so that our exhausted and desolated souls can be
reinvigorated. Afterward, we shall take up the almost insupportable burden ... with greater courage. it
Hi
It is obvious that I am not talking about the
propagandistic and unauthentic joy which domi nates the Christmas of today. It has become a matter of commerce. A frenetic advertising campaign scarce
ly leaves the people with the psychological liberty of not going shopping. "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will." How fitting was the ambience which this angelic hymn met on the deserted vastnesses of the fields of Bethlehem, and in the upright hearts of the shepherds who awoke from their deep and tranquil sleep. On the contrary, how strange seem these words of the angelic choir, which have no echo in or affinity with the thoughts of men in these modern megalopoles dominated by their ob session for gold, that is, for material things. )l<
Has the authentic Christmas died? With some
exaggeration we could say that it has. It has died in the metallicized souls of so many millions of men. It has even died in certain creches. Yes, in the pro-
gressivist creches which show us the Sacred Family with their features disfigured by modern art, and with connotations which are conducive to social revolution.
But there is some exaggeration in saying that Christ mas has died, for it is true that it still preserves some sparks of life. Let us go look for them. ♦
*
*
We shall find them above all — and effervescently
so — in the very fact of its being the day of the Nativity. Every feast of the liturgical calendar brings
with it an outpouring of special graces. Whether men desire it or not, grace knocks at the doors of the soul more sublimely, more endearingly, and more in sistently during these days surrounding the Feast of the Nativity. One would say that in spite of every thing there is in the air a light, a peace, an encouragement, a force of idealism, and a dedication which it is difficult not to perceive. Moreover, in certain churches, in many homes,
±e authentic Nativity scene still places the image of the Infant God before our eyes — He who came to break the bonds of death, to trample sin under foot, to pardon, to regenerate, and to open new and un limited possibilities of virtue and goodness to men. It is God. Behold Him, open to our entreaties and within our reach, made man to be like us, with
His perfect Mother by His side. His Mother but also ours. Through Her, even the worst sinners can ask and hope for everything. It is the Feast that shines with the joy of having faith, of having virtue, of being in sacral order, of having performed the right actions and of placing things where they belong. *
*
iti
Joy of the Nativity? Yes, but much more than that. The joy of 365 days of the year for the true Catholic. This is so because this joy always endures and never departs from the soul in which the *^avior dwells by grace. And it is not eliminated b\ a, struggle, illness, or death itself. — O ye who live greedily for gold, O ye who live only for vainglory, O ye who live in shameful lust for sensuality, O ye who live diabolically for revolt and crime, stop and look at the truly Catholic souls illumined by the joy of the Nativity. What is your joy compared to theirs? Do not see provocation or disdain in these words. They are more than that.
They are an invitation to the perennial Nativity which is the life of the true faithful: "Christianus
alter Christus"(The Christian is another Jesus Christ). No. There is no equal joy. Even when the Catholic is, like Jesus Christ Our Lord, nailed to the Cross ...
Otosade Fob b Chmstian Ovdjzation Editor: John Hart Circulation Director: Gerald Campbell Foreign correspondents: Jules Ubbelohde (England), Guy de Rider (France), Jose Luis de Zayas(Spain), Luis Dufour (Italy),
Faith in the Immaculate Conception
Michel Renaud(Canada),Aloisio Schelini (Brazil), Pedro Morazzani(Venezuela).
Destroys Materialism
Vol.6
Nov.-Dec., 1976
No.6
CONTENTS
Faith in the Immaculate Conception Destroys Materialism, 1 1061 Spanish Priests Say the TFP Is Right, 1 The Glory of the Past Gazes with Apprehension at the Future, 2 The Presidential Election: the Tiny Difference thatCouldBe Enormous, 2 The Future of the United States: Points
for Meditation, 5 Mass for the Victims of Communism,
by Thomas Bell,6 American TFP Campaign Against ChildCare Bill Ends Year Successfully, 7 The TFP on the Streets of Kansas City, 7 The Noisy Failures of Socialism (Sweden, Britain,Portugal, Angola,Russia),8-10 The Church of Silence (Poland, Czecho
slovakia, Hungary,Lithuania), 11-13 The Persistence of Christian Civilization: A Thousand Years of the Choir of
"What truly is the point of departure of the enemies of religion for the sowing of the great and serious errors by which the faith of so many is shaken? They begin by denying that man has fallen by sin and been cast down from his former position. Hence they regard original sin and the evils that were its consequences as mere fables. Humanity, vitiated at its source, vitiated in its turn the whole race of
man; and thus was evil introduced among men and the necessity for a Redeemer involved. All of this rejected, it is easy to understand that no place is left for Christ, for the Church, for grace, or for anything that is above and beyond nature; in one word, the whole edifice of faith is shaken from top to bottom. But let people believe and confess that the Virgin Mary has been from the first moment of her conception preserved from all stain; and it is immediately neces sary that they admit both original sin and the rehabilitation of the human race by Jesus Christ, the Gospel and the Church and the law of suffering. By virtue of this, rationalism and materialism are torn up by the roots and destroyed, and there remains to Christian wisdom the glory of having to guard and protect the truth."
Regensburg, 11 The Communist Regime Has a Horror of
— St.Pius X,Encyclical Addiemillnm, 1904
the Mirror!, 13
Brazilian Bishops Make Empty Attacks: The TFP Rebuts and Asks for
Clarity, 14 The Autodemolition of the Church, by Gerald Campbell, 16 Russian Belligerency and the Modern
Chamberlains, by Harold Wyn
1061 SPANISHPRIESTSSAY
THE TFP IS RIGHT
Newcasde, 20
Chinese Communism: the Most Despotic Application of Marxism in History, 23 Entirely Alone, 26 Receiving Communion in the Hand Is Contrary to Tradition, 27
Crusade just received the news that 1061 Spanish priests have made a public endorsement ofthe thesis put forward in the Chilean TFP's book The Church of Silence in Chile.
The signatures of the priests are affixed to a mani Crusade for a Christian Civilization P.O. Box 1281, New Rochelle, N. Y.
10802 Issued bi-monthly. Annual sub scription — $9.50. Foreign — $10.50. Application to mail at Second Class Post age is pending at New Rochelle, N.Y.
festo published by the Cultural Society of Covadonga in Spain. The manifesto is being published in the major newspapers ofSpain.
10802.
CRUSADE
1
THE GLORY OF THE PAST ^ GAZES WITH APPREHENSION AT THE FUTURE
The United States has been suffering a gradual process of transhipment. And it seems that the glorious times such as Iwo Jima and the intrepid spirit full of patriotism and honor which marked the indignant reaction of the American people to events such as Pearl Harbor, are all threatening to fade out. More and more, we see American public opinion locking itself up in its own interests, losing
the perspective of the giant role of our country as the safeguard of the principles that guarantee the dignity and the honor of the nations which have been relying on the United States, which previously stood securely because they knew that the American public was ready to aid them in their defense against Naziism and later Communism. But Yalta, Hungary, Vietnam, Cambodia, Angola, and now Rhodesia and South Africa, are events which have brought, or are bringing, peoples and nations under the domination of Communism, peoples no longer able to recommend the safeguard role of the United States. What happened then to the spirit that dominated the American public, so full of enthusiasm in defense of the free world? And now after the shameful detente and the mysterious question mark of the policy of President Carter, is it not true that we can say the glory of the past has good reasons to gaze with apprehension at the future .. .?
The Presidential Election:
the Tiny Difference that Coufd Be Enormous
by the two candidates were clearly stated in them selves or clearly distinguished from each other, we are inclined to think that this confusion at the c<>nfpr of
the process had an overflow effect, for the Ai, an people were very much confused over the choice being presented to them. When a person is confused, he may withdraw ac
Governor James Carter has been elected President of the United States. This event which is so important
he is discouraged by the confusion itself. Was this
for our country in itself is also of ample significance
confusion the reason for the defection of the elector
in the international field, just as, reciprocally, what
ate, or was it but one reason among others that remain to be disclosed? In this respect, it is very interesting to analyze the process of gradual defection that has been taking place since 1960. In 1960, the percentage of the electorate which went to the polls to vote was 63%; in 1964, 62%; in
the United States does in international affairs is criti
cal to the internal affairs of our country. Both themes, international affairs and internal
politics were exhaustively discussed during the elec toral process. Although we do not believe that many people were satisfied that the perspectives opened up 2 CRUSADE
tion because he doesn't know what to do or because
1968, 61%; in 1972, 55.4%; in 1976, 53.3%.
Don't these figures indicate that a smaller percent age of the electorate have confidence that their votes
can influence the course of events? Is this gradual defection ofthe electorate related to the major defeats of the United States in the foreign policy sphere, which is at least reasonable? If this is the case, then the decline from 1960 to 1968 should be traced to
the failure to bring the war in Vietnam to a successful and victorious conclusion. There is a drop of almost 6% in 1972. But this was after President Nixon's visit
to China and the unleashing of the process of detente with its many disastrous consequences for the West ... We cannot see that the scandal of Watergate has had a significant effect in this decline, for the decrease between 1972 and 1976 is only about 2% of the elec torate. The question of why, in the face of this trend, a percentage as high as 53.3% went to the polls to vote leads us to issue an invitation to study the results of this election more closely .. .
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Nevertheless, it can be seen that in the election of 1976, the decline continued ... And, moreover, the 53.3% of the electorate who
went to the polls to vote in 1976 constitute a dis quieting proportion in relation to the whole. The fact is that 46.7% of the electorate did not choose to vote
for either Ford or Carter. And 71% did not choose to
vote for President Carter, who was put into office by the votes of only 29% of the electorate, something
President-elect Carter and Henry Kissinger in a friendly meeting
considerably less than a mandate ...
disastrous policy of ever-increasing concessions to the Russians?
after the election. Will the new President continue Kissinger's
The election was so close that if 3800 persons had
From this we see that the difference between the
reflects what appears to be the tiny difference in the ideology of the two candidates. Our concern is increased by the fact that President elect Carter's foreign policy is still unknown, for no decisions have as yet been made.
votes received by Governor Carter and those received
And from this perspective, that tiny difference
by President Ford was truly a tiny difference. Now it happens that the differences in policy be tween the two men, at least to the extent that they were known by the voters, were also tiny .. . In this confusing situation, the American people
could be enormous ... Thus if President Carter determines to accelerate
switched their votes to Ford in Ohio and 6000 had
made the same switch in Mississippi, Ford would have carried these two states and would have been elected
(The Spotlight, November 22, 1976).
the process of concessions to the Russians, the whole process of ruin will be accelerated ...
did not face a clear choice between a liberal candi
Suppose, on the other hand, he acts in such a way as to retard the process, that also would be signifi
date who supported a continuation of Kissinger's
cant ...
disastrous policy of detente and another candidate
who assured them that he would face the reality of international politics and the present grave threats to
It is for this reason that we are presenting him with some thoughts at the beginning of his administra tion, key points which, if they are heeded, could
the free world, but instead saw two candidates who
make an enormous difference for the United States
presented similar confused perspectives about this decisive question.
and the free world.
Thus, the tiny difference in the election results
Thus we invite him as well as our readers to read
the reflections stated on page 5. CRUSADE
3
♦
s
"If we do not want war, there is only one way out of if:
fhaf is by facing Communism now, in the field of ideas and action,"
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Would we be the Chamberlains
of today?
the foteee ofPoints theforunit® states Meditation DO Russia.
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Isolationism would
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What is the answer to the p
risriff«« I aoaiHSf their overlords 1 Khen Chamberlain \
Tomorrow won t ihey say
\ tt, M leflM "of ideas and
11 -r^HiS:r:: u!dZs of our country.
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FOff THE VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM By Thomas Bell About 500 persons attended a Mass in Kansas
New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Kansas, Texas,
City, Missouri, celebrated in the elegant auditori um of the prestigious Alameda Plaza Hotel on November 21, the occasion of the anniversary of
Tennessee, Michigan, California, Massachusetts,
the Bolshevik Revolution for the souls of the vic
with the overtones of centuries. At the left side of
tims that Communism has made throughout the
the altar was a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and above, a large banner stretching right and ''"ft with the message of Fatima: "In the end Immaculate Heart will triumph!" Other colorful banners completed the decoration of the audito
world by means of assassinations, revolutions, and wars.
The Mass was celebrated by Father Basil C. Benyo in the Catholic Uniate Ukrainian Rite at the request of the American Society for the
Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana.
In the front of the room was the altar, wrapped
rium.
Poland, Rumania, Slovenia, Ukraine, Vietnam,
The Mass was celebrated according to the ancient and venerable Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostum, Patriarch of Constantinople, the golden-mouthed orator, rightfully considered by the Catholic peoples of most of the captive nations as their father in Christ after the Holy Apostles. As is known, St. John Chrysostum, in addition to being one of the great doctors of the Oriental
Yugoslavia, and Portugal. In addition, there were delegations from the following states: Missouri,
Church is by his heroic fidelity to Catholic truth in the midst of the most ferocious and prolonged
Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property whose representatives were present in their red capes with the golden lion so familiar to Catholics everywhere.
Delegates representing the following captive nations were also present: Albania, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Hungary, Lithuania,
6 CRUSADE
persecutions an admirable example for all Catholics. The Mass was announced by a representative
of the TFP who finished his address by asking Our Lord and Our Lady to comfort, enlighten, and strengthen all those who suffer today under the scourge of Communism. Then, there was a
ceremony and an act of tribute to Our Lady of Fatima during which the Fatima choir sang hymns in honor of Our Lady. And this was followed by the celebration of the Mass.
After the Mass, there was a requiem psalm for deceased people, which concluded with the play ing of taps. Then there was a reading of the prayer of St. Esther in the Bible, adapted for the captive nations. And as a final act of praise, the Fatima choir sang the Magnificat. *
+
After the Mass, everyone was invited to attend a lecture by a representative of the TFP on the theme 'The Church and the Communist State:
the Impossible Coexistence." The speaker demon strated, on the basis of Catholic doctrine, the
papal encyclicals, and natural law, that it is not licit for Catholics to accept a coexistence of the Church with the Communist regime. The talk was based on an article by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira published in Crusade for a Christian Civilization, July-October, 1976.
THE TFP ON THE STREETS OF KANSAS CITY
The day after the Mass for the victims of Communism was celebrated, the American TFP went to the streets of Kansas
City distributing thousands of copies of a special TFP Extra exposing the iron curtain which is dropping over Angola by
showing how the Communists are cutting down people by gun fire as they flee by the thousands across the border. AMERICAN TFP CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD-CARE BILL ENDS YEAR SUCCESSFULLY
The first major campaign ofthe American TFP acted effectively in defense of the fam ily Services Act,"sponsored by Mondale and Brademas.
The 94th Congress came to a conclusion thisyear, with the proponents of the bill still unable to effect its passage. This was a defeat for those who aim to mount an assault against the family by estab lishing a collectivist beachhead in America, and a victory for those such as the American TFP who worked against this bill.
The leaflet uses this recent tragic event, among so many in our days, to expose the danger of a U.S. foreign policy based on making concessions to the Communists.
The reception of the people to the campaign was enthusi astic and very encouraging for the members of the TFP.
^ '.Vj/A '.-v
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V' '}..'■ ■ A • ^ •• I'
E NEWS IN FOCUS JAe Noisy Failures of Socialism
THE SWEDES AND GERMANS
A margin of eight seats is not sufficient to permit the
SHOW THEMSELVES TO BE
governing coalition to carry out its program of sociali
AGAINST SOCIALISM
zation, which is already very much hindered by the
Two weeks after the fall of the socialist govern ment in Sweden, socialism received an additional setback in West Germany. In these elections, the government coalition
Germany, especially among the young electorate. And, moreover, it appears that this tendency is not restricted to Sweden and Germany but is one that is spreading throughout Europe.
headed by Helmut Schmidt obtained 252 seats, and the anti-socialist opposition won 244 seats. Accord ingly, those supporting Schmidt now have a majority of only eight seats in the Bundestag, whereas, former ly, the Social Democrats and liberals had a majority
- ABIM
of 44 seats.
Although Schmidt has managed to retain power by a small margin of votes, one may speak of a rela tive victory for the anti-socialist opposition lead by Helmut Kohl, who conducted a vigorous campaign
against socialism. During his campaign, Kohl affirmed that the Germans must reject the socialism of the Social Democratic Party in favor of the liberty of the
great movement of anti-socialist public opinion in
SWEDISH NATIONAL POLICE FORCE
PROVES TO BE A FAILURE
Observers have noticed a tendency in the UmLed States toward the formation of a national police force and the elimination or downgrading of local police units. In respect to this question, Americans can profit from a page that has been turned in the book of the history of Sweden. After the former socialist leader Palme "national
Christian Democratic Union.
ized" the police by transferring local control to the
"We are going to act as the Swedes did," said Kohl, emphasizing that the Swedes and West Germans
State, crime statistics in Sweden soared. In Stockholm,
could establish a correct political line for Europe.
According to political observers, the next admin istration in West Germany will face a difficult period. 8 CRUSADE
the capital, burglaries increased 50% in one year, car thefts were up by 30%, and robberies increased almost 50% in the same period. The chief of police declared "I get sick of my own helplessness."
BRITAIN POSES THE QUESTION AGAIN: HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOCIALISM TO ACHIEVE ANY MEASURE OF SUCCESS?
In Britain, companies that have been taken over by the State are facing growing deficits. One of the most staggering failures is British Rail, which operates most of England's railroads. In spite of severe trim ming measures which included the firing of 170,000 unnecessary employees, this State-owned company was in the red 760 million dollars last year. Now, the
company plans to fire 40,000 additional employees and to raise fares by 17.5%, even though the cumula tive increase in fares over the past 18 months is al ready near 60%. As a consequence, the National Union of Railwaymen seems set for a head-on clash with the government. Wildcat strikes and go-slow tactics are already common at British Rail. Sir Richard Marsh, former chairman of British
Rail, offered an explanation for the troubles now being encountered by the company which he had managed for a long time: 'The governmental machine is totally inadequate for the managerial role it seeks to play in the nationalized industries, and it lacks the benefit of having shareholders with a desire to make a profit." Apparently, the British government has not grasped the moral of the story of British Rail. It is
now seeking to nationalize the airways and the ship building industries . . . PORTUGAL IS APPROACHING MISERY
With each passing day, the Portugese government finds itself increasingly besieged by the very grave consequences of the imposition of socialism in Portugal. As a result of these policies, the most prosperous and lucrative companies in the country are beginning to show losses in the hands of the State, which once
again proves to be an inefficient manager of the means of production. For example, Companhia Uniao Fabril has shown a loss of 400 million escudos,
which is equivalent to 10 million dollars. As the affluent taxpayers are nationalized and thus eliminated as taxpayers so as to make this cate gory of governmental income increasingly scarce, the
Portuguese are asking themselves: who is going to pay for the losses accrued by the companies in the hands of the State?
The Council of Ministers has only been debating the question, while the people allow themselves to be attracted by beaches and all kinds of diversions . . . During the three years of the Portuguese revolu
tion, 75% of the monetary reserves of the country have trickled away. And the economic situation is rapidly deteriorating. In fact, economists are saying that the artificial joy will end at the turn of the year when the nation exhausts the last resources of the
Bank of Portugal. What will the unconcerned Portuguese do then...? ANGOLA'S MARXISM PRODUCES ITS FIRST FRUITS
A 15-man United Nations humanitarian com
mission visited different parts of Angola to assess the condition of the country after the Marxist MPLA of Agostinho Neto won the Civil War. Under Neto, the economy of Angola is being restructured along Marxist lines; "nationalization" is proceeding, most companies and farms being expropriated without compensation. The U.N. Commission found that "without im
mediate and intensified assistance, Angola would fall prey to famine, epidemics, and a host of attendant
ills." All of this means that socialism is producing an economic disaster in this country as it has in so many others. It also means that Angola will begin receiving millions of dollars of Western aid â&#x20AC;&#x201D; probably mostly American â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thereby preventing its total collapse and enabling it to go ahead with its totalitarian socialist experimentations. Meanwhile, Negro refugees, fleeing from this new Red "paradise" are being shot as thousands cross the border to escape the repressive regime. There are over 25,000 Angolan Negro refugees registered in South West Africa and 80,000 in Zaire. EVERYTHING VERY SECRETIVE ...
In spite of the fact that Russia's indebtedness to the West is to the tune of tens of billions of dollars,
the Soviets continue to acquire new super projects from the industrialists of West Germany. Before the end of this year, the Russians u :o obtain from Hoechstof Frankfurt andother companies chemical and industrial installations worth 4 billion
marks. This company's representative in Moscow is sure of the deal."We shall soon sign the contracts. Up to now, everything is still a secret," he declared. Kosteandov, Russian minister for the chemical
industry, wants to construct a petro-chemical center with the help of German know-how. Another minister
of the Kremlin wants to install highly sophisticated textile manufacturing machines. The Soviet debts arising solely from their com merce with West Germany have already reached a figure of more than 2.5 billion dollars. Nevertheless, the Russians continue to make new requests, particuCRUSADE 9
" «V. CUBA
larly for the transference of specialized technology for the organization and efficiency of production. A company of precision apparatus will help to
Caribbean Sea
reorganize and modernize the "Kalibr" Company of Moscow. The German technicians are supposed to show the Reds how to improve the internal movement of transportation in the firm and how to make things move like clockwork. Even the paysheets of the workers in Kalibr will be filled out by the "imperialis tic exploiters from the West!"
Venezuela
GUYANA Colombia
Brazi
THE RUSSIANS CHEAT ON THEIR AGREEMENT
ANOTHER CUBA IS BEING CREATED
WITH THE UNITED STATES
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
The expansion of the Soviet navy demonstrates that Russia is preparing for a war of aggression against
According to an Associated Press dispatch, "vir tual Communism has come to Guyana." Prime Minis ter Forbes Burnham now openly classifies himself as a Marxist, explaining: "Capitalism has been in opera tion in this part of the world for some time, and it
the West.
This warning was given in the last issue of Jane's
Fighting Ships of London. Captain John Moore who signed the introduction to the publication affirms that "the armament of the ships and the incorpora tion of aircraft carriers into the Soviet squadrons sug gests an objective that goes beyond mere defense of Russian territory." A similar warning was given by the magazine, Aviation Week,which also specializes in military affairs. According to this publication, Russia is taking advan tage of the arms control agreements signed with the United States in order to gain world leadership in the nuclear arms race.
The magazine cites the declaration of an American official who affirms that the agreements on limiting atomic armament favor only Russia. He sustains that "the Soviets know exactly how we work, and take advantage of every period established in the agree ments in order to obtain advantages." And finally, Joseph Lunz, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, warns the West that Soviet military expansion constitutes a grave danger.
When he spoke to the annual assembly of NATO in Copenhagen, Lunz declared that the constant in crease of Russian military power goes far beyond what it needs for defense. And he adds "firmness consti tutes a vital attribute in our contacts with the East."
has failed us."
Accordingly, all foreign-owned companies have been expropriated by the State, and collective farms are being organized through a radical agrarian reform. And the country's 800,000 people — mostly Negroes — have been mobilized along Marxist-Leninist lines. As one experienced observer remarked,"In some four years, Guyana will have become a fairly orthodox Communist country." Confirming this assessment, the well-informed Daily Telegraph of London reported on October 5, 1976 that Burnham's regime had confiscated without indemnization all 600 private schools of the country, most of which belonged to the Catholic Church. At the same time, an "educational reform" is being implemented at the elementary and secondary school levels, one which inculcates "the Marxist-Leninist
ideology and forbids religious instruction." Fr. Andrew Morrison, the Catholic Vicar G
-
sent an open letter to Prime Minister Bui. an strongly protesting the seizure of the schools. He called the confiscation "a Trojan Horse at our gates" and said that "anyone's property can be taken away without compensation." The Prime Minister denounced the Vicar General's
letter as "arrogant, cheeky, and imprudent," but instead of answering his arguments, dismissed the
In the face of such highly authoritative warnings, one concludes that the policy of "relaxation of ten
statement as "a scurilous attempt to mislead the public."
sions" promoted by Kissinger favors Communist ex pansion. Such a relaxation of tensions in which lack
In spite of official denials, there are persistent rumors that Cuban troops and Russian military "advisors" are present in Guyana. Anti-communist resistance has been reported in the southern part of
of firmness is joined to capitulation is placing the non-communist world at the mercy of the aggressive ness and the strategy of destruction of the enemy. 10 CRUSADE
this tropical country.
THE PERSISTENCE OF
Them Church of Silence
CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION:
A Thousand Years of the Choir
of Regensburg On the banks of the legendary Danube River, between the dense forests and the fertile fields of Bavaria,
is the ancient city of Regensburg or Ratisbon. The capital of Bavaria in ancient times, It later became an
imperial free city. Regensburg is a relic of the Middle Ages, which has been carefully preserved by the West Germans.
in the year 975, Saint Wolfgang, Bishop
and
Abbot, established
./,^r M,)'.
a
school for children at the Cathedral
of St. Peter in Regensburg. This choir,
made up of "young men" and boys, was popularly called "Regensburger Domspatzen" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the sparrows of the Cathedral.
It celebrated
its 1000th
anniversary in 1975! "The members of the choir must
use the gift they received from God and by their solemn presentation ele vate the souls of the people, to the
In Czestochowa, the strength of Polish Catholicism is mani-
memory and love of celestial things, not only by the sublimity of their words but also by the charm of the sounds with which they are presented."
tested. The Communists smile, but. .. CATHOLICS ARE PERSECUTED IN POLAND
These are the regulations prescribed
by the Benedictine Order to which St. Wolfgang belonged. And, in fact, the boys choir has shone in this way since 975, that is to say, for 1000 years, in the solemn celebration of the liturgy in the Cathe dral of the city.
The boy singers of Regensburg have, in addition to their specialty of sacred chant, a rich repertoire of German
popular songs which date from time immemorial.
The purity of their voices is known all over the world, expressing a sensa tion of happiness, a joy of living. Their voices, which are educated, developed,
and polished with effort and discipline over the course of a thousand years, are voices of Christian Civilization, the fruit of Catholic tradition.
ip ^ 4?
Casimir Kakol, Minister of State for Religious Af
fairs in Poland, has instructed members of tiie Com munist Party to intensify the combat against Catholic influence in the country. Kakol affirms"we shall never permit tlie catechism outside of the churches nor will we tolerate religious instruction of children."
New measures in favor of atheism in Polai
o-
vide that the weekly day of rest will be Saturda), in order that Sunday will cease to be considered the "Lord's Day." A new arrangement of worker's holi days has been devised in order to disrupt the calendar of the traditional Catholic liturgical feasts and the religious commemorations celebrated in the family. The Polish minister considers the great number of Catholics regularly attending religious services to be shameful and a source of surprise and disgust to Communists of other countries.
Cynically, Kakol affirmed:"As Minister of State, I must smile in order to inspire the confidence of the Catholic hierarchy. As a Communist, I must combat
religion and the Church without giving any quarter." CRUSADE 11
HELSINKI MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA
According to recent reports, the persecution of the Church in Czechoslovakia has intensified since the
Helsinki Conference. In Slovakia, many priests and nuns are in prison and a number of secret arrests are
still being made; in the Czech territory, some 60 priests were interrogated by police in the last month.
3%
There has been a consistent anti-religious campaign aimed at the reeducation of youths. Fr. Viktor
Trstensky, a Slovak Catholic priest who is forbidden by the Communist regime from carrying out his pas toral duties, wrote a public letter protesting the terror
inflicted upon children to prevent them from joining religious classes. Fr. Trstensky is one of the 500 Cath olic priests prevented from performing their ministry in the country because they were not favorable to Communism.
All of this is happening in spite of the much-
trumpeted agreement of Helsinki, which according to Mr. Kissinger, was to bring the persecutions to an end in exchange for Western recognition of the Russian domination of Eastern Europe. The West dutifully recognized this domination, but the persecutions increased.
^ ■
•
:''X% .V
..
r/j/s young girl is Nijoie Sadunaite. Less than two years ago
fe w THE LAST WILL
V-.
i
OF CARDINAL MINDSZENTY
The last will left by Cardinal Mindszenty, martyr to Communism who died last year in Vienna, contains these words:
"This is what I want to tell my people and the Hungarians who are scattered all over the world: the persons who affirm that the Hungarian people are happy today, are deceiving you." The last message of the heroic Hungarian prelate, the symbol of resistance to Communism, is filled with strong religious accents. When he was thinking of his funeral. Cardinal Mindszenty wrote; "Bury me here (in Vienna). But when the day arrives that the star of Moscow's atheism no longer has any light in the land of the Mother of God and of St. Stephen (Hungary), I want my body buried in Esztergom in the crypt of the Cathedral." 12 CRUSADE
she was arrested in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, and defended the Faith widi die courage of the firstChristians. Now, deprived of the most basic of human righ ts — the right to know and to practice the true Religion — she is forgotten in the silence of Siberia.
The Communist Regime Has a Horror of the Mirror! "The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithu ania shows the crimes that the atheists have committed
against the faithful just as a mirror would show them. Since malice does not admire its own ugliness, it is horrified by its image in the mirror. And for this rea son, you hate those who snatch away the veil of lies and hypocrisies with which you are covered. But this does not take away the value of the mirror!" These words of the young Catholic girl Nijole Sadunaite, directed to the members of the Communist tribunal
that judged her in Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, came to the knowledge of the West through the clandestine Catholic anti-communist publication The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (no.17), which is published by the hwWQXmElta-Press of Rome.
of his death. And like bandits, you subject thousands of the faithful to the most painful moral robbery. That is Communist ethics and morality!" This testimony tears away the "smiling" mask by which Communism is trying to deceive public opinion into allowing itself to be conquered without putting up any resistance. This tactic is a farce because antireligious hatred will always be at the very core of the Marxist sect. Once again, we see the timeliness of Plinio Correa de Oliveira's essay. The Church and the Communist State: the Impossible Coexistence, which
affirms that Communism, being intrinsically evil, co existence with it is impossible. Headed for the Trash Can
Of History Catholic Heroism
And Nijole continued: "These and hundreds of
Nijole was bom in Dotnuva in the year 1938. Her father was a professor in the agricultural academy. From her infancy, the young woman showed herself
to be an intrepid Catholic,even during the persecution by the Reds. She gave valuable assistance to Catholic priests who were harassed for their fidelity to their religion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for example, Fr. Antanas Seskevicius, who is in prison for teaching catechism to little children. On the 24th of August, 1974, Nijole was arrested in the house where issue no. 11 of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania was being printed.
other facts show the atheist objective of transforming each and every one of its spiritual slaves by any illicit means: calumny, lies, and terror! And do you rejoice at your victory? Upon what is this triumph based?It is built on moral ruin, the rape of human dignity, and miserable treacherous little men infected with fear
and the poison of the lowest passions of life. Well did Our Lord Jesus Christ say: 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' The crimes that you are committing are pushing you more and more rapidly toward the trash can of history."
She was taken to the tribunal, but refused to reveal
anything. Then she was sent to a psychiatric hospital
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger
in Vilna. In March 1975, the tribunal asked for infor
And Thirst After Justice
mation about her psychiatric background. There was none.
In June of that same year, her trial began. The ac cused exposed how the Marxists carry out a persecu tion against the regular practice of religion which they claim to respect. She emphasized that even in extreme situations, such as those of persons in their last agony, the Reds refused them the religious assist ance of a priest, even when it was requested by both the patients and their families. And the accused young woman added: "Even
In concluding her defense, Nijole declared proudly: "This is the happiest day of my life; I am being tried on account of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church
in Lithuania, which combats the spiritual and physical tyranny of man ... My punishment will be my triumph!"
Nijole Sadunaite was condemned to three years in prison under "a hard regime" of forced labor and to
But you dare to mock the most sacred convictions of
three years of exile. Keeping in mind the injustice of the judgment and the kind of pseudo-judges who sentenced her, she considered it to be a light sentence. At the present time, she is serving the first part of the
man at the most difficult moment of his life: the hour
penalty in a concentration camp in Mordovia.
condemned criminals are conceded Âąeir final requests.
CRUSADE 13
Irritation Is shown over book of TFP
BRAZILIAN BISHOPS
which exposes silent Bishops who refuse to speak against Marxism
MAKE EMPTY ATTACKS
The TFP Rebuts and Asks for Clarity With a Call for Dialogue
By Harold Wyn Dlewcastle We have already had the privilege of introducing Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira's The Church in the Face of the Rise of the Communist Menace â&#x20AC;&#x201D; An Appeal to the Silent Bishops to American
joy all the values of the (Communist) revolution." (emphasis ours). Recognizing the magnitude of this subversive danger, Plinio Correa de Oliveira, speaking for the Brazilian TFP,
be censurable in the book of the Brazilian
readers {Crusade, July-Ociober, 1976).
issued in his book an urgent appeal to Brazil's silent Bishops to speak out against Marxism without delay ...
These uncomfortable questions very understandably were left without an
In this book, the author exposes the radicality of a certain segment of Brazil
ian Bishops such as Dom Casaldaliga,
But instead of speaking out against
Bishop of Sao Felix de Araguaia (state
Marxism, or censoring or even lamenting
of Matte Grosso) who writes: "Cursed
the
be all / Private properties / Which deprive us / of living and loving . .. / With a callous for a ring, / Monsignor cut rice. /
above, the Cardinal Archbishop of Sao Paulo and his eight auxiliary Bishops reacted against the book by distributing
ultra-radical
behavior
described
the following note: "In order to make satisfaction for the affirmations made and recently re newed by the TFP (Tradition, Family,
and Property) m respect to various
A Igreja ante a e^ada da ameaea comunista Apeh) ans Bhpir, Silem iov's â&#x20AC;˘%
brothers of ours m the Episcopate, we declare to the Catholic faithful of our Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, that such
positions are unjust, that they come from a civil entity without authority to pronounce on religious matters, that they deform the conscierice of the faith ful and put those who make them in flagrant discordance with the magisterium of the Church in Sao Paulo." This surprising note which treats none of the substantial matters raised
A Igreja do Sikncio no Chile
by the book was rebutted by the TFP with a request for clarity. The signers of
A TFP mdUm procbma a nrr^ade mttin
the note were asked to clarify in the
Monsignor 'hammer and sickle'? / They will call me subversive ... / I have the
faith of the guerrilla / And the love of die revolution." Among these ultraradical subversive Bishops he includes
seventeen Bishops of Parana because of
most expressed and defined manner the following: (1) whether they consider the poems and reflections of Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga cited in the book by Plinio Correa de Oliveira, to be irreprehensiblc from the point of view of Catholic doctrine;(2) whether they con sider the text of the pronouncements of
a pronouncement of theirs for Regional
the Regional South 11 of the CNBB
South II of the CNBB (the National which they hold up the Catholic Church
cited in the same book, to be irreprehensiblc from the point of view of Catholic doctrine; (3) if they judge thai
in Vietnam as a model for Brazilians to
the citations mentioned in numbers 1
follow, inviting them to accept "with
and 2 contain anything censurable from
Conference of the Bishops of Brazil) in
14 CRUSADE
the point of view of Catholic doctrine, to kindly say what they consider to
Nevertheless, subsequently, the Metropolitan Curia of Recife (under the jurisdiction of the Red .Archbishop Helder Camara) issued a note in which it said that "the positions and attitudes" of the TFP "have been sufficiently dis avowed by the CNBB" as well as "re proved and condemned by a goodly number of the members of the Brazil ian Episcopate as happened recently in a pronouncement of the Episcopate of Sao Paulo." And it accuses the TFP of
speaking "in the name of the Church" without having the right to do so. The Brazilian TFP responded to this
note, showing its lack of substance and the misinfonnation it contains. An ex
tract,from this statement follows:
"(Concerning the attitudes of the TFP
which
have
been
disavowed by the
CNBB, will the Metropolitan Curia be so kind as to declare what they arc and when they occurred. /U soon as this is
done, the TFP will promptly make known what it has to say about the mat ter,"
And speaking about the supposed "pronouncement of the Episcopate of Sao Paulo," it observes that "the refer ence of the Metropolitan Curia is errone
ous. By the expression 'Episcopate of Sao Paulo' one understands all of the Archbishops and Bishops of the state of Sao Paulo; in fact, the pronouncement was made only by the Archbishop and his Auxiliary Bishops." And the TKP continues:"'Speaking in the name of the Church' is to speak with the authority invested by Our Lord Jesus Christ or by Canon Law with the powers necessary to do so. Would the Metropolitan Curia khidly inform us on what page of the above-mentioned book of the TFP, the right to act in such a manner is claimed by the TFP? If there is nothing in the book that justifies such an accusation, would the Metro
politan Curia kindly retract it, thereby fulfilling an elementary obligation of justice."
The TFP asks the Metropolitan Curia the same questions which it posed to the Archbishop of Sao Paulo and his
Auxiliary Bishops, and which still remain unanswered. In regard to this omission, the TFP inquires: "Did the Metropolitan
necessary condemnation of Communism but also an unjust accusation of persons and institutions."
In respect to tliis commentary, the TFP invites the Prelate to a dialogue. With this in mind, it presents to him the following questions: "1. Bishop Ivo Lorscheiter wonders at the nomenclature "silent." His won
derment seems incomprehensible to us. The one who is "silent" docs not speak, does not make a pronouncement, keeps silent. Does Bishop Lorscheiter know of any clear and valiant pronouncement against Communism made by any of the
Bishops "called silent" by the TFP? If he does, we implore him to cite them. If he does not, we will continue to feel
ourselves perfectly free to call them silent in fact ...
"2. 'The necessary condemnation of Communism'-. If this condemnation is
'necessary,' we ask Bishop Lorscheiter to tell us what he calls the silence of
those who do not do so? .\nd we ask
him to explain to us, moreover, why he is irritated, not by their grave omission but by our frankness in saying that they are in omission. For our part, we believe that we fulfill the precept of Our Lord Jesus Christ: 'Let thy language be: Yes, yes, no, no.'"(Matt. 5:37). "3. Has
Bishop
Lorscheiter, who
since 1968 has attacked this Society so many times in the press (the TFP has a large dossier about this matter), ever made the condemnation of Communism
Curia ofOli?ida and Recife know of this?
which he has affirmed to be "necessary"?
If they did know, why didn't they men
Would he be so kind as to inform us in
tion it in their communicjue? If they did not know, here is the information.
this respect and pardon any ignorance
Let the Metropolitan Curia make use of it by explaining to the public of Recife why the prelates of the city of Sao Paulo
Santa Maria is far from Sao Paulo ...
"4. .Against which 'persons and insti tutions,' does the Bishop of Lorscheiter
remain silent."
think that the work of Prof. Plinio Cor*
Finally,
*
Bishop
*
Ivo
Lorscheiler,
Secretary-General of the CN'BB, made some
references
to
the
book
on
a
radio program "Word of the Shepherd" broadcast from the city of Santa Maria. The prelate was saddened "to sec how radical groups of the left and the right demand of the Brazilian Episcopate that it speak of this or that or that it speak in this or that manner, although some manifestations and criticisms are always useful to us in our examination of con science. The way in which the TFP
(the Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property) is directing itself to those whom they call the 'silent bishops' is not Christian. They arc ex pecting of the bishops not only the
we may have in this matter. After all,
rea dc Oliveira expects the silent Bishops to make an 'unjust accusation'? Does His Lordship the Bishop of Santa Maria consider it 'unjust', for example, to ask
From top of this mountain in Rio de J^eiro, the enormous statue of Our Lord
seems to
recall
to Brazil His
Divine words: "Let your words be yes, yes and no, no".
says something contrary to doctrine before the eyes of the whole country, it is normal for the public to consider all of the other Bishops to be united to him as long as they do not publicly dis associate themselves from his error by word or by acts. Now Bishop Ivo Lorscheiter not only omits the fulfill ing of this obligation but he even con siders it 'unjust' for us to wonder at the silence of the 'silent Prelates.' Per
mit us to ask: 'Where is the injustice? In us? Or in His Lordship, the Bishop of Santa Maria?'
attitudes
"Finally, what good docs ii > make the 'nccci'.Tflr)i condemni. of Communism and omit any rc|nuiidtion of pronouncements such as those of Dom Casaldaliga or the flexible epis
taken in prose and verse by Msgr. Pedro
copal conference of Parana, both of
Casaldaliga, Bishop of Sao Felix de .Araguaia? or from the spirit of capitula
book
tion - in the face of an eventual Com
Oliveira?
that the silent Prelates disassociate them selves
from
the
subversive
munist victory which Regional South II of the CNBB (the conference of the Bishops of Parana) urges in advance for the whole Brazilian Kpiscopate? "Normally, all of the Bishops profess
which have been abundantly cited in the of
Professor
Plinio Correa de
"Here are many matters for dialogue.
"In I losing, we ask Bishop Lorscheiter to accept our invitation to dialogue. If he does so. all of Catholic Brazil \vill
pay allenlion. But if he does not accept'
the same doctrine. And for this reason,
it, his refusal will also have been made
the public has the right to consider them
in the sight of the whole of Catholic
to be united to one another in all that
Brazil...
they teach. Accordingly, if a Bishop
"It is the other side of the coin."
CRUSADE 15
tki
i4
&wiek By Gerald Campbell
The harsh reality recognized by Paul VI that "the smoke of Satan has entered
through a crack in the temple of God" (sermon of June 29, 1972) has become
increasingly obvious to the eyes of all. For some years now, we have watched
A standard is raised â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
radical, public, and active collaboration of the clergy with evil ... more measured
collaboration is also present
the acceleration of the process of the ANOTHER SUBVERSIVE
autodemolition of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church, as it
MEETING IS BROKEN UP
has proceeded in the theological, moral,
IN ECUADOR;CLERGY
and political fields.
ARE INVOLVED AGAIN
We have seen the so-called "liberation
theology" appear and acquire the status
According to a Reuters dispatch,
of citizenship in order to justify subver
security forces of the government of Ecuador on the night of November 27th arrested 31 persons, including several
sion and social revolution. The modernist
errors that were condemned by St. Pius X
are everywhere. The "new morality" has prepared the ground for the permis-
priests, at a meeting at a Roman Catholic
sivism of today. If evil has progressed so much, it is certainly thanks to the public and active collaboration of a goodly number of ecclesiastics, the discreet and wisely measured collaboration of a greater
form a new political movement. Official
number of them, and the comfortable
subversive meeting in Riobamba, Ecua
sources said the meeting, to set up a group called the National Democratic Union, was subversive and could not be
tolerated by the military government. This comes close on the heels of the
abstention of the majority. How then
dor in which 37 Prelates were arrested
could a journal such as this one, which
by the Ecuadorian Army and later ex
from the first moment of its inception
pelled from the country. Among were Archbishop Robert Sanche. ol
has been a paladin of forgotten or reject ed truths, pass over them in silence?
Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Bishops
As the readers of this section have
Patrick Flores, auxiliary of San Antonio,
come to realize, its principal objective is to call the attention of the faithful to
Texas, Juan Arzube, auxiliary of Los Angeles, and Gilbert Chavez, auxiliary
this most grave reality which was enun
of San Diego, California.
ciated by Paul VI: the autodemolition
of Holy Mother Church which is being carried out by the hands of Her own
sons, if we can still apply this term to these destroyers. It is, therefore, a ques
A GUERRILLA PRIEST
IS SHOT IN COLOMBIA
The regional army command in Medellin, Colombia has reported the
tion of considering the wounds of the
death of Fr. Aurentivo Rueda, a Francis
Mystical Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ and accompanying this true passion of the Church in our days with a spirit of
can priest who had joined the Commu nist guerrillas of the so-called "People's Liberation Army" at Taraza.
prayerful compunction. 16 CRUSADE
retreat house which had been called to
The death occurred during a shoot-
out between police and a group of Com
sentenced to 10 years in jail. In his de
munist
Fr.
fense, Bishop Lamont, while conceding
Rueda. When that priest was shot during
he was helping the terrorists, stated that
terrorists which included
archbishop, William Cousin of Milwaukee. His bride was also an old-time activist
in the so-called "protest movement."
the battle, his fellow Communist fled
"neither time nor numbers are on the
from the scene. Franciscan authorities in Colombia
side of those who rule today."
A ROBINHOOD PRIEST
had refused to condemn Fr. Rueda when
TALK BY ANGELA DAVIS
reported the imprisonment of Father
he joined the terrorist group. Asking for "understanding," they claimed that
IS SWITCHED FROM A CATH
Thirion, the Diocesan Inspector of
Fr. Rueda's "social work" among the
The newspapers of Belgium have
OLIC TO A METHODIST
Namur and Pastor of the Parish of St.
CHURCH IN LOUISVILLE
John of God. He carried out 14 assaults
poor had been hindered by the harass
in one year, amounting to 1.2 million
ment of the police who considered it to be subversive. Accordingly, these reli gious authorities took the point of view that "he was forced" to join the atheist
A talk, originally scheduled to be given at St. Benedict's parish in Louis
Belgian Francs.
ville, Kentucky, was cancelled by Arch
bishop Thomas J. McDonough of Louis
assaults had a charitable purpose, af firming: "I have not caused a great loss,
gang.
ville. As a result of the cancellation, the
for I only robbed people who were well
The "People's Liberation Army" of Colombia is a quixotic armed group of Maoist guerrillas, which was founded in
talk by the Communist terrorist and ex-convict Angela Davis was moved to
off."
1967 by Francisco Carvalho. Last August,
Broadway.
it suffered severe losses, 35 of its mili
after, Pedro Leon Arboleda, another
The terrorist leader spoke in behalf of Ben Chavez and the "Wilmington (N.C.) 10," all appealing convictions for firebombing.
terrorist belonging to that group, was
The cancellation of the Davis talk
tants having been arrested at that time by the Army in Medellin. Shortly there
killed by police in Cali.
A ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
the United Methodist Church on West
in convents and monasteries; relativism in dogma IN THE MONASTERY
views on Communism.
from other Catholic institutions. He was
Egalitarian autodemolition: new calls for the ordination of women; desacralization
MAO AND T.V.
TERRORISTS IN RHODESIA
ism. The police had arrested him for providing the terrorists with medical and other supplies from his home and
Catholique, no. 125.
ville. Louis Ladusaw, the leader of the CONVICTED OF AIDING
Msgr. Donald Lamont, Roman Catho
— Bulletin Independent d'Infomiation
grew out of a storm of protest raised by 300 Concerned Catholics in Louis
group, submitted a questionnaire to Archbishop McDonough asking for his
lic Bishop of Umtali was convicted by a Rhodesian tribunal for left-wing terror
Father Thirion maintains that his
PRIEST-AGITATOR MARRIES
The ultra-revolutionary formerpriest, James Groppi, married a Catholic girl — Margaret Rozga — in Las Vegas,
Nevada, However, he said he has a good chance of not being punished by his
Four
monks
of
the
Benedictine
Abbey of Maredsu were interviewed in
French on Belgian T.V. Among other things, they said the following: "The members of the community have colored T.V. for their recreation; readings in the refectory from the mystics and the history of the Church have been replaced
by selections from Mao Tse-tung, Debray, and Peyrefitte.
ki Archbishop Robert Sanchez ofSanta Fe, New Mexico, in a singular "walk for vocations" not very much in keep ing with his position as a Bishop of the Holy Church. Archbishop Sanchez was recently expelled by the Govern ment ofEcuador along with 36 otherPrelatesfrom different countries who were meeting in the city of Riobamba. What vocations are prepared in this fashion? CRUSADE 17
there are various ways of approaching
Sacred Heart of Jesus) a hysterical
God. And the beauty of God is so great
neurotic?
that no religion can try to take it over.
No religion is the proprietor of God." The page which contains the cited text is adorned with two colored photo
graphs; one shows Bonzes praying in a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, and the other, Moslems prostrated in the direc tion of Mecca.
— Bulletin Independent d'Infonnation Catholique, no. 215.
Was St. Bernadette Soubirous, the
seer of Lourdes, a pathological case?
Was St.Teresa of Avila a mythomanic? These questions proposed "with all ease" by Father Mark Oraison reveal how Catholic priests and pretended experts not only placed sanctity in doubt but tried to cover the Saints with insults, sarcasm, and discredit.
Without providing any proof. Father Oraison affirmed that the apparitions
The liberal motif of the Revolution extends itself to the autodemolition of morals and the faith ... THE SMOKE OF SATAN
A PRIEST, AN OFFICIAL
IN THE CHURCH
CENSOR, DECLARES HE IS A HOMOSEXUAL ON T.V.
A convent of nuns was transformed
into a beauty institute in Bruges, Belgium.
Father Richard Ginder is the author
Mother Anna, the Superior changes her
of a book entitled Binding with Briars
habit for slacks when she works. In order
— Sex and Sin in the Catholic Church.
to up-date her occupational skills, she has participated in beauty courses in
He was formerly an associate editor of Our Sunday Visitor, and the author of the column "Right or wrong." He was a teacher for three years in St. Charles' College and St. Mary's Seminary in
Louvain, as well as others in Sweden,
Germany, and Paris, where she took a course by Jean Destree. — Chiesa Viva, July-August, 1976
A STUDY OF THE CANADIAN BISHOPS CALLS FOR THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN
A study commissioned by the Con ference of Bishops in Ontario recom mends that the Canadian prelates
petition the Vatican to grant women the faculties not only of reader and acolyte
Baltimore, and the official censor of
books in the diocese of Pittsburgh. Father Ginder advocates the approval of homosexuality. In a television inter view early in the year, he asserted; "Bishop Leonard of Pittsburgh declared that he would not prevent publication of the book." In another interview (WMAQ-TV), Father Ginder declared with a smile; "Well,I am a homosexual."
Father Ginder was imprisoned twice
but also of the diaconate.
for the corruption of minors "last July."
The Bishops say that qualified laywomen and women religious will be able to participate in the initial training and formation of priests and that there will
{The Herald of Freedom, 3/12/76).
be a reexamination of the possibility of
MENTALLY ILL
married priests in the Latin rite.
PRIESTS CALL THE SAINTS
staff of the children's magazine Okaipi. In the third lesson, one reads; "Yes,
(who received the revelations about the
A NEW CATECHISM PUBLISHED IN PARIS
A new catechism written by Father
Pierre Talec has been published by the Archbishop of Paris. The author worked with the writing
18 CRUSADE
deSao Paulo, 3/31/76).
How does subjectivism explain the fact that 70,000 persons saw the sun dance not only at Fatima but in all of the nearby regions? And,moreover, what about the thousands of miraculous cures
which are continuously worked at Lourdes, cures which have been recog nized and documented even by doctors who are atheists?
A THEOLOGIAN WANTS TO ELIMINATE THE EXORCISM
"It is necessary to stop believing in the devil," declared Harbert Haag, Professor of Catholic theology at the University ofTubingin in West Germany. The professor says that the Bishops
should no longer authorize the exorcism, thereby taking the first step in doing away with belief in the spirit of evil. (Journal do Brasil, Aug. 4, 1976). Who would benefit from the imple mentation of this recommendation by
Professor Haag? The demons will be happy to be freed from the exorcism, and to be able to act at will ovi
'■ -sc
who do not believe in them.
Priests and "experts" debated opin ions in Paris which not long ago would have greatly shocked a Catholic audience. In the debates of the Colloquium About Mystical Visions carried out by the Catholic Institute of the French capitol, the ecclesiastical and lay participants reached the absurd point of raising ques tions such as the following; Was St. Margaret Mary Alacocque
- The Tablet (5/20/76).
are "all false because they are subjective" (Alain Woodrow of Le Monde in Folha
Catholic Bishops who support the Communist tyrants enthusiastically, and who repress the Catholic people vigorously . . . "RED BISHOP" OF MEXICO PRAISES HAVANA
AND MOSCOW
In his trip to Havana, Archbishop
Sergio Mendez Arceo of Cuernavaca, Mexico could see "a very visible sign
of the successes of the well-being of the
Cuban people," and in Moscow, he saw an "orderly clean city which has no
the Communists, the Catholics and the atheists, Nguyen Van Binh, the Arch
Good News in the present historical situation of our people."
bishop of Saigon, has zealously mis
beggars." He calls Russia "the point of
placed the fullness of his Episcopal
support of many decolonizations and many liberationST but not a sufficient
support on the side of the Communist and atheistic invaders. In order to disarm
the hostility of the people toward the North Vietnamese, he has asked that
they give them their broadest collabora tion. To further this end, he has placed the Catholic schools and churches at
the disposition of the Communists who are using them to give courses in Marxist re-education.
The
seminarians
and
novices of the religious congregations
In an interview broadcast over French
television. Archbishop Van Binh declared; "It is my conviction that in a country marching toward socialism, Christians wishing to bear witness to the Gospel must know how to take on the values of
a skeptical â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if not a hostile â&#x20AC;&#x201D; world by adopting their ways of thinking and living, their "rites" one could say, in everything that does not contradict
the Evangelical message." According to the Archbishop of Sai
must contribute manual labor toward
gon, the objectives of the Vietnamese
the "reconstruction" of a socialist Viet
Communists "are not in contradiction
nam. In fact. Archbishop Van Binh ap
to the Evangelical spirit." He calls on all
pears in person several days each week during the collective work of solidarity promoted by the Communist authorities. The Bishop considers the anticommunist resistance and the persecu
Catholics to respect the Marxist authori
tion carried on by the Reds to be
quarter being waged by certain Latin
ties.
The docility of the Archbishop of
Saigon in relation to the regime of Hanoi is very different from the war without
"lamentable incidencesfrom the religioxts
American ecclesiastics against the govern
point of view," unfortunate occurrences
ments of the nations where they have
Bishop Mendez Arceo eulogizes
due "to the survival ofprejudices." And
their missions. In Vietnam,it is necessary
Havana and Moscow. He was also arrested in Ecuador.
says the Archbishop: "I wish that all of you would understand, my brothers,
to be docile and submit like a lamb; in
that our Church has decided not be a
arms and reform all structures urgently. How contradictory the "Gospel" of the progressive Bishops is.
sign of hope for every form of libera tion." (Publicacioncs del F.P.A.C.M. de
Church of Silence, but a missionary
church, a church which proclaims the
Latin America, it is necessary to take up
Divulgacion Historica, Orientacion y Propaganda, Mexico, D.F., Feb., 1976, pp. 15-16). THE ARCHBISHOP OF
SAIGON, FAITHFUL COLLABORATOR WITH COMMUNIST OPPRESSION
The implantation of the Communist regime in South Vietnam was received
with fear, apprehension, and suspicion by the part of the population who could not manage to flee. Nearly 10% of the Vietnamese people are Catholic. From among the ranks of these Catholics have come the most serious adversaries of the
Red regime. Nuclei of resistance have
formed in the mountain provinces of Kontum, Pleiku, Ban Me Tuoth, and
Tuyen Due. And now approximately 300,000 men are resisting in various parts of the country under the command
of former officers of the deposed govern ment of Saigon, There is no help coming to them from outside Vietnam.
In this fight between the resisters and the invaders, the anti-communists and
The Archbishop of Saigon conversing with Communist leaders, to whom he offered Catholic schools and churches for Marxist "re education".
CRUSADE 19
RUSSIAN BELLIGERENCY and the modem Chamberlains By Harold Wyn Newcastle
In the face of Communism, the West in 1977 finds
itself in a situation analogous to that of Europe in 1938. Before World War II, the German and Italian
totalitarian regimes already had the ambition to strengthen themselves by conquest. Germany, once it had annexed the territory of the Ruhr and of Austria, would move to take possession of the Sudetenland and the Polish corridor of Danzig (presently called Gdansk). After having been nourished by such advances, Hitler planned to fall on England and France and destroy them. To have authority over the whole coast of the Mediterranean would fulfill the
expansionist objective of Mussolini. In this way, Europe would finally fall subjugated to the Nazi-Facist designs. At Munich, Chamberlain and Daladier sacrificed
Czechoslovakia in return for Hitler's promise not to invade the German regions of Poland. In this way, they hoped to slake Naziism's thirst for new domin ions and to calm its aggressive belligerency. As Churchill said: "They had a choice between shame and war. They chose shame, and they had
Russian amphibious tanks on maneuver. The Warsaw Pact countries have 51,400 armored vehicles.
1. Nuclear Rockets
Against Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
May Also Strike the U.S.
war . . *
*
*
As in 1938, the free world is once again face to face with a totalitarian menace. This time it is Com munism.
After having already conquered countries upon various continents, Russia is now preparing to unleash the decisive blow against the powerful nations of the West. She is merely waiting for the moment when the new Chamberlains with their new Munichs will have
established the conditions for Soviet hegemony. From this point of view, isn't Kissinger a Cham berlain? Wasn't Helsinki a Munich? While the nations
of the West mark time, the Soviets are preparing a war effort without precedent. 20 CRUSADE
In fact, according to reports of our Arms C> -I and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), Russia is installing 600 medium range nuclear rockets along its Western frontiers. Her highly sophisticated SSX20 missiles are mobile and have multiple warheads. These weapons are equipped with an automatic pilot, and are capable of destroying any city in Western Europe. The Russians keep these missiles in the category of medium range (up to about 3000 miles) in order to tranquilize Americans who still remember the Vladi vostok accord signed by Ford and Brezhnev in 1974. As a matter of fact, these missiles can easily be trans formed into intercontinental missiles by the simple addition of a third stage. With this change, they would
be able to reach the United States or any other country.
This report of the ACDA caused apprehension in American and European military circles.
Pact nations, 60% are stationed in Europe, 16% in the Far East, and 24% in the Near East. Each of the
160 Russian divisions is supported by 300 tanks or armored cars.
Russian factories are producing MIG-25's at the rate of 6 to 8 units per month. This plane can fly at low altitudes or high ones (over 51,000 feet), and it can cross the whole territory of Germany in 7 minutes.
2. Passive Defense ...
and Active Employment
The Warsaw Pact nations have 11,500 combat air
of the Means of Domination
planes, of which 63% are in Europe, 21% in the Far East, and 16% in the Near East. For long-distance
Apparently, the Russians have been working con tinuously for years to create a system of passive antinuclear defense having incomparable efficiency and dimensions. This system of passive defense will serve as a complement to the recent broadening of the nuclear arsenal along their Western frontier which poses such danger to Europe and America. This system of passive defense consists in the construction of immense shelters, in the impeccable protection of the silos of nuclear rockets, and in the dispersal of their industrial potential. This system is designed to change the strategic picture of the world. Russia, once it achieved such a defense system, would be able to withstand an unexpected attack from the
West, and could launch a preemptive attack, confident that Western defenses would be impotent to contain it. In the meantime, the Russians seek to get the
United States to agree to renounce the use of nuclear weapons in a first strike . . . According to a French bulletin, the Russian factories produce between 800 and 900 armored cars or tanks every six weeks, a number equal to the total number of AMX30 tanks in the French Armed
Forces. Of the 51,400 tanks belonging to the Warsaw
missions, the Russians have the Backfire, which cor respond to the B-1, the most modern North Ameri
can bomber if it ever is allowed to come into pro duction.
But Russia does not limit itself merely to pro ducing the means of domination. It also puts this weaponry into action. For example, it is known that NATO needs the support of American and British troops in order to face any Soviet attack against continental Europe. To prevent this support from being given, Russia maintains a great fleet at the Naval base of Murmansk (to the east of Norway). According to NATO sources, this fleet has 200 submarines (90 of them atomic) and some 100 other naval units. By means of this contingent of vessels, Russia would try to prevent American forces from crossing the Atlantic, while Communist land forces devastated
the Western defenses of Europe. The Soviets, acting in violation of the Agreement of Montreux, have introduced the 40,000 ton aircraft
carrier Kiev into the Mediterranean by sending it through the Straits of Bosporus. And, moreover, the Soviet Navy is now claiming that it has the right to send any type of ship to the Mediterranean. 3. Resistance â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Useless
Or Indispensable
The problem of Communist belligerency is not new. How is it to be faced? Professor Plinio Correa de
Oliveira, writing with penetrating and balanced observation, had already stated tiic matter clearly in 1969:
"In the fonniciablc struj^j^le waged i)i our day -
w
g<\ Sovietpointing their rocket launchers. Whoare they aiming at? 63% of the combat planes of the Communist bloc are aimed at Western Europe.
CRUSADE 21
#-■0 777© aircraft
carrier "Kiev" — Russian intentions
go far beyond ■
V ^
*«-■
between Communism and the present order of things, the greater strength is not in the camp of the Reds. I do not believe in the military superiority, economic
superiority, or any other superiority of the Commu nist bloc over our own. Nor do I believe in the possi bility of any Communist Party of the West conquering the majority of public opinion by persuasion. J do believe in the gravity of the Communist danger. But this gravity arises from the discrepancy between, on the one hand, the softness and lack of foresight of countless anti-communists among the leadership and
simple defense.
nists in the military field (since their economic failure is obvious), was confirmed recently by the German magazine Der Spiegel (August 16, 1976). This maga zine presents studies of General Close, former profes sor of the NATO Defense College and presently com mander of the 16th Belgian Division in Germany. These studies lead to the conclusion that the forces of the Warsaw Pact could cross the Rhine and dominate
Europe in only 48 hours, not because of Communist military superiority but because of the lack of prepar
ation and vigilance of the West. In fact, although the
rank and file and, on the otherhand, the fanaticism,
Russians maintain numerical superiority, their arms
sagacity, and refined techniques of manipulating pub
are far below those of the West in quality. The problem of the Communist danger then passes to the field of psychological warfare.
lic opinion conducted by the authentic Communist minorities.
"I will never tire of insisting that public opinion is insensible to Communist propaganda. From Marx until our days, the Communists have seized power and maintained themselves in it only by force. They have never done so by persuasion. The more they
4.
The Real Wall of Anti-communist
Resistance — To Cut Off the
Way of the Chamberlains
extend their power, the more difficult it is for them
to retain their grasp over their growing number of victims. A colossus built up in this manner obviously has feet of clay. And the larger it becomes, the nearer it is to falling. For this very reason, I consider it to be a masterpiece of Communist propaganda to have managed to turn the attention of numerous anti-
communists away from this capital point in order to persuade them to accept another one, that anticommunist resistance has become useless in the face of Red power. The struggle against this gratuitous pessimism must be one of the most continuous dedi cations of those who react against Communism." ("Encouraging That Urgent Obligation" in Folha do Sao Paulo, Sept. 10, 1969). This thought of Professor Plinio Correa de Oliveira, that it is false to attribute superiority to the Commu 22 CRUSADE
There is a psychological action of propaganda which inculcates the fallacious notion that the ad
vance of the Reds is uncontainable. To let i • '^-'If
be overcome by this action is to open the w. -j capitulation and peaceful surrender to Communism. Always to give way before the Russians, thereby allowing them to take over new strategic positions in the West, is like trying to satisfy a leopard by giving him blood to drink . . .
In summation, then, the real wall of anti-commu
nist resistance is erected by creating a continuous
state of vigilance against the mentality which calls for a relaxation of tensions, retreats, gives in, and capitu lates in the face of the arrogant advances of the ad versary. This is the wall that can cut off the way of the modern Chamberlains and bring Russian belliger ency to a halt. . .
CHINESE COMMUNISM: THE MOST DESPOTIC APPLICATION OF MARXISM IN HISTORY caused 60 million deaths
Facts dispute media's attempt to varnish tyrant's image Mao Tse-tung has died. The Red Chinese dictator was responsible for establishing one of the most radi cally despotic regimes known to history. Although this is an uncontestable truth, it is one which has, in the
last few months, passed through a mysterious eclipse in many minds. Let us run our eyes over the history of Chinese Communism in order to refresh our memory. After having organized the first Marxist Circle in 1919, the late tyrant took a major step two years
later when he founded the Chinese Communist Party. Shortly thereafter, Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic, began negotiations with the Reds, which led to their being admitted into the National People's Party (Kuomintang). Sun Yat-sen died in 1925.
About this time, Chiang Kai-shek, commanderin-chief of the Chinese Army, was having trouble with the insubordination of the military chiefs of the northern and central parts of the country, those who were in revolt against the orientation of the Kuomin tang. Chiang Kai-shek committed the lamentable mis take of accepting the collaboration of the Communists. In 1927, however, Chiang broke his alliance with the Communist Party and began to persecute it. Then Mao tried to organize the Red Army, for a period of four years laying waste to the territory of China, tak ing cities by assault, carrying out slaughters, expropri ations, and subversive propaganda. In order to suffo cate a revolt by his own subordinates, he did not hesitate to order the execution of more than 2000 officers and soldiers.
THE SPECTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR
The Communists were unceasingly combated by the troops of Chiang Kai-shek, continuously losing ground. In 1934, the Nationalists almost decimated them. Gathering up the survivors of this defeat, Mao
Tse-tung began the so-called long march by which he attempted to put the Red Army back together again. The stratagem which Mao used at that time was
very clever. Perceiving the unpopularity of MarxismLeninism in his country, Mao suddenly became the standard bearer of a popular reaction against the Japanese who, in 1931, had invaded the country and occupied Manchuria. Thus he succeeded in capitalizing on the profound discontent of the Chinese people over this assault upon their territorial integrity. And
this brought benefit to the Communist cause, enabling Mao to form a strong army which would be premred to strike a future blow. Thus it was that whif
nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek struggled against the internal threat represented by the Communists, the Reds became the defender of the country and won the first great battle of psychological warfare,. In 1937, total war against the Japanese broke out. By 1938, the anti-communist Nationalists were dis concerted by the equivocal situation which had been
created. Pressed by clever efforts on the part of the Communists, the Nationalists committed the error of opening a second front in alliance with the Reds.
At the end of World War 11, Mao Tse-tung com manded a powerful army of one million men. This army controlled an area having a population of 100 million.
CRUSADE 23
MARSHALL FAVORS THE PLANS OF MAO
The policy of the United States at that time also favored the Communists. It did this by encouraging a
coalition government of the Communists and Nation alists, a coalition from which the Reds alone would
gain an advantage. Mao courted Washington with his eyes on the rich financial assistance which, in fact, did come to him under the pretext of aiding his com bat against the Japanese. In November 1945, General George Marshall
visited China as a special envoy of President Truman; it was his mission to get the anti-communists to accept a coalition government with the Communists. He per sisted on this course,even though he had good reasons for not doing so. For example, the following year, the Communists began a civil war aimed at the total con
quest of the country, making the intentions of Mao Tse-tung and his henchmen clear to the eyes of the whole world, with the exception of our Department of State which insisted on ignoring the reality until al most the very end. The conflict lasted for nearly two years and culminated in the victory of the Communist forces and the proclamation of the "People's Republic of China."
short time! The slight loosening of the reins of the regime was sufficient to cause a wave of discontent to emerge from the depths of the enslaved nation.
The ephemeral policy of the "100 flowers" was followed by the so-called "Great Leap Forward," which included religious persecution, the elimination of the counter-revolutionaries who had appeared during the period of the "100 flowers," and the radical destruction of family structures. During this phase, 18 million persons perished. Between
1958
and
1960, the Red Chinese
regime launched a campaign to obliterate the socalled "five black classes," namely, the land owners, the rich peasants, the reactionaries, the bandits, and the rightists. The result of this campaign was 6.7 million deaths.
The implantation of Communist reforms led China into misery, and 9.8 million persons died of hunger or of exhaustion in the forced labor camps. In 1966, Mao launched another great movement known as the "Cultural Revolution," sparked by the Red Guards; this contingent consisted of thousands of youths recruited to sweep China with another river of blood. More than 18.1 million Chinese lost their
lives in the urban slaughters and the dungeons.
THE POLITICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ANNIHILATION OF A PEOPLE
MASSIFICATION AND REGIMENTATION
At this point, the political and psychological an nihilation of a great people began to travel along its long trajectory. And in the first years of the 50's, Mao submerged his country in a blood bath. His land reform program was responsible for the slaughter of 5 million Chinese. By crushing the resistance of tlie people in this way, he was able to impose total collec tivization upon the rural areas and to create popular communes by which the Communists maintained a rigid and total control of the country. Thinking he had subjugated the non-conformists forever, Mao prepared a test: in 1955, he announced a mockery of liberalization known by the name of the "100 flowers policy." The illusion lasted a very
Through terror and despotism, Mao formed the psychologically submissive masses, obedient to the all-powerful Communist Party. State control, oppression, and fanaticism: these are Mao's legacy. Today, millions of Chinese families live promis cuously in simple rooms or tiny apartments, which are always scarce. The furnishings consist of a kind of box for their clothing, another one for their dishes,
General Marshall in Yenan. He is flanked here by Chou En-lai (left); Mao Is at die extreme right.
and a small table with four chairs. The kitchens and
bathrooms are almost always collective. On each floor, there is a committee of the
.i-
munist Party in charge of watching over the daily life of each citizen in all of its details, from his or her
work to his or her conjugal life. These committees are to be found in every building, every block, every neighborhood or city. Life is absurdly regimented. Throughout the country, the rationing of food is rigorous â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for example, each family has a "right" to about 11 pounds of meat per month. NOTM: The fij,aircs presented above were furnished by the Chinese specialists of the /\sian People's Anti-cominunist League. Lstimates commonly place the over-all number of persons killed at 60 million or more; see also the estimates from ÂŁ.^^ & Quest published in Crusade for a Christian Civili
; i
zation, July-October, 1976, page 45.
from the recent earthquakes that have shaken that country.
A wall of terror stronger than the ancient Chinese wall keeps 800 million persons enslaved and submitted to the fanatical cult of the Red Chinese tyrant, a cult imposed by one of the most brutal collective regimes known to history. *
*
*
How can one explain the disappearance of these shocking facts from the memory of our contempo raries? Haven't many organs of the press cried out against what they consider to be the violations of
"human rights" in Chile and Brazil? What about the "human rights" of the 800 million Chinese who have been plundered and brutally repressed by Mao? Why haven't these same organs of the press published on the occasion of Mao's death the painful facts reported in this article? They cannot doubt them, for they themselves published them years ago. How was it possible for President-elect Carter to
have spoken about "human rights" in Chile, even going so far as to suggest that he was prepared to use Old China built a wall of stones to protect itself from foreign invasions. Modern China built a bamboo wall. .. to prevent its own people from fleeing away. Strangely enough, this change
economic penalties against that anti-communist nation, without having any word of compassion for the 800 million Chinese who have been deprived of all their liberties by the Reds?
is called "social conquest"by some Western papers. AN INVISIBLE AND POWERFUL
TROJAN HORSE A WALL OF TERROR IMPOSES AN IDOLATROUS CULT OF MAO
The 800 million Chinese must offer a truly idola trous cult to the dead tyrant. In this respect, consider the song of the Red Guards who made the Cultural Revolution: "The thought of Mao is the sun of our hearts, the principal of our lives, and the source of all our strength." Little babies must learn to speak by babbling "Chairman Mao" instead of "Papa" and "Mama." Their first gestures must be to salute a
photo of the revolutionary chief which is invariably present in every house and in every room. The Communist agents teach that the book of "Mao's thoughts" has magical properties. It is sup posed to be efficacious in preventing catastrophes, such as earthquakes, famines, etc., and even in mak ing the cows produce more milk . . . In order to favor this despotic dominion, the re gime maintains a rigid control over information, there by making certain the only news reaching the people is that which suits the Communist Party. Until a short time ago, man's trip to the moon was unknown in China. And until now, the regime has not disclosed the number of deaths that occurred
In the public memory, there is a zone of shamed silence in which it is customary to bury certain histor ical personages sadly famous for the malefactions they have inflicted on humanity. They are seldom spoken of, and when they are recalled, it is with man ifestations of horror and execration. Among such per sons, the public mind includes Hitler, Stalin and many others, to speak only of contemporary history. The late chief of the Chinese Communist Party should enter that sad gallery. But we live in an epoch full of disastrous contradictions. For this reason, the \ ' has had to look on, surprised and perplexed, whh<. a propagandistic blizzard spread praises of the old tyrant to the four corners of the earth.
We also live in an era of psychological warfare. This manner of treating the events of China, with in difference toward the evils perpetrated, as though
everything there were normal and even praiseworthy, has great importance in the context of the immense
struggle of international Communism to conquer the West.
The great conquests today are not achieved by armed force but by influencing mentalities. Thus, Vietnam and Cambodia were delivered into the maw
of Communism by an insistent propagandizing for CRUSADE 25
passivism and the spirit of detente. And Portugal is slipping into the abyss by eclectic alliances of the so-called "third force" in the name of "moderation."
And, moreover, it is by means of the subtle and deceptive tactic of Euro-communism that Russia aims to conquer the whole of Europe. What happened in relation to the death of Mao Tse-tung? What is its effect on the present-day panorama of psychological warfare? *
*
*
As soon as the New China Agency enounced to the world that the author of yellow Communism had died, waves of sorrow from almost all the nations of the West were raised up to pay him honor. In the name of the people of the United States, President Ford declared: "President Mao was a gigantic figure in the modem history of China ... I hope that the tendency toward the improvement in relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States which President Mao helped to create, will continue to contribute to world stability and peace." The French Premier, Giscard d'Estaing af firmed: "A luminary of world thought has been ex tinguished." In Madrid, Chancellor Marcelino Oreja
Aguirre expressed himself as follows: "I can say that this was a personality of extraordinary importance, one most outstanding in our epoch." The official organ of the Vatican, L'Ossewatore Romano, although it regretted the violences done by Mao, alluded to the "social and economic conquests of China." And Vatican Radio, while mentioning
"negative aspects," affirmed: "If success were the only criteria by which to judge the significance of a man's life and his work, the "long march" would be one of the greatest epopees of history." Throughout the world, the great organs of the press have not been sparing in their eulogies of the late revolutionary chief, as quite clever propaganda has begun to introduce Mao Tse-tung into the gallery of the "great figures of humanity." It is as though by a stroke of a magic wand the
Entirely Alone ••. After eight laborious years and the expenditure
of billions of dollars, the Viking project achieved full success with the descent of two spaceships on Mars.
During the landings, the technicians took photographs and collected soil samples for analysis. A great atmosphere of hope and triu^nph pervaded the first moments of the work. But as the results were progressively released, this mood began to change . .. The Red Planet, as a matter offact, proved to be a disappointment to the scientists. The photos of Mars disclosed deserted inhospitable surfaces with rocks scattered everywhere in a rarefied and reddish atmosphere under extremely low temper atures. All attempts tofind any sign oflife in these photos, either fungal or algal, were in vain, as were the efforts to isolate microorganisms from the soil samples. All hopes of acquiring some proof of the theory of evolution were punctured, for the scientists did not find anything remotely resem bling the animals or monsters of other eras. And the little "green men" which "science fiction" has talked so much about, also did not appear. Even though the analysis of the iitformation provided by Viking I and II should continue for several months, one can say that the question of whether or not we have "neighbors" in our solar system has been sealed. Mercury is so near to the
memory of a shocking and recent past had been com
pletely covered over. Everything is taking place as if a sagacious and mysterious pickpocket — not of pocketbooks but of memories — had been able to produce unexpected and sudden collective amnesias. By this subtle maneuver, psychological warfare is stealthily inculcating condescension toward the figure of Mao. The intention is to create sympathy for Chinese Communism and for this most despotic historical application of Marxism. The memory of Mao thus enters history as a Trojan horse, a psychological warfare that is being ably manip ulated by the promoters of International Communism. 26 CRUSADE
Mars: only sand and stones . . .
sun that it is a ball offire, and the temperatures on Venus are also too high to permit the existence oflife. The otherplanets(Saturn,Jupiter,Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto), being at a great distance from the sun, have temperatures too low to sustain life. Contrary to the conjectures ofsome scientists and some adepts of science fiction, one may now affirm that we are alone in the solar system. Entirely alone. ..
Receiving Communion in the Hand
is Contrary to Tradition from "Catolicismo'
Mysteriiim Fidei, the bulletin of reli gious information edited in Brussels by
is in current use: "One
based his opinion on the custom which
receives in the mouth what one believes
the monks who lived in solitude, where
Alfredo Denoyelle, has published a study
byfaith"— "Hoc enim ore sumiter quod
there is no priest, had of keeping Com
on tradition in relation to the manner
fide creditur" (Serm. 91,3). Note that
munion in their house, which they would
in
Saint Leo the Great does not express
take
himself in the manner of one introduc
passage, St. Basil considered Communion
ing a novelty, but rather as one record
in the hand to be so irregular that he
ing a common fact ordinary in the
did not hesitate to consider it "a grave fault," when there were no exceptional circumstances to justify it. Leclerq (Die-
which
the faithful receive Holy
Communion.
As is well known, the innovators,
who want to impose the new way of receiving Communion by which the
that which
habitual use of the Church.
with
their own
hands. In
this
faithful receive the Sacred Particle in
A similar usage is confirmed by the
their hand, do so by appealing to tradi tion. They affirm that in the first ten centuries of the Church people received Communion like that. And they cite,
testimony and example of St. Gregory
tionnaire d'Archeologie Chretienne, verb
the Great, Pope (590-604). He tells us
"Communion")
in his dialogues (Roman 3, c. 3) how
peace conceded to the Church by Con
Pope St. Agapito performed a miracle
stantino was bringing the use of Com
above all, Mystagogical Catecbesis V
during the Mass after having introduced
munion in the hand to an end, thus
the Body of Our Lord into the mouth of a person. And John, the Deacon, in the life of the same holy Pope assures us
confirming the affirmation of St. Basil chat the persecutions created the alter
ofSt. Cyril ofJertisalem (313-386).
Mysterium Fidei clears up this mis take through the perspective provided by
various documents which show
that it was usual, even in antiquity, for
that he distributed Communion to the
the faithful to receive the consecrated
These are testimonies of the fifth and sixth centuries. How can one affirm that
an analysis of the text of Saint Cyril
Communion in the hand was the official
which
the
innovators
adduce as a proof that tradition is favor
of the consecrated Particle. Therefore, "Communion in the hand" is a com
munion which the faithful gives to him self, thus dispensing with the role of the priest as a minister, in the strict sense of this great Sacrament. THE TRADITIONAL USAGE
The custom of receiving the sacred Particle on the tongue is attested to by Saint Leo 1, Pope (440-461), for in commenting on the words of Our Lord,
related in Chapter 6 of St. John's gos pel, V. 54, St. Leo the Great speaks of receiving Communion in the rriouth as
the
native of either not communicating or communicating witli one's own hand. ABUSES The survival of this habit in some
manner for the faithful to receive Com
munion until the tenth century?
able to Communion in the hand.
Let it be said in passing that this expression is inadequate because Com munion takes place at the swallowing
that
faithful in this manner.
Particle on their tongue and through of Jerusalem
declares
THE EXCEPTION
places was considered to be an abuse,
which was in disharmony with the
custom of the Apostles. This is proved by the measures taken in various regions to put an end to it. Thus the Council of
munion in the hand was permitted only
Rouen,which met in 650, says: "I' ' put the Eucharist in the hands Oj
by exception, when because of a grave
layman or laywoman but only in their
in fact, in the first centuries, Com
reason the faithful faced the alternative
mouths." A like measure was taken at
of not receiving Communion or receiv
the Council of Constantinople (695), which was known as in trullo-, it prohib
ing by themselves. St. Basil (330-379) says clearly that communicating with one's own hand is permitted only in times of persecution, or — as happened
ited the faithful from giving Corhmunion to themselves (which is what takes place when the Sacred Particle is put in the
with the monks in the desert — when no
hands of the communicant), and it
priest or deacon was there to administer
punishes with excommunication for a
it: "It is not necessary to show that it
week, those who do so when a bishop, a priest, or a deacon is present.
does not constitute a grave fault for a person to communicate with his own hand in a time of persecution when there is no priest or deacon" (Letter 93, the emphasis is ours). And the Saint
Already in the third century, St. Eutiquianus, Pope (275-283), severely warned the priests, exhorting them themselves to take the Communion to
CRUSADE 27
the sick and not to entrust this obliga
tion to a layman or a woman: "Nullus
praesumat tradere communionem laico vel feminae ad deferendum infirmo" (P.L.V., col. 163-168).
from the beginning the Arians who obstinately denied the Divinity of Our
attribute it to St.Cyril and to his suc
Lord Jesus Christ and who could not see in the Sacred Eucharist any more
an accomodation made by the Patriarch John, the successor of St. Cyril in Jeru
cessor. Accordingly, one may think of
than a simple symbol of union, which
salem.
can be taken and handled at will."
Now,according to the correspondence of St. Epiphanius, St.Jerome, and St.
tration of the Body of Christ belongs to
CATECHESIS V OF
the priest for three reasons ... In the third place, because of the respect that
SAINT CYRIL
Augustine, that Patriarch, John, is of suspect orthodoxy. Mysterium Fidei
Saint Thomas Aquinas (S.T. 3a. 82,
a.3) gives us the reason: "The adminis
is due to this Sacrament, it is not touched
by anything that is not consecrated. That is the reason that the Corporal and the Chalice are consecrated. And likewise
the hands of the priest are consecrated in order to touch this Sacrament. Ac
cordingly, no other person has a right to touch it except in the case of necessity, for example, if the Sacrament falls on the ground or in a similar necessity." The Council of Trent declared that
the custom of only the priest giving Communion to himself with his own
hands is an Apostolic Tradition (s. 13, c. 8).
calls him a crypto Arian. And it is in this context that we
must pl^cc Mystagogical Catechests V of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem when consider ing the testimony from it to which the progressives appeal in order to impose the habit of communicating in the hand as being more apostolic. D. Henri Leclerq (Diet, cited above) sums the matter up as follows: "Saint Cyril of Jerusalem recom mended to the faithfid that on present
Once the Mystagogical Catecheses of St.Cyril has been placed in this histori
in which the Body of Christ was depos ited in the hand, the communicant would
the following norm for the communi of receiving Holy Communion, it is necessary to be kneeling, to have the head slightly raised, the eyes modestly turned toward the Sacred Host, the
mouth sufficiently open and the tongue a little bit out of the mouth, resting on the lower lip. .. It is necessary to have
a towel or a patent which can receive the Sacred Host if it should happen to fall ... If the Sacred Host sticks to the
palate, it is necessary to loosen it with the tongue and never with the finger."
with errors due to their author, a semi-
arian Syrian. One must say the same about the Apostolic Canons, which are the last part of the Constitutions. For
by the left hand and with the palm a
OF ST. PIUS X
cation of the faithful: "In the moment
the Apostolic Constitutions are infiltrated
this reason, they were rejected by the Council of Rome of 494 under Pope St.
THE CATECHISM
tion, the Catechism of St.Pius X gives
have much in common with the Apos tolic Constitutions. Now it happens that
ing themselves to receive Communion, they should have the right hand extended, with their fingers together, supported little bit concave-, and at the moment
Summing up this immemorial tradi
3. Migne, the editor of the Mystagogical Catechesis of St. Cyril, warns in the preface that, from the liturgical viewpoint, the Mystagogical Catecheses
say: Amen." What is to be said of this text?
1. Considered in context, it becomes
suspect. For it speaks of a strange cus tom entirely alien to the highest venera tion which the faithful have always had for the Most Blessed Sacrament of the
Eucharist. In fact, the Catechesis says that one must touch one's eyes to the Sacred Host: "Sanctify thine eyes with contact by the Holy Body," and after wards with the fingers wet in the Most Holy Blood, pass them over one's eyes, on one's forehead, and on one's other
senses to sanctify them: "When thy
lips are still wet (after receiving the
Gelasius 1 (492-496).
cal context, one sees that they cannot, by themselves, be proposed as an authen tic testimony of the traditional usages of the Church. In the case of Communion
in the hand, they contradict the usage attested to by authors about whom there is no suspicion. CONCLUSION The observations above show how far
from historical truth are the progressives who pretend to justify Communion in the hand by that which supposedly was the common manner of communicating in the first centuries of Christianity. As was the case with the Ai
vho
dedicated themselves to intu ..ing liturgical rites that minimalized the Sacred and Divine character of the Holy Eucharist, so also today a darkening of
tation of the past centuries restricting
Sacred Blood), touch them with thy hand, and pass them over thine eyes, thy forehead, and thine other senses, to sanctify them." 2. In view of this unheard of liberty which is incompatible with the total veneration due to the Sacred Species,
Communion in the hand testifies that
those who are learned in these matters
such a manner of communicating had infiltrated itself in various places. Whence
text of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Some
the hand, in spite of the fact that the Holy See has affirmed that the tradition al manner of communicating indicates a greater reverence on the part of the
comes this abuse if it does not have an
(Scherman, Esans, Richard, Teifer) at
communicant in relation to the Holy
apostolic origin? Mysterium Ftdei observes: "The only ones to communicate always standing
tribute the text to St. Cyril's successor; others (Cross) think of a primitive text of St. Cyril which was retouched by his
tion required for the Body and Blood of Our Lord to be received with the greatest
and with their hands outstretched were
successor. And there are codices which
fruit, (cf. Memoriale Domini).
(P. IV, c. IV, no. 40). THE ORIGIN OF
THE ABUSE: ARIANISM Nevertheless, the conciliar documen
28 CRUSADE
think of an interpolation, at least in the
faith in the Real Presence is shown by those who joyfully adapt themselves to innovations such as Communion in
Eucharist and forms part of the prepara
A LETTER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
On December 7, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, The New York Times published a most offensive article entitled "Defecting from the Virgin Mary" by Marina Warner. On December 13, a letter of protest was sent by elements of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) to Mr. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the publisher. This serene and clearly reasoned letter analyzed the injurious article completely and asked that reparation be made by publication of the rebuttal in The New York Times with the same prominence that it had given to the offensive and blasphemous article. On December 20, The New York Times responded by publishing an assortment of letters from readers who had reacted to the Warner article .The letter of the American TFP was not published among the others, and Crusade wants to bring to the attention of the readers the entire text of the letter. It is as follows:
Dear Mr. Sulzberger:
Our attention was very much arrested by the insulting article by Marina Warner entitled "Defecting from the Virgin Mary" in The New York Times on the seventh of this month (p.41,first section), a piece of writing which cannot be accepted by the Cath olic readers of the paper.
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) is a civic entity of Catholic inspiration. Ordinarily, it would not be the responsibility of the TFP to make this protest, but rather that of the innumerable Catholic organi zations in this country. Since, however, they have not to our knowledge taken a stand on this matter, the people of the TFP in their simple capacity as Catholics, consider themselves obliged in a subsidiary way to take a position in defense of the Most Holy Virgin.
The article is, from the beginning to the end, a collection of lies, insults, and blasphemies aimed at the Catholic Church and the Most Holy Virgin. While saying that she was formerly a Catholic and devoted to the Virgin Mary,the author expounds blasphemous reflections about the Catholic Church and the Mother of God.
These blasphemous reflections, which are completely unfounded and lacking in respect for the Catholic religion, professed by 600 million people all over the world, are totally unacceptable to the Catholic readers of The New York Times. Let it be said in
passing that the Catholic religion is the largest religion in New York, not to mention its very greatsignificance in the country as a whole.
The article in question insults the sacred persons of a nun and a Bishop, a prince of the Catholic Church; it refers in a vulgar and disrespectful way to the relics of the Blessed Virgin, which are the object of the veneration of pious persons in the whole Catholic world, and tries to desecrate the idea of them.
In an attempt to deform the devotion to Our Lady, it gratuitously affirms that the Virgin was considered a goddess by the faithful at the time of the Counter-Reformation. This affirmation is a complete contradiction of the historical evidence and the veneration to the Mother of God always prescribed by the Catholic Church.
The article, which is unacceptable not only in the points cited above but as a whole, concludes that the Catholic Church is a "wheel" of torture personified by Our Lady. According to the authoress, the Church is a wheel of torture because it restrains the free manifestation of the instincts of man.
This conclusion, to which many persons never would have been exposed had it not been published by The New York Times, the authoress draws gratuitously from her Impressions on a train trip, where she noticed the reactions which her admitted'^' im pudent behavior caused in the Catholics present.
We emphatically protest the fact that this article â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unacceptable overall and in every way â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has been published by The New York Times, thus offending not only its Catholic readers but also against professional ethics in respect to which it should be a model.
Our protest becomes all the more vehement because this article was published on the eve of one of the most important dates celebrated by the Catholic Church, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the United States.
Certain that our protest expresses the sentiments of all the Catholic readers of The New York Times as well as of many non-
Catholic readers, we trust that the administration of the paper will make reparation for this grave fault and insult by publishing this letter, with the same emphasis and prominence given to the offensive article. Respect for the truth, the ethics of journalism, and the public demand this. Sincerely, Timm A. Reese,
President of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property
ftbi
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OF SILENCE IN CHILE
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Klll("Find out why Radio Moscow repeatedly attacked this book and defended the Bishops of Chile. Order from:
Lumen Mariae Publications P.O. Box 99455
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THE AGAINS
FENDS THE FAM AL DAY-CARE "
Tninrf " a
I
4
CRusabe (m» Chuistian Civilization
1
1
^ovqoikn truths
Editor: John Hart
Circulation Director: Philip Moran Foreign correspondents: Jules Ubbelohde (England), Guy de Riddcr (France), Jose Luis de Zayas (Spain), Luis Dufour (Italy), Michel Renaud (Canada), Aloisio Schelini (Brazil), Pedro Morazzani (Ven ezuela) Vol. 6
May-June, 1976
No. 3
ii
QUIS UT DEUS"
"The struggle that was once fought out in Heaven has flared up again on earth. Men no longer fight alone and in secret but openly and with combined forces. As before, the two parties are flying the same banners. One has a banner on which can be read the memorable
CONTENTS
n "Quis ut Deus," 1 I I Communism Is Intrinsically Wrong and No One May Collaborate with It in Any Undertaking Whatsoever, 1
D The Fatherlincss of St.Gregory VII, 2
O Velasquez and Picasso Compared, 3 □ The Miraculous Conversion of the Indians of Texas and New Mexico
by the Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda. By Thomas Bell, 4
inscription: "Quis ut Deus" ("Who is like God"). This is the party which, setting aside all earthly interests, fights for the Faith, for the Church, and for her sacred rights. The other has a banner upon which an insane pride has written: "1 will set my throne above the stars of Heaven, I will be equal to God." This is the party which is the sworn enemy of our religion. The struggle is the same; the end will be the same. As of old the pride of the rebels cast them headlong into Hell, so too those will succumb who now desire to put themselves in the place of God and to destroy His Kingdom on earth." — Pius IX, Let. Non Occulte Jam, Oct. 11, 1875
□ The Seventh North American SEFAC: Prepares Men for the Struggle Be tween the Two Standards. By John
COMMUNISM IS INTRINSICALLY WRONG
Hart, 6
n The Autodcmolition of the Church. By Gerald Campbell, 10
□ The American TFP Opens Campaign in Defense of the Family and Edu cation, 14
□ Who Are the Fathers of the Child and Family Services Act?, 16
□ An Open Letter to the Congressmen of America, 17
□ The TFP's Open Letter to the Bishops of Minnesota, 23
0 Book of Chilean TFP Has World-wide Repercussions.
By
Harold
Wyn
Newcastle, 25
1 I The Chilean TFP Sends Note to NC News Correcting the Untruths in Their Dispatch About the Chilean TFP and Its Book, 27
iZ] Note of the Permanent Committee of the Episcopate of Chile, 28
I I 32 Priests Declare the TFP Is Right, 29
AND NO ONE MAY COLLABORATE WITH IT IN ANY UNDERTAKING WHATSOEVER
"How is it possible that such a system, long since rejected scienti fically and now proved erroneous by experience, how is it, we ask, that such a system could spread so rapidly in all parts of the world? The explanation lies in the fact that two few have been able to grasp the nature of Communism. The majority instead succumb to its de ception, skillfully concealed by the most extravagant promises. . . "There is another explanation for the rapid diffusion of the Com
munistic ideas now seeping into every nation, great and smiill ad vanced and backward, so that no corner of the earth is free
i
them. This explanation is to be found in a propaganda so truly dia bolical that the world has perhaps never witnessed its like before. It is directed from one common center. It is shrewdly adapted to the varying conditions of diverse peoples. It has at its disposal great fi nancial resources, gigantic organizations, international congresses, and countless trained workers. It makes use of pamphlets and reviews, of the cinema, theater, and radio, of schools and even universities.
scription - $9.50. Application to mail
Little by little it penetrates into all of the classes of people and even reaches the better-minded groups of the community with the result that few are aware of the poison increasingly pervading their minds
at Second Class Postage is pending at
and hearts.
Crusade for a Christian Civilization P.O. Box 1281, New Rochelle, N. V.
10802 Issued bi-monthly. Annual sub New Rochelle, N. V. 10802.
"A third powerful factor in the diffusion of Communism is the
conspiracy of silence on the part of a large section of the non-Catholic (Continued on page 30) CRUSADE
1
The Fatherliness of
St. Gregory VII In the history of the Church, so rich with virtues and excellences, St. Gregory VII was undoubtedly the Pope par ex cellence. An indomitable fighter against
more worthy of praise for having merit ed a grace which, if it is joined to perse verance, will make you entirely like the
much more in the integrity of your virtues than in the integrity of your members, this sacerdotal character has
the schism of the West, he also waged a vigorous war against the outbreak and
"Although it is true that the integrity
not suffered any loss. Was not the Em peror Constantine seen to kiss respect
of your body no longer exists, the inter
fully the scar on the face of a Bishop, a
perpetuation of heresies, as he worked
ior man that is renewed daily has devel
scar made by having his eye torn out be
to suppress revolt in the Empire and contended against a usurping anti-pope.
oped in you with grandeur. "Exterior mutilations dishonor your face, but the image of God, the brilli
cause of his fidelity to the name of Christ? And does not the example of the Fathers in the ancient scriptures show us that martyrs must be kept in the exercise of their sacred ministry,
He is, moreover, remembered with grati tude as the Pope who originated the
idea of the Crusades which were fought to free the Holy Sepulcher of Our Lord. Truly a giant in defense of the
Saints.
ance of justice, makes itself more beau tiful in you by your wound, and more attractive by the deformation impressed on your arms. Does the Church not say
even after having suffered mutilations in their members?
"Therefore, 0 Martyr of Christ, be
Church, he was, nevertheless, not one to
of herself in the Canticle of Canticles:
neglect the humble. In the midst of his own courageous and humble combats, he found time to consider the plight of
'I am black but beautiful, O ye daugh
full of confidence in the Lord. Look
ters of Jerusalem'? Therefore, your in terior beauty has not been diminished by these cruel mutilations, Your priestly character, which is holy, which is seen
upon yourself as having taken one more step in the priesthood. It was conferred
a wounded man who had suffered for
the cause of the Church, surrounding
upon you with holy oils; today it is
scaled with your own blood.
him with an admiration and tenderness
which he was unable to give to chiefs
"If you have lost very much, it is
whose fidelity was due merely to the attraction of glory.
necessary for you to preach very much
of chat which is good and to sow that
Consider in this respect a letter that he wrote to a poor Milanese priest
word which produces a hundredfold.
whom the simoniacs had mutilated in a
Holy Church are your enemies and your
"We know that the enemies of the
barbarous way:
persecutors. Neither fear them nor trem
"If we venerate the memory of the Saints who were put to death after be ing dismembered by the sword, if we celebrate the sufferings of those who
ble before them, because we guard your person and all that refers to you with
love, under our tutelage and that of the Apostolic Sec. If it becomes neces
sary for you to resort to us, we accept right now your appeal, disposed to re
could not be separated from their faith in Christ by either sword or sufferings, then you who for the sake of His Holy Name
have
suffered
the
dismember
ment of your nose and ear, you are yet 2
CRUSADE
ceive you with joy and great honor as Made more beautiful
soon as you come before us and before
by your wound.
this Holy See."
The fatnous painting by Velasquez â&#x20AC;&#x201D; "The Little Girls" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is taken and rightly so as one of the great works of pictorial art.
^1*
The childish and candid grace of"la Infanta,"
the most dignified and respectful kindness of the young noble women who serve her, the proud and noble bearing of the Knight of Santiago, which can be seen on the leftside
of the picture, the self-portrait of the painter himself, the gravity of the other knight in the background, etc., taken as a whole are expressive of an ambience that is recol
lected, elevated, and profoundly civilized. An attentive and prolonged consideration of this masterpiece of Spanish art goes beyond a pleasing of the artistic sensibility to invite one to a highly formative appreciation of the human personality.
0 IF SOMEONE WERE TO SUFFER
A SUDDEN DISTURBANCE
OF HIS EYES, HIS NERVES OR HIS MIND ...
If such a thing were to happen, then of course the harmonies of the picture by Velasquez would go to pieces before him. At the extreme point of this disturbance, he could possibly reach the state expressed in the other photo on this page. The contrary could never occur. If someone were simply to study the second
photo, and begin to suffer problems with his sight, nerves, and mind, he would never reach the point of seeing "The Little Girls" of Velasquez. This is so evident that it does not require demonstration. The fact is that the first picture is the product
f i
of order, of talent, of culture, of civilization. It shows in its
imponderables a profoundly Christian mark. The second is the fruit of disorder, of extravagance, of im balance, and of intemperance. It can only proceed from a soul full of disorderly passions or under the influence of an illness. . . The second picture.reproduces Picasso's copy of the im
n
mortal work of Velasquez ... No comment.. . CRUSADE
3
American
The Miraculous Conversion of
History
the Indians of Texas and
New Mexico by the Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda
By Thomas Bell
small Villa de Agreda in Castile. On
in the present state of Texas. They
January 13, 1619, she entered the Con
roamed as far west as New Mexico and as far east as the Pecos and the Staked Plains of West Texas. One branch had
vent of the Immaculate Conception of which she later became the abbess.
On one occasion, she was praying for the welfare of the souls of the Indi ans of Texas and New Mexico. While
The seeders who came to America,
because they were Christians, brought with them many of the riches of Chris tian Civilization — the devotion to Our
Lord, His laws, and styles of living,
thus in prayer, according to one ac count, "the Lord took her. . . without
her being aware of the means, and it seemed to her that she found herself in
moved to the great plains of west central Texas along the upper waters of the Red River and the Colorado. While living near a stream, called by the Spaniards Noeces or Nueces, they were visited by Maria de Agreda. This river has been definitely identified with the present
a different place and clime, among a
middle Concho in Texas. In this region,
people whose nature and disposition
these Indians were miraculously instruc ted in the Faith by Maria de Agreda,
dwellings, furnishings, and art having
had been made known to her in an
their roots in the Medieval world. In advance of the colonizers were the
abstract manner. They were Indians,
who commanded them in 1629 to con
and it seemed to her that she saw them
tact missionaries to baptize them.
with her material senses and felt the difference of the clime of the land. While in this condition the Lord com
THE MISSIONARIES
missionaries who were enjoined to claim the new world for the Church, convert
the pagans, and begin the implanta tion of the Christian Civilization. By re tracing the steps of the missionaries, we
may discover the action of grace in the souls of men shaping our history and
heritage. We may thereby begin to get the sense of those points at which natur
manded her to speak and, preaching to them of her faith, it seemed to her that
brought with him thirty missionaries
understood her as if she were speaking
civilization in the new province. At the
in theirs; and that though the Indians
spoke in their own tongue, she under
edge and appreciation of the great super
preached to them with marvelous unc
tory.
Consider, for example, the Indian nations of Southwestern United States. When -Our Lord commanded that His
Church go forth and teach all nations, did he not also have in mind these Indian nations?
We have documented proof from the
archives of history of the work of the missionaries among these Indians, and more than that, of miraculous visits to
these same Indians by a nun from a con vent in far away Spain, prior to their
baptism by the missionaries,
pointed Custodio of New Mexico. He
she was actually doing it in her own lan guage, Spanish, and that the Indians
al events are elevated to the supernatur al level, and thus acquire some knowl natural events that have shaped our his
A year earlier — in 1628 — Father
Fray Estevan de Perea had been ap
stood
them
with
all
to extend the work of conversion and
Monastery of San Antonio in old Isleta,
he established his headquarters.^
clearness. She
tion and instructed them in our religion. After the ecstasy was over, she found herself in the same place where she had been when she first lost her conscious ness."
THE WOMAN IN BLUE
According to Vetancourt,^ ab>
ly
Jumanos arrived at the Monastci) of San Antonio on July 22, 1629 "to ask for missionaries to instruct them in the
From 1621 to 1631 she is said to
law of the Gospel." This was not the
have made as many as five hundred
first time they had solicited religious for
visits to these Indians. This miracle of bilocation is more remarkable and lasted
their nation, but this was the largest delegation ever to come for this purpose.
a longer time than any recorded in the
Impressed by their mission, the new
lives of the saints.
Custodio
asked
what had
motivated
them to take this step. They replied that THE JUMANO INDIANS The Indians visited by the Venerable
a woman wearing a habit had ordered
them to go in quest of missionaries, The
padres showed the Indians a picture of
Mother Maria de Agreda, known as the Jumanos, lived in the vicinity of Presidio
THE PRAYERS OF MOTHER
'Ay tr. Memorial, p. 202.
MARIA DE AGREDA
^ Vetancourt, Chronica de la ProvinThe
Venerable
Mother
Maria
de
Jesus was born on April 2, 1602 in the 4
CRUSADE
' Mange, Luz de Tierra Incognita pp. 192 - 19.3.
cia del Santo Evangelio. (1697 edition), p. 96.
M'}
â&#x20AC;˘.v.*
Ikui
B
m
$
ip
i
Venerable Maria de Agreda. Mother Luisa de Carrion, a sister in
Mexico who was famous for her piety, and asked if their visitor resembled her.
They all agreed that their visitor wore a
I :11
similar habit, but was younger and more beautiful. They declared that she taught each one of the nations in its own lan
guage, commanded them to go in search
I'i h
of missionaries to preach to them and baptize them, and urged them not to be indifferent but to carry out her com mand.
Father Massanet" reports how more than a century later the memory of the
saintly visitor lingered sweedy in the
m\
mind of the chief of the Tejas Indians
who told FatherMassanet thathispeople also had seen the Lady in Blue. IMPORTANT VERIFICATIONS
By a sweet design of Providence, the Archbishop of Mexico, D. Francisco
Manso y Zuniga, had ordered, on May 18, 1628, the Custodio of New Mexico
JLa\/^'/^;yPfarr'a dejejus cleA^^refia.Prfdiax7uLix,.s 4 Jos Cnicl\i)^ecos del
^
and his missionaries to try to ascertain if a knowledge of the Faith existed among
the Indians living to the east, and "in what manner and by what means" Our Lord had made it manifest. This order
The Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda preaching to the Indians. From a se\ teenth century woodcut.
was prompted by a report made to the Archbishop of the miraculous visitations
In 1630, Father Fray Alonso de
to the Jumano Indians by Mother Maria
Benavides, former Custodio of New
handsome of face, very fair in color, with a rosy tinge and large black eyes.
de Jesus de Agreda, according to her
Mexico, traveled to Spain for further
The style of her habit, as well as that of
own
twenty-nine in all, is the same as ours;
told their story to the Custodio, he was
investigations. Having told his story, he was instructed to go to the little town of Agreda on the border of Aragon and
very much interested.ÂŽ
Castile, where Mother Maria de Jesus
coarse, worn next to the body without
confession
to
Father Sebastian
Marcilla. Therefore, when the Indians
Massanet, Carta, translated by Lilia M. Casis in The Quarterly II, p. 311.
all the nuns of that convent, who are
that is of brown (pardo) sackcloth, very
had declared she had visited the Indians
a tunic, undershirt, or skirt. Over this
of New Mexico eight years ago. Father
brown habit is worn a white one of
Fray Benavides states:
"1 arrived in
coarse sackcloth with a scapulary of the same [material] and the cord of our
^"Relacion de la Santa Madre Maria
Agreda on the last day of April 1631, and before saying anything else, 1 will
de Jesus," in Documentos para la Histor-
declare that the said Mother Maria de
Father Saint Francis. Over the scapulary they carry the rosary. They wear no
ia de Mexico, p. 55; Mange,Luz de Tier-
Jesus, Abbess now of the Convent of
shoes or sandals other than boards tied
ra Incognita, pp. 196-197; Hackett, Pichardo, II, pp. 468-469.
the Immaculate Conception, is about twenty-nine years of age, not quite that.
(.Continued on page 30) CRUSADE
5
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m
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aVv?^^v
Xr. . »■
.' id-^
. ' ■'•-41»V
r'--^'H^<r L'j' v'^tR'V-
iliA
." '-t•;:-4.fi>';,.iSEV.'-r.r^.-''->.;-
'imm
THE SEVENTH NORTH
AMERICAN SEFAC: Outside of Shamokin, Pennsylvania there is a stretch of countryside, cultivated, with the grounds separated by long quiet roads. In the midst of this area there is a peaceful valley near a tranquil lake, from which point one may stand and contemplate the mountains in the distance until the eye finds the highest peak. It was here in this valley that a farmstead under the protection of St. Michael, the Arch angel, and in the presence of an American flag flying, became during the weekend of May 2931, the place where a number of idealistic young Americans, considering the standard of good and the standard of evil in perpetual war against each other, came to place themselves under the standard of good, the standard of Christendom, and to prepare themselves ideo logically for the struggle against Communism. The event was the Seventh North Ameri
can SEFAC (Specialized Education and For mation
in
theme:
"America:
Anti-Communism).
Under
Christendom's
Past
the Is
Waiting for Your Christian Heroism," some seventy young men from all over North Amer 6
CRUSADE
ica, including sizable contingents from Canada, California, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Alabama,
Massachusetts, and New Hampshire united themselves serenely and enthusiastically under the patronage of Our Lady of Fatima to take stock of the age, the day, the state of the Holy Church and the dreadful advance of Communism throughout the world. The first day of the SEFAC began with Holy Mass according to the Ancien c of St. John Chrysostom in a nearby UKi.anian Uniate Catliolic Church. After breakfast in
the Medieval Hall, the participants attended a lecture illustrated by slides and films, called "The Middle Ages, the Sweet Springtime of the Faith."
A film on St. Louis the King depicted the ideal Christian leader presiding over a nation in which the social classes were in harmony, and the poorest classes enjoyed a prosperity, security, and privilege greater than they have possessed before or since. The film showed the courage, wisdom, and high principles of St. Louis, the splendor of his justice and charity, during this marvelous and substantial
'Jl.
Prepares Men f
th
Between the T
Sta
age when all classes were rich in the goods of the spirit, protected by a sweet regard for tra dition, family, and property according to Divine and natural law. Also shown were the
great cathedrals of France, built with devo tion to last through the ages and to signify eternity; the music of the organ and the Gregorian chant assisted the audience to grasp the charm and splendor of that time when
"the spirit of the gospel ruled the nations." The program was followed by a study circle in which the Principles of a Christian Society were discussed and meditated upon in the open air in an atmosphere most blessed. In the afternoon, the thoughts of all were turned to a consideration of "the revolution
ary world in the bitter twilight of civilization." Two major conferences provided an overview of the historical background of the contempo rary crisis. Then, as an interlude, and as a reminder of the reality of the struggle between the two standards, the participants watched a lively demonstration of self-defense through karate. Next, the seriousness of the fight was brought home to all through a cleverly acted skit, which showed the depth of the malice of
After breakfast in the Medieval Hall, slides and films about t
Ages, "the Sweet Springtime of the Faith."
claiming the certain defeat of the Revolution and Âąe triumph of the Immaculate Heart, in accord with the promise of Fatima. *
*
*
In spite of an interlude of uncertain weather and perhaps even in response to it, the good will of the participants continued unfailingly, and their seriousness grew as though under the sweet influence of Our Lady's grace. As is desirable when persons of good will come together, the first encounters and meet The spirit of vigilance.
ings were marked by a certain jovial and in formal good spirit. While these bonds of warmth and friendship remained strong, there were soon moments, especially in the study circles, when all were enveloped in profundity. While one spoke, the others listened intently to the perceptions of the speaker,each listener receiving his own unique impressions, which taken together formed an indivisible whole. Then another would speak, while the others listened, without interrupting. And so forth, in this way, each person was enriched by the special and unique moments of grace of the other souls, and it seemed indeed that some
rr #
of the past glory of Christendom shone in the study circles, united as they were by their common acceptance of the Principles of a Christian Society and the action of God's grace.
While one spoke, the others listened intently.
those who serve under the standard of Satan. The skit was called: "How Neo-Communism
Was Planned." It showed how plans were laid to unleash a universal sexual aggression to weaken the will to work, to think, and to
fight as a means of undermining (in collabora tion with a universal campaign in the media, the universities, and political circles to defame the proprietor) the foundations of property and to prepare the peoples of the West to ac cept with complete boobishness a smiling Neo-Communism.
After dinner in the Medieval Hall, graced
by the singing of the TFP choir, everyone at tended a TFP play "Athalie," which showed, in historical scenes, the continual struggle between the two standards, between good and evil, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, pro 8 CRUSADE
U'.'-if
a. .
<
â&#x2013;
Everyone noticed how serenely, steadily, and markedly, the participants as a whole be came more serious as was appropriate to the
iiai
-f]
great gravity of the hour. This was especially noticeable on the second day, and found ex pression in the beautiful architectonic forma tions of the militants in their red capes, ar ranged around, as the hierarchical point, their great red standard bearing the rampant golden lion, itself an anti-egalitarian and counter revolutionary symbol of hierarchy. One of the speakers explained that in all nature there is hierarchy, and in every class there is hierarchy. Thus, among keyboard in struments, we have the piano, the harpsichord, and the organ in ascending scale, but the music of the organ is the most like the voice
mi
A scene from the play "Athalie.'
of God.
And in all of this too, the lighter moments have their place, and are indispensable. This was illustrated by an interlude when everyone came together to hear the music of the bag piper, an occasion full of zest and charm. Sim ilarly, the medieval dinner provided marvelousness of setting, good food, and a companion ship among souls such as is seldom seen in these days.
The high point and culmination of the SEFAC was a talk on the two standards. One
standard is that of the world, the flesh, and
the devil. The other is the standard of Jesus Christ. All were invited to make His standard
their own, and to join that Lion, the Lion of Judah, in the fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil, the struggle that enobles every soul and makes it like that of the Divine Mas-
There is no third way, but only the two standards, between which each man must choose.
ili In a spirit of deep commitment, the SEFAC concluded with all of the participants intoning in Latin, the Salve Regina.
Afterwards, some of the participants visited the central headquarters of the Ameri can TFP in New Rochelle, New York, where
they stayed for several days. During this stay, the tone of the SEFAC was preserved and enriched by the viewing of audiovisuals on the campaigns of the TFP and through long and serious conversations.
These sessions were followed by a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of the Cloisters in New York. There, in the magnificent Spanish
Medieval Chapel, the militants sang a Salve Regina and other Medieval pieces. The other visitors were greatly charmed by the perform ance. The transformation of their counte
nances showed once again the attraction of the souls of all peoples for the"Lumen Christi" which shines forth from the Christian CivilizaIntoning in Latin: the Salve Regina. CRUSADE
9
^Jke
el
&utMk By Gerald Campbell
EQUALITARIAN AUTODEMOLITION
conceding that the ordination of women to the priesthood is canonically invalid,
PRIESTS LEAP ABOUT ON FIELD AT PENTACOSTALIST EXCITATION AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
While the American TFP was holding its Seventh North American SEFAC in
Pennsylvania, the so-called "Catholic" charismatics met at the University of Notre Dame (May 28-30).
According to press repons, there was a concelebrated Mass, after which a
number of priests jumped on the stadi um field and leapt about, gesticulating. Meanwhile, the notorious progressive Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens continues his work to bring about an international expansion of the movement. The Cardi
sion of the principles which are now
"becoming operative." Father Coridon is academic dean of the Washington
Theological Coalition in Silver Springs, Md. {Our Sunday Visitor, March 28, 1976). MONSIGNOR BELIEVES LAY PEOPLE "ARE THE CHURCH
AS MUCH AS I AM"
Monsignor William Stapleton, pastor of St. Columbkille's, believes the whole
nal said that several leaders of the move
sale defection of priests was a signal
from on high: "I think its God's way of
Europe. iOur Sunday Visitor, April 14, 1976).
BY THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH A
nun
from
Pasadena
saying 'Hey, the priests are not the only
ones in my church, and I can make use of the laity as well.' Lay people are the church as much as 1 am."
Laymen — and women — are distri buting the Eucharist in increasing num bers, an innovation, about which ' ft
EX-NUN SEEKS ORDINATION
California
has broken with the Society of the Holy
Drummond, a lay minister whi
cs
this at St. Ambrose in Dorchester, Mas
Child of Jesus and joined the Episcopal
sachusetts, has this to say: "I see them
Church in order to seek ordination to
crossing over the aisles to avoid getting
the priesthood. Sister Alice Dale Callaghan was received into the Episcopal Church by Bishop R.C. Rusack of Los The ordination
Communion from me. I can understand
that. To have a priest drum into you for
40 years that only he can give the Com munion Host and then to see stupid
Angeles. of women
to the
priesthood is not officially authorized by the Episcopal Church, but some 15
women have been "irregularly" or dained.{The Tablet, Brooklyn, March 25, 1976).
Meanwhile, Father James Coridon,
former professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America, while CRUSADE
women. He cites the ordination of wom
en in the Episcopal Church as an expres
ment in the U.S. would spend three years in Belgium, aimed at developing Pentecostalism there and in the rest of
10
finds other arguments in favor of it based on the law's "intrinsic injustice" to
Drummond up there — it cuts to the
very core of people's faith." {Time, May 24, 1976). ARCHBISHOP WEARS JEANS AND STROLLS WITH TEEN-AGERS
"Archbishop Robert Sanchez of Santa Fe, the first Hispanic — American archbishop in the U.S., strolls along the
The lay people gathered around the priest here appear to think they are conceiebrating with him the Holy Sacrifice. It [s the new style which the "prophetic groups" want for the new Church; no inequalities, no authorities, no alienations.
aimed at getting them to accept a pas toral care team approach for the sick
streets in jeans and a sweater with the teen-agers of his diocese. Bishop Charles Buswell of Pueblo, Colo., a feisty inno vator who parish-hops his diocese on
SACRAMENTAL AUTODEMOLITION
and elderly in institutions and at home. These teams visit hospitals and nursing
Sundays, introduced himself to a five-
THROUGH HOSPITAL MINISTRY
homes in their own communities with
their charismatic approach to healing.
year-old girl at a recent Mass as 'Char
Father Robert Wheelock, O.F.M.,
lie'. When he came down the church
aisle at the end of Mass, the little girl shouted 'Nice show, Charlie!" "{Time,
May 24, 1976).
ssas
The Tablet (March 25, 1976) reports that Father Joseph Dolan, the director
of pastoral care for the sick of the Dio cese of Brooklyn, is conducting a hospi tal ministry in which the charismatic healing approach is united with tliree
scoffs at the ones who believe that "as
long as there is a cross on the wall or on
the top of the building, it's Cath-ilic." For him the important thing is "tli
sacraments, the Eucharist, Penance, and
we treat the patients, the nurses on spe
the Last Rites.
cial duty in emergency rooms and in pediatrics, and the attitude of manage
In respect to the Sacrament of Pen
ance, Father Dolan says it is "a whole movement of the Lord toward the per
son to open him or her to the 'darkness' within . . . there is a turning to the Lord, the Holy Spirit using the priest to bring this about ... The person praying for inner healing can be healed by the sacra ment. Jesus uses us in the healing minis
ment." He suggests that every Catholic hospital should set up a pastoral care department consisting of people "trained
as specialists who would integrate medi cine and religion ... to help people to cope with medical problems of the scars of neurotic guilt and bizarre attitudes about sexuality." We may wonder about the attitudes
of Father Wheelock. When a person has
try ...
Archbishop John Roach in Indian-style vestments celebrating Mass in Minneapo lis during Bicentennial hearings on the theme: "Liberty and Justice for All."
Cap., who directs pastoral care services for the Catholic Hospital Association,
There are trained volunteers, pastoral
committed a sin, an attitude of guilt is
care teams, who assist Father Dolan in
normal and not neurotic, not a "medi
activating the local communities through
cal" problem, but a problem for the
educational
confessional.
and
training
programs
CRUSADE
II
In a hospital climate such as the one today where abortions and other abomi
ock's people "trained as specialists who would integrate medicine and reli
nations are on the increase, who wants to
gion. .."?
place their confidence in Father Wheel-
SUPPORTER OF CHAVEZ RAISED TO LEVEL OF PASTOR
Father Joseph M. Lara of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Denver, Color ado has been elevated to the rank of
Pastor by Archbishop James V. Casey AUTODEMOLITION IN THE MORAL SPHERE
of Denver. Father Lara
has worked
with the
UFW and their leader Cesar Chavez, and LAPSED CATHOLICS IN
olics to ignore the "mistaken" papal teaching on birth control and go to the church without guilt.
BRITAIN GAIN TEMPORARY
GENERAL ABSOLUTION
In an unprecedented move, two dio ceses in Britain announced a temporary
The columnist Mary Carson asserts; "I believe that Pope Paul does not under
"general absolution" whereby lapsed
stand marital sex and is mistaken in his
Catholics were allowed to return to the
judgment of moral questions on this subject . ." {Sunday News, April 4,
Church.
During Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending Easter Sunday, Catholics who had been away from the Church for many years were able to receive absolution for their sins without
1976). FATHER HARRER FAVORS
has called the union's strike the "great est single movement for social justice
in the country at this time," having picketed, the liquor stores of Denver during the Gallo wine boycott. In addition, Father Lara has refused to pay diocesan assessments from the
parish's $23,000 budget. {The Tablet, May 6. 1976). ÂŤ
*
*
Meanwhile, according to The Qzark Sunbeam, the U.S. Bishops have found
LEAVING ASIDE THE QUESTION
as a result of their Bicentennial Hearings
OF SIN
first confessing them secretly to a priest.
Father Frederick Harrer, pastor of
that there is a demand for land reform in the United States.
This general absolution was an nounced by Bishop Eric Grasar of
St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Hicksvillc, Long Island has organized a parish coun
Land reform (or agrarian reform) is always a first step used by the Marxists
Shrewsbury, Northwest England, and
cil which has petitioned the Bishop of
to take away the propert)' of the land
his auxiliary. Bishop John Brewer, in a pastoral letter, and by Bishop James
Rockville Center to allow divorced and
holders and to establish Communism in
remarried Catholics to receive Commu
McGuiness
nion under certain conditions.
of
Nottingham,
Central
England, in a letter to all priests of the
Father Harrer strongly favors allow
CARDINAL WYSZYNSKI
diocese.
ing couples to decide what to do about
CRITICIZES CAPITALISM IN COMMUNIST POLAND
BROOKLYN TABLET ASKS
birth control. And he says; "Certainly what the Pope has to say is extremely important," but at the parish level "we
POPE ON BIRTH CONTROL
are taking people from where they are
A columnist for The Tablet, diocesan newspaper of Brooklyn, has asked Cath
and maybe leaving aside the question
Red regime in Poland when it was tot tering {The Universe, Feb. 20, 1976) is
CATHOLICS TO IGNORE
of sin." '{Time, May 24, 1976).
Cardinal Wyszynski, who according to a British publication supported the
the topic of observations by OESP, which affirms (January 20, 1976) that
the Primate of Poland sustained during a IDEOLOGICAL AUTODEMOLITION IN RESPECT TO THE DOCTRINE OF PROPERTY
Sunday sermon that Poland has been able to "confront the mistakes of feu
dalism, and it can escape from the
deviations of the capitalist ecov^'uiy," TABLET:"CESAR CHAVEZ
CHAVEZ TO BE HONORED
SUPPORTED BY U.S. BISHOPS
AT 41ST EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
FOR FIVE YEARS"
supporting the cause of Cesar Chavez
"Cesar Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers, will join leaders from around the world in a symposium of hunger next August under the spon sorship of the 41st International Eucharistic Congress and St, Joseph's College in Philadelphia. Among the other parti cipants are Archbishop Helder Camara, Cardinal John Wright, Fr. Pedro Arrupe,
and the United Farm Workers for five
and Bishop James Rausch, general secre
years. The Brooklyn diocesan news paper editorializes, asking a continuing boycott of the wine of Gallo Brothers and of iceberg lettuce which does not carry the UFW "Black Eagle" label.
tary of the USCC."{Our Sunday Visitor, April 25, 1976).
As CRUSADE has previously pointed out, Cesar Chavez is a known Marxist
who is being groomed for an important role in the violent expropriation of farm land in the United States.
Now the Brooklyn Tablet reminds us
that the U.S. Bishops have been actively
12
CRUSADE
(emphasis ours). Is there in thi> ment at least an implicit criticism oi iiie doctrine of private property, which forms a part of the indivisible whole that
is Catholic doctrine? How dangerous are the deviations in capitalism that occur in a Communist regime?
yiUA SATANft';
In Portugal, after the Revolution. Words on the wall say: "Long live Satan"
THE "CATHOLIC-COMMUNIST COLLABORATION:
THE END OF THE PROCESS:
THE OPEN COOPERATION OF THE
THE DESTRUCTION
HIERARCHY IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CHURCH
OR NEAR DESTRUCTION OF THE VISIBLE CHURCH
SOUTH VIETNAM'S PRIMATE SUPPORTS RED REGIME, OPPOSES
The Archbishop of Saigon con demned the incident calling its leaders
CATHOLICS WHO RESIST IT
"reactionaries." {OESP, Feb. 17, 1976).
CZECH REDS STEP UP
The South Vietnamese journal Gai Phong reported that a new rebellion of Catholics was put down by the authori ties of Saigon. This was the second re
ANTI-RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN
Informations Catholiques Internatio nales (January 15,1976)reports that the Episcopal Conference of South Vietnam met to make a study of the role and
place of the Catholic community in revolutionary society. On that occasion, Nguyen Ho, the "number one" person of the Communist Party of the Saigon
community spoke before the Bishops. He said: "Instead of contenting your selves with the role of simple observers, you should rise up and, alongside the other Vietnamese, take upon yourself
as a responsibility the difficulties(of the country)." Neverhteless he warned the Bishops against confusing purely reli gious activities with political activities aimed at "harming the revolutionary work of our people." It was no doubt in response to these exhortations that Archbishop van Bin of Saigon asked the faithful in his Christ
mas pastoral letter "to commit them selves with the whole people on the road to reconstruction" in order to bring about a "flourishing Vietnam in which all exploitation of man by man will have disappeared in the bosom of a new pro gressive, just society overflowing with love." â&#x2122;Ś
*
*
The statement of the Archbishop was an asset to the regime, which had the problem of putting down a vigorous anti-
communist resistance being led by Cath olics. For example, in September, the provincial capital of Cantho had been taken over by the anti-communist forces, and the government of Saigon was forced to send reinforcements to the Mekong delta to retake the city. {The Wanderer, Sept. 25, 1975). ÂŤ
*
3K
But the message of the Archbishop was insufficient to stop the resistance.
volt in South Vietnam in a period of 5 days. The newpaper adds that the Arch bishop of Saigon appealed to Catholics not to resist the present government. {OESP, Feb. 19, 1976). THE CATHOLICS OF VIETNAM
WILL BE "REEDUCATED"
According to OESP (Feb. 20,1976),
background of present conditions in Czechoslovakia. Points worth noting are as follows:
* Two thirds of Czechoslovakia's Roman Catholic dioceses still have no
The courses will be held in the churches
resident Bishop.
thousands of former government func
* The restrictions upon religious in struction are becoming increasingly harsh. In principle, only children under 12 may be instructed, and everything possible is done to prevent even that. Parents who insist on religious instruc
tionaries. More than 10,000 ex-military
tion are warned that their children will
and reflect the concern not only of the government but also of the Episcopate after two rebellious movements of Cath olics were suffocated.
The authorities are "reeducating"
officers and civil functionaries were
be barred automatically from higher
transferred to special centers, where
instruction.
many of them still remain. All of them
were temporarily deprived of their civil
* Since 1969, government consent has been required for every church ap
rights. (Has anyone heard anywhere any concern being expressed for the rights
pointment.
of these people?) The Archbishop of Saigon revealed that he is going to modify the "structure and personnel of the Archdiocese" and
Catholic priests have had their stategranted licenses to preach revoked.
that courses will be opened for Catho
lics in all parishes. After explaining that the objective is "to teach Catholics their obligations in the present situation," the Archbishop added: "The Church cannot
by any means support, encourage, or approve organizations or actions contra ry to the present government, in the name of religion." The majority of the Catholics in South Vietnam live in Saigon.
sons were killed before the revolt was
unleashes an all-out persecution against
quelled.
what remains of the Catholic Church.
1976), and on Feb. 14, anti-communists
of religion should be viewed against the
nam will have to attend courses of"po litical reeducation," due to their persis tent resistance to the Communist regime.
led by a priest staged an uprising for 15 hours in a parish church and three per
to break out in
step-up in efforts to "liberate man from the bonds by which he attaches himself to an imaginary supernatural force." This call for increasing persecution
the two million Catholics of South Viet
The Communist regimes, during the collaborationist stages, allow a certain amount of deceptive liberties to the Hierarchy. But once the power of the regime is sufficiently consolidated, it
Conflicts continued
January {The New York Times, Jan. 4,
According to The Catholic News
(Jan. 8,1976), the political monthly Nova Mysl, a Czech Communist journal, has rejected the process of "letting reli gion just fade away" and has called for a
* A considerable number of Roman
* The government is whittling at the priesthood from both ends of the agescale: holding down the number
tries into seminaries and forcin^
.1
priests over 60 into retirement. All stu
dents with professional qualifications are denied entrance to a seminary and those who do enter must be "politically reliable and honest."
* Religious orders in Czechoslovakia are under a threat of extinction. Since
1969, it has been a crime to accept no vices. Many orders have been regrouped forcibly in "concentration convents,"
where several hundred at a time, they sleep in bunk beds in very confined quarters.
This steppcd-up persecution in Czech oslovakia conflicts with its publicly ex(Continued on page 31) CRUSADE
13
THE AMERICAN IFF OPENS CAMPAIGN IN DEFENSE OF THE FAMILY AND EDUCATION: Acting to defend the family, the American TFP has published An Open Letter to the Congressmen of America, providing a serene and sober analysis of a piece of pending legis
(e) wrest control of the child from the family, by establishing a shaky partnership between parents and the Federal government in which the State will be the dominant part
lation, which, if enacted, would undermine
ner,
the family by setting up a network of Federal child-care centers.
Carrying this Open Letter, the TFP arrived at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. on May 31 in a symbolic act, and the campaign was launched in New York immediately there
(f) will encourage moral indifference in parents, and thereby lead to an increase in juvenile crime, (g) will exert a collectivizing influence which will lead to Federal control and the advance of Communism.
after. THE TFP GOES TO THE STREETS
THE ANALYSIS OF THE TFP
TO DEFEND THE FAMILY
The proposal denounced by the TFP is the Child and Family Services Act, S 626 and HR 2966, sponsored by W.F. Mondale and John Brademas. The analysis of the TFP shows that if this measure is approved by Congress, it (a) will cost far more than it claims and be
Having demonstrated so clearly its ob jections to this dangerous bill, the TFP went into vigorous action in defense of the family. The militants of the TFP, dressed in red capes and holding aloft their giant red standard bearing a rampant golden lion were soon seen in the streets and plazas of New York City, distributing their manifesto at the rate of 1000 per hour and proclaiming slogans such as the following: * America and New York City have always supported the family; the TFP defends the family now.
a tremendous fiscal and economic drain on
the taxpayer and the country, (b) will provide services which the people do not need or want, as is shown by the fact that the child-care centers presently available have many vacancies in them, (c) will weaken private child care by set ting up a Federal system to compete with the
already inadequately used system instead of making proposals to ameliorate it. (d) will forbid religious instruction within the program it establishes, leaving the child's instruction in the hands of atheistic behavior-
ists and so-called "experts," 14
CRUSADE
* Read the TFP's Open Letter to the Con gressmen of America, denouncing new Federal day-care nightmare. * The Child and Family Services Act will take the child out of the family; help us to defeat this bill.
I
- T-
I
OPEN LETTER TO THE CONGRESSMEN OF AMERICA DENOUNCES FEDERAL DAY-CARE BILL The militants let all of the people know ^ that the TFP's Open Letter to the Congress
men was a serious analysis of an important piece of legislation, thereby arousing their in^ terest. They explained to the people what the bill proposed and just why it was a danger to the family, calling their attention to the page of the Open Letter entitled "What You May
A lady of about 60 watched the campaign, came to get the manifesto, and asked for addi tional copies for her friends and for her church.
Many people stopped and read the words
on the standard reflectively: "Tradition, Fam ily, and Property." And one Latin American
Do Or How You Can Defeat This Bill," which
said: "It seems incredible: Tradition, Family, Property here, coo."
gives such directions as Send this open letter
One man about 55 walked over, looked at
relatives, friends, and associates also to write; â&#x2013; write to the "Letters to the Editor" section of
gone to Mass at St. Patrick's every day for 20 years. Give me one of these; I'm in the broadcasting business." (And he showed a card for NBC). An East-European woman asked: "Can you actually do this in the United States?
;to your senators and representatives; ask your U your newspapers, etc. RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE TO THE CAMPAIGN: OVERWHELMINGLY FAVORABLE!
The immediate repercussions of the cam paign were overwhelmingly favorable. A considerable number of businessmen in
the standard and said: "I'm Catholic too. I've
Yes. Good! Keep doing it." An elderly woman asked if she coui
o a contribution for the campaign. The militant showed her the What You May Do section of the Manifesto, where it stresses the importance
\ fine suits stopped and observed the campaign,
of donations so the campaign may go ahead,
taking the manifesto with interest. One conservative man said: "It's good to see you out here; keep up the good work." Another young business man said: "I'm really glad chat someone is doing something like
asking her to read it and act. A young man in his thirties, very enthusi astic about the Campaign, asked for an extra copy. This experience was repeated in a num
this."
Several people after listening to the argu ments of the militants became totally con vinced, and said they would help the campaign in any way they could after they were shown the What You May Do Section.
An Irish woman said: "Excellent, keep up the good work." And her campanions said: "It's about time someone defended the
famdy."
ber of instances.
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IS
A very large percentage of the black people who passed were very favorable. For example, one black man in his early 50's listened with attention to the explanation. He was shocked to learn that the bill intended
to establish a camouflaged beachhead for the implantation of Communism in America, and was very relieved by the campaign. He smiled with great friendship. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF MINNESOTA TOO
As another phase of the campaign, the TFP sent an Open Letter to the
Bishops of Minnesota, protesting their endorsement ofthe Mondale-Brademas
bill. The TFP shows how illogical it is for Catholic Bishops to support a measure that prohibits the teaching of the Catholic religion, and asks the Bishops to restudy their position and to denounce the bill. This Open Letter to the Bishops of Mennesota is repro duced in this issue of CRUSADE.
WHO ARE THE FATHERS OF THE CHILD AND FAMILY
SERVICES ACT? Senator Walter F. Mondale, Demo crat of Minnesota, is one of the most
this declaration, later repented, upon realizing that it made an end of U.S.
radically liberal senators in the United States. He may be classified ideologi cally as a staunch socialist. His record
sovereignty.
in the Senate in 1975 demonstrates
â&#x2013; this fact. According to the 1976 Na tional Security Voting Index issued by the authoritative American Security Council, Senator Mondale averaged 11%. The most complete "conserva tive register," issued by the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, has the man from Minnesota appearing as the fifth most radical congressman. And according to Review of die News, he rated zero in 1975. For example, he voted as follows:
to provide automatic yearly pay raises to congressmen; to send $2.3 billion in federal loans
pro-family. It is the so-called "volun tary" context of the bill, which is worded in a dangerously vague way, so that it can be used to begin a pro gram on a voluntary basis that will gradually become one that is not voluntary at all. The manifesto points out that one
*
*
Representative John Brademas, Democrat of Indiana, is a close friend
and ideological fellow traveler of Sen ator Mondale. Like the Senator, he has a very poor voting record in the
Congress, as available voting indexes disclose. He is among the group of radical
liberals who
scored
zero in
val of a Free Congress put his score at
to eliminate research needed to im
TO COLLABORATE WITH THE TFP
the Mondale-Brademas bill actually contains two contexts and two philos ophies. The first context is the one which seems to be, at a first glance,
*
U.S.;
missiles;
in this issue of CRUSADE shows that
ity."
1975, according to the American Security Council, and zero again, ac cording to the Review of die News. Taking into account 440 meaningful
CRUSADE ASKS ITS READERS
very dangerous measure imperiling the family. The Open Letter to the Congress men of America, which is reproduced
tol circles as the "Mondale monstros
to cut $1.2 billion from the Defense Budget for 1976 (which was not aproved by the Senate); to dismantle the only Safeguard Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) site in the
prove the accuracy of U.S. strategic
We ask our subscribers and friends to collaborate with the American TFP in order to ensure the defeat of this
He has been fighting so hard and for so many years for the child-care bill that it has become known in Capi
to help New York City; to
which
table the Bartlett amendment
would
bar the use of social
security funds for abortions; to approve the H.E.W. order to federally-aided schools no longer to conduct separate physical education classes for boys and girls.
Senator Mondale was a participant in the highly secret meetings of the controversial Bilderbergers. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (C.F.R.), and of the pacifistic organization. Members of Congress for Peace Through Law, which has the self-confessed aim of achieving a "gen
votes, the Commission for the Survi 13.
The Indianan is a member of the
radical pacifistic Members of Congress
for Peace Through Law, and has at tended the meetings of the secret Bilderbergers. He signed the Declara
tion of Interdependence; voted to pro hibit U.S. importation of Rhodesian chrome so as to keep us dependent on Russian chrome; voted for auto
matic pay increases for members of
the House; and voted against rein stating the House Internal Security Committee, against the Bauman amendment restricting the free use of
National Science Foundation 's, and to drop a provision barring utiy use of funds for negotiating the trans fer of any U.S. rights in the Canal Zone to Panama.
Congressman Brademas went to Moscow on August 12, 1975. When he
eral and complete disarmament under
returned, he said that he had received
enforceable world law." This obviously
"firm
means that he favors a one-world State.
officials that the Kremlin will live up to the promises which it made by
He was one of the signers of the in credible Declaration of Interdepen dence in Philadelphia, which had a
assurances" from Communist
signed agreement at the Helsinki Con
ference. This statement by Congress
of the most serious objections that can be raised against the bill is the number of means it provides for
strange way of commemorating the bi centennial by giving up our national independence. This act was organized by the notorious World Affairs Coun
dissident leaders behind the iron cur
(Continued on page 31)
cil. Several congressmen who signed
tain.
16
CRUSADE
man Brademas contradicted the known
facts detailing the continuous harass ment being suffered by religious and
i
An Open Letter to THE CONGRESSMEN OF AMERICA
THE AMERICAN TFP DENOUNCES
THE CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ACT The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Fami
ly, and Property (TFP) is a civic organization that defends the values of Western Christian Civilization, among which the fam
sponsors cannot brush aside the many serious critical analy ses of it offered by numerous persons, groups, and institutions. The TFP does not have a negative aim. Its goal is to colla
ily is of paramount importance.
borate in an open discussion of this bill in order to discover
Recently, there have been several manifestations in favor of the Child and Family Services Act, S 626 and HR 2966. These manifestations came from the National Conference of
what is best for the country. The bill contains many problems
Catholic Charities, organ of the U.S. bishops; the Minnesota
Catholic Conference through its president, Archbishop Roach; the World Council of Churches; the Synagogue Council of America; and many other religious institutions. The proposal also received the support of the Communist Party, the Com
munist press, and the "liberal" press of our country. Although this measure constitutes a sophisticated menace to the families of America, there is a very real danger of its
being approved by Congress because of the support of these many religious institutions. Accordingly, the TFP felt that it had the responsibility to study the bill conscientiously and thoroughly. The issue is so importatit, moreover, that we con sidered it to be our duty to make our conclusions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which
show our profound disagreement with the bill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; public, so that all persons may understand the basis of that disagreement and so that right actions may be taken. We strongly call for your support to help us defeat this
strange and most dangerous bill. Read our suggestions on how you can help, how you can act now!
Congressmen of America: After a long and careful study of the Child and Family
Services Act, S626 and HR 2966, the American Society for
the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property considers it
Senator Walter F. Mondale
to discuss, many assertions or qualifications which should be
questioned. However, to be concise and to demonstrate why we ask you to reject it, we will treat only the most essential ones.
to be its civic responsibility to share its conclusions with you
We invite you to give special attention to this important
through this open letter, which is also being widely circulated throughout the country. We in the first place disagree with some extremist and deceitful criticisms and apologies which have been issued in respect to this bill. At the same time, we are certain that its
matter, for it is causing great concern in millions of parents and involves a question of conscience for you. We may begin with some economic aspects of the proj ected legislation. CRUSADE
17
The proposal authorizes $150 million for fiscal year 1976, $700 million for 1977, and $1 billion for 1978.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare has stated that this is a "substantial underestimate." This is easy to understand when one considers that some 200 federal pro grams related directly or indirectly to child care are already spending over $12 billion a year. A Senator said that the dollars authorized by the bill were underestimated only to get a foot into the door of the deficit-burdened treasury. Once the bill was approved, its voracious nature would be let loose.
In view of the above, it would be foolish in these diffi
cult times to increase the economic hardship of the American
people by wasting billions of dollars through the duplication of services, not to mention the unnecessary growth in bureau cratic structures which multiply regulations imposing on per sonal freedom, or the moral and fiscal impact of such a mis
THE MAIN OBJECTIONS TO THIS BILL Congressman John Conlan (R. - Ariz.) summarized very well the main objections to this bill: "It would overlap extensive government services now available; unnecessarily deplete a strained national budget;
bypass state, local, and parental responsibility in child care; threaten existing church and other private child care centers; and influence children with value systems
which may seriously conflict with those of their parents." And the National Coalition for Children stated:
use of tax dollars.
One of the most moving arguments which can be put for ward for introducing new legislation is that it will resolve hu man problems and needs.
Will the proposal resolve any human problem? Working mothers do exist in great numbers. However, a great majority of them, according to a Westinghouse study reprinted by the Senate Finance Committee, have expressed satisfaction with their present child-care arrangements. They prefer private and informal supervision of their children, especially by relatives and neighbors; that is, they prefer the care that is most similar to a motherly one. Besides, there are already a great number of private and Church-related centers providing day-care services. When mothers with small children really need to work and are not satisfied with the day-care arrangements available to them, it is better to try to find a way to eliminate their need to work than to spend billions of dollars in order to continue an irregular and unnatural situation. What can a mother do that is better than forming the soul and personality of a new man or woman, a new American? In any event, no human problem or need can be solved by
encouraging the separation of mother and son at an early age. It is universally recognized that mother deprivation at an early age is a great psychological danger. Medical experience shows that children in these circumstances, like the ones in
the child development centers in Russia, have an abnormal passivity and apathy. What is the philosophy of this bill? A thorough study of it reveals that it has two different contexts, two different logical discourses, two different philosophies.
One of these contexts consists of very careful vague state ments on the safeguarding of the family and on the role of
parents in the control of the programs being proposed, the so-called "voluntary" basis of the bill. The other context gives the federal government and its
"experts" control over the development and rearing of chil dren, consuming astronomical amounts of dollars and having certain peculiar and dangerous effects which we will shortly ch aracterize.
"If the bill passes, the elitist social engineers now in control of public education would be in a position to ex tend their destructive influence over vast numbers of pre schoolers and their families. The bill clearly provides not
only for government day-care centers but a comprehensive care to 'enhance' the child's total development - psycho logical, mental, physical, and emotional. The similarity between the totalitarian premise that maintains the state is "parent" to the child and the underlying philosophy of the legislation that implies Americans are somehow incap able of rearing their own children without help from the federal government is extremely disturbing."
Let us analyze the consistency of the first context before comparing it with the second one. As we have just said, this first context deals with "voluntary" use and the safeguarding of the family.
Will the proposed federal control of child care really be voluntary? One of the most serious objections that can be raised against the bill is the many means it provides for diminishing the effectiveness of its stated voluntary nature, so much so
that it will remain on paper only. This stated voluntar\
re
will be undermined:
— By the number of regulations that will be imposed dur ing the implementation of the bill. Their number will be very large because of the vagueness of the bill and the demands of the proposed child development system. — By taking advantage of the incredible definition of
"parent" given in Sec. 501. (8)("awy person who has primary day-to-day responsibility for any child" — emphasis added)
and of the shaky partnership which is set up between parents and the government in Sec. 2 (4).
— By using the child development system of this bill to promote child advocacy. This will be a basis for an increasing intervention by the State in family life. There is a known mechanism by which artificial needs are created by initiating long-range "voluntary" programs. Many (Continued on page 20)
18
CRUSADE
What You May Do Or
How You Can Defeat This Bill This bill can only be defeated with your help. This help is very easy to give, yet highly effective: (1) Send this open letter to your senators and to all of the representatives of your state; add a personal note or letter asking each one of them to reject this bill. Congressmen give an enormous importance to the letters that they receive. Their mail provides them with a sure way of knowing what their constituents are thinking in respect to the issues, of knowing the opinion of those people whose support they need to survive politically. Therefore, it is very impor tant that you write to them personally expressing your deep concern about this bill, asking them to reject it. (2) Ask your relatives, friends, and associates also to write to their congressmen. Pass on to them the TFP flyers. The more letters the congressmen receive, the more possibility there is of this bill being rejected. Make this same appeal for the writing of letters in the social, political, and patriotic meetings and clubs to which you may belong. Contact as many people as possible; the more of them you reach, the better it will be. In each case give them the address of the TFP so that they can ask for more flyers. (3) Write to the "Letters to the Editor" section of your news papers, summarizing the arguments against the bill and asking the readers of the paper to write to their congressmen instructing them to reject the bill. If possible, deliver the same message on radio talk shows. In each presentation include the address of the TFP so that readers or listeners may ask for flyers.
(4) if you are a Catholic, write to your Bishop, protesting against the unqualified endorsement that the National Conference of Cath
olic Charities gave to this bill. Ask him to go on record as being opposed to this anti-Christian bill. Act now. Tomorrow may be too late to save our children from the Mondale-Brademas "monstrosity." Stand up and be counted. May God bless you for your efforts in this noble cause in defense of the Christian family.
Flyers: U.S. SO.25 each (including mailing) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 10 copies: SI.50 - 100 copies: SlO.OO â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 1000 copies: S70.00.
Please send your donations for the successful continuation of this vital campaign! Make checks payable to the American TFP;P.O. Box 238; Wykagyl Station, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804.
other federal programs have had "voluntary" beginnings of this kind. In this particular case, the bill will offer day care so universally that it will create an artificial need, and a depen dency for self-indulgent mothers.
The bill will encourage many persons, especially profitminded consumers, to abandon natural parental care without any real need for doing so. Like a snowball, it will stimulate more and more demand for an artificial need, making it in creasingly easy for the new federal system to dominate and ab sorb the family. As a matter of fact, a large number of upper and middle class mothers are already using the present daycare system.
It is known that in many cases the available day-care
services are not being adequately used. Therefore, what sense does it make to create a huge state-controlled organization that will increase the number of the facilities? If the sponsors are interested in voluntary services, why do they not propose to ameliorate the existing day-care system instead of seeking to create a new one?
Very special attention is given in this bill to the reaching of social sectors which are particularly adverse to day-care development The bill calls these sectors which have a deeprooted family life "target populations." Why give special at tention to the establishment of services for groups when it is
known in advance that those groups have no demand for them, if the system being proposed is truly intended to be voluntary? A giant system such as this one which creates a plethora
unclear and slippery, how can we expect this information to be anything o^er than unclear and slippery? This being the case, the number of ways that such communications might mislead parents in regard to the facts about their children is a cause of concern.
Although the proponents of this gigantic child develop ment program claim that there is a big demand for its services, this claim is not supported by the facts, as we have already seen when noting that a great number of vacancies exist in
the day-care programs which are already in operation. This means that there are day-care services available to any working parents who might feel that they need the use of such facilities in order to safeguard their family from too great a disruption. Therefore, how can the proponents of this bill assert that its aim is to safeguard families, especially needy ones? The bill provides for a great growth in the number of daycare personnel. Nevertheless, there is no way that a whole army of overseer nurses, bureaucratic behaviorists, social plan ners, sensitivity-training experts, and other outside givers of care can accomplish what nature does with a loving mother, who never goes on strike as the federal day-care personnel have already done several times. There is a great gap between the apparent pro-family statements of the bill and its real effects. Accordingly, we may at least suppose that it has quite another purpose than the safeguarding of the family. Let us compare, for example, the most "pro-family" state
of councils, committees, and bureaucracies has such power to
ment of the bill with Article 71 of the Irish Constitution.
coordinate State, local, private, educational, and other organi zations, programs, buildings, etc., that it will have the springs of power to modify, evolve, and'practically nullify, in con crete reality, the stated voluntary basis of the proposal. In short, when the huge program begins, it will be some
Sec. 2. (a) (1) of the bill merely verifies the American reality with words that any enemy of the family might use:
what voluntary, but it will evolve gradually and will end as one that is not voluntary at all.
Does the bill strengthen the family and safeguard parental rights? Thinking in terms of the harsh realities of today's life, we ask: Can a partnership between the federal government and parents in the rearing of children by the millions possibly strengthen the role of the parents? In such an arrangement, who will have the last word? Can parental control be insured by committees in which parental representation is 50 percent or litde more and which also have full-time experts who gener ally are trained in psycho-social group dynamics, in view of the fact that many working parents will not have time to participate or will do it after being tired out by a day's work? Experience shows that many federal psycho-social experts are oriented against the family. Can it possibly be imagined that such a law which would stimulate the early separation of mother and son would streng then the role of the family? The bill establishes that a parent will be informed if his child is the "subject of any research or experimentation under this Act," and will have the right to make an exception of his child. How will parents be informed? Why does the bill allow for the exception of a child only after an involvement exists?
Why does the bill not provide for parental authorization be forehand?
The proposed legislation states that parents will receive "information in the functional language." If the bill itself is so 20
CRUSADE
"the family is the primary and most fundamental influence on children." In contrast, the statement of the Irish Constitution
is truly pro-family: "The State recognizes the family as the natural, primary, and fundamental group of society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights antecedent and superior to all positive law." It appears that the statement from Sec. 2 and other simi lar ones are not there to safeguard the family but rather to safeguard the bill from being defeated by the supporters and defenders of the family.
Would the passage of this measure produce any seri ous human problem? The bill by weakening the links between moth( d their small children will undermine the family, which u in turn, undermine the acceptance of matrimony, since the pro tection and rearing of children is a factor in the sacred unity of marriage. In addition, it will encourage procreation outside of marriage by providing a means other than the family for the rearing of children on a broad scale. The passage of this bill would obviously result in an in
crease in maternal carelessness and negligence in child rearing, which would subsequently cause very great problems in the nation.
Statistics from a report by the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency reveal that the teen-age suicide rate has
tripled in the past 25 years, an increase which specialists at tribute to the continuing decline in the importance of the family. This bill, which will provide another great stimulus to that decline, will, in so doing, contribute to increasing the already disasterous suicide rates.
Furthermore, the proposed legislation will cause a growth in the number of maladjustments, runaway cases, acts of vio lence, and revolts, stimulating indiscipline and crime with tra gic effects in the political, cultural, and militar)' spheres. Since the family is the basic cell of society, the fissioning of this cell will produce a hydrogen-bomb-like effect. Who is interested in causing such a tragedy in America? The foregoing are only a few of the problems that the bill will produce.
As we said before, the bill is very vague. In politics as in law, vagueness is equal to danger. It is a peculiar characteristic of the proposed legislation that its vagueness always acts in favor of state control.
Vagueness usually masks a second intention. This bill has the undeniable intention of universally encompassing the whole of American childhood by federal control. This inten tion specifically characterizes the second context of the bill referred to previously. This second intention begins in a dexterous way by estab lishing a beachhead. But if this bill is approved, it will make way for a whole army of similar and more radical dispositions.
The whole spirit of the bill is diametrically and objectively opposed to the essence of the key institutions of America.
It is the spirit of Western civilization — and of America — to respect the natural order, human nature, and spiritual values which sustain social relationships and rights. The State does not perform the functions that belong to the nature of inter mediary free institutions, and these intermediary institutions do not appropriate that which belongs to the individual. Many concentric circles protect him. The Communist conception of the world and society, in contrast, has no high values, no belief in the natural order, and no respect for the family or the individual, and it inspires a totalitarian all-encompassing State that eliminates the rights of the family. This conception of the world — the Communist one — will establish a collectivist beachhead in America through the present proposal, for the philosophy of the bill is profoundly collectivist.
We do acknowledge that the proposed legislation has vague language, and that at first glance it does not seem to be
too openly collectivizing. That is why we call it a camouflaged beachhead.
After analyzing the first context of the bill and character izing its second context — the real and effective one — as a
The end of the family is to have children and to educate them. This proposal will transfer that job to the State and thereby deliver a deadly blow to the family. To give children
beachhead, we must draw some conclusions:
to the State is to realize the Communist dream.
— In respect to that in it which seems good, the bill is not
new and is at least unnecessary and useless. — In respect to that which it has ofthe new, it is notgood, and it is dangerous, as a beachhead indeed can be.
The vague language of the first context is an umbrella under which many things may fit. It is a camouflage language,
a deceitful tip-of-the-iceberg language, which pays lip service to the family in overblown rhetoric. At this point, it is good to bear in mind that we are not analyzing the sponsors of the bill but only the text of the Child and Family Services Act.
Therefore, without any exaggeration or misunderstanding, we must conclude, on the basis of the evidence of the facts
and by logic, that this bill will be an important step toward a collectivist society, usually called Communism. Communism is its name, whether the supporters of the bill like it or not. It is no wonder that the Communist press of the U.S. intense ly supports this bill as does the U.S. Communist Party itself.
This is being done in spite of the fact that in Communist coun tries the attack on the family generally comes only after the destruction of private property. The Communists consider the attack on the family to be a more radical and profounder man ifestation of collectivism ...
The bill contains several innuendos, which, once they are disclosed, bring the true spirit of the document into even shar per focus. For example, as the National Coalition for Children has
If someone says, "Oh. but it is only a first step," one may answer that then he does not dislike coming closer to the total establishment of a Communist society in America.
observed, the proposed legislation assumes that children exist
In addition to the obvious danger that the bill offers to
merely for the convenience of parents, that is to say, it presup poses that there is no moral law, no moral authority, no moral responsibility. Even without entering into philosophical specu lation, it is easy to see that there is nothing in this but moral
the social sphere, it will profoundly interfere with and injure the family's efforts to transmit its religious values to ire chil dren. As is widely known, many behaviorists and exp i child control have already made clear the totalitarian orienta tion of their intentions. This orientation will be imposed upon
indifferentism.
Another tacit premise of the bill is that federal day-care centers can rear children better than the family, for if it sus tained the opposite position, it would seek programs to en courage family or neighborhood child care. Another tacit premise of the proposal is that in the mat ter of child rearing the federal government must share respon sibility with parents in a nebulous partnership. But since the bill assumes that of the two the State is the more competent and more qualified partner and since it has greater resources,
the impressionable minds of our little children.
At present, children are receiving instruction in religion in their families and religious centers. This bill will interfere with these practices.
Consider the words of Sec. 503. (e): "The Secretary shall not provide financial assistance for any program under this Act
unless he determines that no funds will be used for and no per son will be employed under the program in the construction,
operation, or maintenance of so much of any facility as is for
organization, and power, it is obvious that it is intended to be
use for sectarian instruction or as a place for religious wor
the dominant partner in this relationship. Since the bill promotes moral indifference, its implementation would en courage parents to surrender their responsibilities to the feder al government, thereby hastening the process by which the
ship." As a consequence, the children separated from their
State assumes full control of the child.
parents will receive no religious edueation, but will reeeive in
stead atheism and eollectivism from the experts of the State. As we have already indicated, the bill will produce an emotional and moral destabilization of family life when the CRUSADE
21
ny in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great diings he
you execute — the power to stimulate or inhibit the growth of juvenile delinquency and juvenile suicide. In fact, the ver)' freedom of our society and the future of our country are in your hands. Even if this bill means only the beginning of a national catastrophe, your approval of it will result in public opinion pointing you out as co-responsible for it. If this bill is approved, it will produce a great breakaway
commanded our fathers, that they should make tlic same
from Western Christian Civilization and the American Heri
known to their children: that another generation might know
tage, and an atheistic spirit will spread throughout the nation
them. The children that should be born, and should rise up
among our children. If you give it a vote of approval, how then
and declare them to their children. That they may put their
will you be able to say, "In God We Trust"? It is an irony of Histoiy that this breakaway is being planned for the Bicentennial Year, an event which Histor)' will
child is at the age for receiving the religious and moral values which will form him into a man.
This brings to mind the words of the Psalm: "How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us. They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done. And he set up a testimo
hope in God and may not forget the works of God; and may seek his commandments."(Psalm 77;3-7).
record forever.
This bill will pass only if a sense of unrealit)' dominates
Congressmen of America:
Congress. Do you believe that Americans will approve such a
The decisions you make arc weighty ones and involve great responsibility for you. In this respect, the Child and Family Services Act is an uncommonly great responsibility
collectivist bill reflecting such a lack of morality?
In any case, tiiere is no pretext that can be used to justify an approval given to this strange bill.
for you.
The decision-you make for this bill or against it will be
We of the TFP organization, representing thousands of
of decisive consequence to the families of America. A vote
concerned parents, lay here in your hands this most grave
for this bill will be a vote for a weakening of the links that
not by your hands. In your hands is the future of the chil
problem of conscience. And we ask you to defeat decisively proposals 626 and HR 2966. We remain at your disposal for any other clarification concerning this important question. Thanking you for your
dren and families of America. You also hold - by the decision
attention, we are;
bind the family. You must consider at this critical hour that no vote should be cast to weaken family links, and certainly
Yours sincerely,
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition,
Youth Needs Fatlma
Family, and Property (John Parrot, President)
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THE TFP'S OPEN LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF MINNESOTA Jn Response to the Statements of Archbishop John Roach Speaking in the Name of the Bishops of Minnesota
Your Excellency: In the name of the Bishops of Min
nesota, Your Excellency wrote to Sena tor Walter F. Mondale giving full sup port to his projected Child and Family Services Act. At the same time. Your
Excellency affirmed that the "attacks on that bill are dishonest, and we, as the
Bishops of Minnesota, deplore them." Permit us. Excellency, as Catholics and as Americans, to manifest our pro found bewilderment upon seeing such
harsh language applied to so many outstanding persons who have expressed their apprehensions about this projected law and to thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans who are implicitly, and
without any justification on Your Ex cellency's part, purely and simply classi fied as "dishonest." At the same time.
Excellency, we cannot understand how the Bishops of a whole region of Ameri ca, could have given their full support
to the project in question. Indeed, Excellency, permit us to say that the conception in this bill clashes
about this matter. As we shall see, the
immortal Encyclical Divini lllius Magis-
bill does not obviate the serious doubts
tri, sums up the problem as follows:
of those who find themselves justly alarmed at the totalitarian, collectivist
1.The role of educating is to form man for the present life and for eternal
tendency of public education in our
fife.
country.
Above all. Excellency, we oppose this project because of its inspiration,
2. For this reason pedagogical natu ralism which is especially pernicious for children of a tender age is false and con
which is laicist and "neutral" in relation
demned.
to religion, and, thus, contrary to the Pontifical teachings, some of which we will try to synthesize rapidly in this
the matter of education: the family, the Church, and the State.
open letter.
As one perceives from the texts that follow, the very concept of education implicit in the project is profoundly questionable. Section 503.(e) of the bill proscribes the use of any funds from the educa tional project for any facility that will serve "for sectarian instruction or as a
place for religious worship." Speaking on education in the Encyc lical Nobilissimum Gallorum Gens, Pope Leo XIII says that "to separate religious
formation from the general instruction is to wish, in fact, that children be kept neutral in relation to their obligations to
profoundly with the Catholic doctrine
God." The Pontiff did not hesitate to
on education. It forms part of a broad and growing anti-Christian movement which aims â&#x20AC;&#x201D; be it by legal obligation,
affirm that "this educational method is
false and very pernicious, above all in
moral coercion, or allurement â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to with
to atheism and closes it to religion." The immortal Pope reminds us that, by
draw children more and more from the
tutelage of their parents by means of the educational system.
In order for Your Excellencies to go so far as to affirm that the proposed law
the first years, because it opens the way
Divine and natural law, the parents are required to watch that their children,
when they begin their instruction, do not find anything in the school that of fends against the dignity of the Faith.
is "very careful in providing proper pro tection for the rights of parents," you
{Documentos Pontificios, BAG, Madrid,
must have studied the bill by not con
1958, p. 145).
3. Three distinct orders intervene in
a) The task of educating the off spring belongs to the family by natural right anterior and superi or to those of the State.
b) The Church, in turn, has received Her power to teach from the Sav ior Himself. Just as the rights of the parents derive from the act of generation, the Church, possess
ing spiritual generation ("spiritual
maternity"), has the right to judge all of the disciplines to see wheth er they conform to the moral law.
c) The educative power of thi ? is supplementary and appeuied only later after the family and the Church by a joint effort had developed the school system. 4. Accordingly, the family, the Church, and the State must collaborate for the full development of education.
Permit us. Excellency, to cite some sections of this document of the Magisterium:
In speaking of the direct and inalien
able right of educating the offspring, which is the duty of the family, the Pontiff cites St.Thomas: "It would therefore be contrary to natural law for
sidering entirely everything that has
Pius XI, treating ex professo the
a child to be taken from the care of his
been said and done in our country
matter of the education of youth in his
parents or be disposed of in any way CRUSADE
23
against their will before he had attained
which makes it so easy for parents to
the use of reason"(op. cit, p. 540). And farther on, speaking of the edu
hand their children over to the Federal
cative role of the State, he teaches that
this right comes to it in a different way than it comes to the family and to the Church. This authority also comes from
God, on account of the obligation of the State to promote the temporal common good. But concerning this tem poral common good, it is necessary to understand, as the Pontiff says, that "it consists of a peace and security in which the family and every individual may en
Government, how can we prevent it from increasing even more dangerously the deplorable tendency of certain parents to abandon the moral formation and education of their children? And in
the face of such an actuality, how can we keep these children, who will never have known the indispensable tender ness of their mothers and the continual
assistance of their fathers, from suffer
greatest abundance of spiritual and tem poral goods which is possible in this mortal life by means of the harmonious
ing all of the different kinds of traumas that an artificial education produces? It is indeed indicative that the proj ect foresees the "employment of methods" to eliminate the "psycholog ical barriers" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; according to the words
and active collaboration of all the citi-
of the bill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that hinder children from
joy in the exercise of their rights the
zens."(ibid., p. 545). And from this principle Pius XI draws the following conclusion: "The function of the political authority of
participating in the program? And how is it possible not to fear the worst.
Excellency, in the face of this vague
doctrine and the natural law and which, on the other hand, is so perilously vague
in its objectives and methods? Permit us to manifest our bewilderment publicly.
In truth. Excellency, the projected law was very cleverly written to give the impression that the rights of the parents were protected. The writing was done in order to meet the enormous hostility which
the
project would
encounter
from parents and patriotic organizations and which it is in fact encountering. We may ask why a project drawn up with so much care should leave ambiguous such important points as the ones we have just mentioned. One cannot help but wonder if this was done on purpose. At first sight, it might appear to a superficial reader that the rights of the parents are safeguarded, for example, by the bill's promise to give "ample infor mation" to them and to allow "partici pation" by them in the course of the realization of the programs. However, when one studies the proj
the State is, then, twofold: "to guaran
mention of the "employment of meth ods" and "psychological barriers," when
tee and to promote, but it is by no means the function of the political
clearly specified in the bill?
ect within the context in which we are
Will this program employ "sensitivity training," "psychodrama," and the many other forms of real brainwashing
living in our country, it becomes clear that these vague guarantees are practi
power to absorb the family and the in
dividual or to put itself in dieir place." (idem, id.)
Accordingly, the sovereign Pontiff continues, the State has the power and even the obligation to promote educa tion by means of legislation, but in do ing this, it must always respect the na tural rights of the family and the super natural rights of the Church. "Every State monopoly in matters of education," says the Pope,"which forces families, physically or morally, to send their children to State schools against the obligation of the Christian con science or against their legitimate pref erence is unjust."(ibid, p. 547). Now, Excellency, the project in ques tion, though it may appear acceptable, is in truth conceived entirely according
to that "pedagogical naturalism" con demned by Leo XIII, Pius XI, and other Popes. And what makes Your Excellency's support of this law the more incompre hensible is that the numerous day-care centers presently maintained by the Church which do provide religious in
neither the former nor the latter are
prevalent in our secondary schools to day? Who will guarantee us of the con
trary? The fact is that in respect to the pedagogical methods to be employed, the project is completely vague. The proposed bill prescribes "partday or full-day programs in the child's own home, in group homes, or in other child-care facilities, which provide the educational, health, nutritional, and
social services directed toward enabling children participating in the program to attain the maximum potential." What will these "part-day or full-day pro grams" consist of? In fact, what type of "educational" and "social services" will be offered to the children? That it will be laicist has
already been said. But what will replace religion? What does the bill mean by "their maximum potential"; what is the final, we would say mystical, goal that the program aims to attain? An even graver matter is the provi sion in the bill for treating "mental,
cally worthless. What will be the actual value of such
a participation by the parents in the program?
Imagine a meeting of technical peo ple who are specialists in the different sectors of the program, and consider the prestige which their posts and their real or supposed knowledge give them in the eyes of the typical working class parents. How can they fail to be intimi dated? Participating as they do in the ingenuous and somewhat excessive ad
miration that the people of our day lavish on specialists, won't they accept
as Gospel truth everything that is said to them, perceiving only later the snare
in which they have been caught' Isn't this, in reality, a well-disguised il coercion? We must bear in mind, n .jie over, that a great number of parents will not have time to attend these meetings because of their tight work schedules. And there is more to be said. Every one knows how these mixed committees generally work. To understand this
point, one only needs to have a mini
struction, will inevitably be closed as a
psychological, and emotional barriers to
consequence of this Act, for they will not be able to withstand the competi tion of State centers lavishly supported
full participation in the child and family
mum knowledge of "group dynamics" or "psycho-politics." For example, let
programs." As can be seen, one could not carry
by Federal money, centers which pro hibit the giving of religious formation to
us consider the problem in the abstract: 1. A tiny group, but one that is in
entire agreement on viewpoint, direc
On the other hand. Your Excellency,
imprecision any farther in this grave matter. How then. Excellency, can one give open and unqualified support to a program, which, on the one hand, has
in the case of a project such as this one.
aspects so directly contrary to Catholic
children.
24
CRUSADE
tion, and tactics, suggests to some other people that they form a committee to
"debate" a certain question. (Continued on page 31)
BOOK OF
CHILEAN TFP HAS WORLD-WIDE REPERCUSSIONS
HOLD OF MARXIST CLERGY ON CHILEAN OPINION APPEARS BROKEN
First Editio n
of Book Published in Argentina;
Scheduled for U.S. Publication Also
By Harold Wyn Dletvcastle
of Communism, in its own style, which does not please everyone. But it is just to recognize its merit. It emphasizes es sential problems and not accidental ones. In one period, it was the fight against a catastrophic agrarian reform; today it is
the ambiguities, hypocrisies, secret deals, and evident complicities carried out un
repercussions of the book have been in
against pastoral orientations which it
Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Co lombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Uruguay,
considers irreconcilable with the Magis-
tion to Chile, where they would of course be impossible ... have given this
The book of the Chilean TFP, The
Church of Silence in Chile, is having
world-wide repercussions, reflecting, as is obvious, the profound effect the pub lication of the book has had in Chile.
As is natural, the most extensive
Ecuador, and especially Chile). The repercussions in Argentina have already
terium of the Catholic Church. ". .. much has been written in El
der the cover of evangelical love, charity
for our neighbor, and compassion in respect to tortures actually invented in Russia and only moved in the imagina
book to us.
Mercurio about the ideological struggle "As an example of the height to
led to the publication of the first edi tion of the book by the Argentine Society for the Defense of Tradition,
which we must wage against Commu
Family, and Property.
is a good arsenal in the battle for the
of fire one senses, we recommend read
defense of the future of Chile."
ing page 356 where they developed one
The Repercussions
single phrase with just commas and
In Chile
El Mercurio (Feb. 29). By Father
semicolons, but what a phrase! We do
We
have before us a number of
clippings from various Chilean news papers (El Mercurio, Ercilla, La Segunda, El Sur, Que Pasa, Las Ultimas, Noticias, etc.). We will quote some of these in order to give our readers a sense of the response of the press and the public of Chile to the hook,The Church ofSilence in Chile.
El Mercurio (Feb. 22) "The Church of Silence in Chile is a
book which impresses the reader by its
exposition of the events during the past 15 years when the painful phenomenon called by Pope Paul the "autodemolition of the Church" has occurred here. ..
"The TFP has a long history in which it has defended its ideals and has demon
strated an inflexible position in the face
nism. The book to which I refer, for
which
which we should wish a wide circulation,
youths have reached, they whose breath
Florencio Infante on The Church of Silence in Chile
"We have just seen how the smashing pages of Theresa Dolosa Loero have pro duced the effect of a bomb ...
"Well, then, now let us prepare our selves for the explosion of a superbomb, with the same megatons carried to their
5th power, which doesn't fit within just a few pages, but which expands to close to 500 well-printed, well-illustrated pages with portraits, arguments, and
these
restrained
and
vibrant
not believe there is in Chilean literature
another with this impetus. It would be necessary to go to Proust loadi ' ^v irh high explosives. Their aim isagaii c single person, what a person! And b> a skillful use of suspense... they express
pitilessly what we have desired, what we have been an.xious to hear, just that way, with two hands like a catapult capable of annihilating, sweeping away, and scattering. . . "Who has written it?
"No one. And everyone. It is the
voice which comes from the depths of
documents or that is, everything that is necessary to overthrow a fortress.
the "Church of Silence," that which
"How can we deny that this has ap peared to us to be a beautiful spectacle.
really believes, prays, and hopes without making uprisings, occupying temples, or ravaging them, or altering the traditional
somewhat
worship, that Church to which each one
medieval Crusaders, armed with faith from head to foot, who could not stand
"Certain
youthful and
of us pertains within his heart, in his conscience.
CRUSADE
25
La Segunda(Feb. 23). An Open Letter
one can be a believer and an atheist at
to the TFP from Father Guillhermo
the same time?
Varas Arangua
"I have read the book which you gentlemen have generously put in my hands: The Church ofSileuce in Chile. "Upon reading it, I have arrived at the conclusion which I have affirmed on
repeated occasions publicly in the sec tion "Here the Readers Give Their Opin
ion" of the newspaper La Segunda of this capital; the person most gravely culpable for all that has occurred in the Chilean Church is Cardinal Raul Silva
Henrique/-, and as a complement of that which I have read, 1 want to say that the
bad consequences will not end for this same reason: In spite of that and on ac count of what you say and think for the
Marxist regime in Chile and who today are trying to facilitate its restoration. At
"We arc faced with tire fact that the
the same time, the book shows that the
explanation which one might hope for
systematic favoring of heresy creates, according to Canon Law, the suspicion of heresy which, according to the gravi ty of the case, generates in its turn the
continues in the shadows. As a conse
quence, a beautiful letter which is mov
ing to tears takes on even more resonance and vigor, the one written by the respec
entrance into heresy as such, properly
table and most worthy priest, Father
so-called.
Guillermo Varas Arangua, in which he showed he agreed with that book of in valuable transcendence. The Church of SHence in Chile. This letter which was
published by La Segunda on March 2, 1976, reflects the drama of a moral
grandeur which is the honor and seal of
the fidelity of the Chilean priesthood, the authentic and Catholic one . .
*
ÂŤ
ÂŤ
After initial attempts by the Perma nent Committee of the Chilean Episco
pate and the Apostolic Nuncio to res pond to die book, they have both fallen into silence.
El Sur(March 3). A newspaper from one of the Smaller Chilean Towns
salvation of our Catholicity, we must at
"The Apostolic Nuncio refrained
the cost of our very lives undertake any immolation and any great sacrifices, be
from
commenting
on the problem
raised by the declarations of the group
cause for great evils great remedies are
known as the Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Propert)'. During a dialogue with newspapemien, he em
necessary.
"Consider me in the vanguard, within my possibilities, of your aspirations,
phasized that 'I refer back to the declar
thoughts, desires, and realizations, which
ation of the Nunciature. I have made a
for me constitute not only the standard,
resolution not to answer in public in order not to maintain the polemics.
symbol, and inspiration of heroism for the faith but also a generous love for
This is a small group, but a very active
our God and country."
one.' He added that it was a question of a polarization of peoples which has
La Segunda(March 23)
been manifested in all countries. It is
the hour. The Church ofSilence in Chile,
not exclusive to Chile. 'Groups like this are in Europe. I have seen them in Spain
will recognize a reality which was mak
and in Italy. They exist in France,
ing itself tangible in some Chilean Churches and Religious Houses as early as 1964. This reality, which has taken
Argentina, Brazil, and the United States,
"Those who have read the work of
but they arc not connected.'"
its first steps in history, consists in the fact that the Chilean ecclesiastical com
munity has undergone a profound apos tasy, which has been pushed by various
prelates and clergymen, including the ranks of Cardinal and Archbishop, just as it has occurred and is occurring in other nations.
"We know that in Chile, the schisma
tics maintained the daring purpose of replacing the sacred creed of the Gospels with the socialist-Marxist creed, by us ing the most nonsensical stories or tricks of thesis, texts, or style. ". .. Is it that there were and are
among our religious hierarchs those who
The Marxist Salvador Allende and
REPERCUSSIONS IN THE U.S., EUROPE, AND MOSCOW
Cardinal Silva Henriquez.
Cosme Beccar Varcla, Jr. Brin^ The Truth to the United States
At present, over 30 Chilean priests
Immediately after its publica.
i
have written to the Chilean TFP ex
Chile, the truth about the book
pressing their solidarity with the thesis set forth in The Church of Silence in
brought to the United States by the dy
Chile. The book shows that Cardinal
important best sellers in Argentina, Mr. Cosme Beccar Varela, Jr., president of
Silva Henriquez and most of the Chilean Fpiscopate have supported the cause of Marxism for 15 years, and that Catholics
do not have the obligation of following the erroneous orientation of such Bishops and priests. It points out that according
as
namic lawyer and brilliant writer of
the Argentine Society for the Defense
of Tradition, Family, and Property. In a lightning series of talks in the New York area. Boston, Cleveland, Kansas, California, and Texas, he summarized
are atheist in their thinking and action?
to Canon Law, a Bishop can enter into
the story of the book, presented its con
And if this is so, what reasonable expla nation, not a justifying one, would they
schism not only by breaking with the Roman Pontiff but also by abandoning the essential obligations of his charge. And this is what the facts show has hap pened to the Chilean prelates who colla
clusions and showed their clear founda
have for a
. phenomenon' of such
projection and magnitude? What expla nation and why? Is there by any chance any possible posture or means by which 26
CRUSADE
borated in the implantation of the
tion in Catholic doctrine and the facts,
made clear that the points proved by the book still remained unanswered by the Chilean Marxist hierarchy following (Continued on page 32)
THE CHILEAN TFP SENDS NOTE TO NC NEWS CORRECTING THE UNTRUTHS IN THEIR DISPATCH ABOUT THE CHILEAN TFP AND ITS BOOK
The TFP has become aware of a certain number
of untruths which have appeared in the Catholic
press of America as a result of a release by NC News.
communicate anybody at all; this power is in the hands of the Bishop of each diocese. Moreover, con trary to what was stated by the NC News service,
The Chilean TFP has sent a correction to the NC
this committee never "excommunicated" the "lead
agency, asking them to distribute it. The letter of the Chilean TFP and the note of correction follow:
ers of the TFP." The committee carefully used the word "marginado," which means marginalized, put at the margin and not excommunicated or "put out
Sir:
side the Catholic Church" as the cable said.
The Catholic press of America has published a dispatch of your agency containing several untruths about the book recently published by our organiza tion, the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradi tion, Family and Property (TFP). Enclosed is a copy of the news printed by the Catholic Herald Citizen of
Besides, one of the two signers of the note of the committee. Bishop Camus, who is the general secre tary of the Bishop's Conference, explained in an in terview with the press that it "was a warning and not an excommunication"[El Cronista, Buenos Aires, April 8, 1976).
Milwaukee.
As you certainly are a responsible and serious news agency, we confidently ask you to distribute the indispensable clarification that follows, in order to correct the vilification and defamation of our organ ization. We thank you beforehand for setting the record straight. *
*
*
The Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) issued a note in Santiago, Chile, clarifying a recent NC dispatch concerning the Chilean TFP's new best-selling book, The Church of
Silence in Chile. The note of the TFP says:
(1)The^book of the TFP is not "challenging Church authorities on social teachings and action" as the NC cable says; moreover. The Permanent Com mittee of the Chilean Bishop's Conference criticizing the book did not say that the TFP had done this. The TFP has always fully accepted the complete Catholic teaching. The book demonstrates that it was the ma jority of the Chilean Bishops who did not follow Cath olic doctrine when they abandoned the sacred mission they have to guard the faithful against the Commu nist menace in Chile. It shows how they assisted Al-
lende's rise to power in a powerful way, how they collaborated to help him keep his position in the government, and how today they are working active ly to bring the Red atheists back to power.
In another interview with the press. Bishop Retamal, an expert in canon law who criticized the book of the TFP, stated that instead of excommunicating, the committee "choose to first use its teaching au thority" and that its note was "a delicate and fatherly gesture of the episcopate." He recognized also that excommunication depends "exclusively on the bi shops of each diocese." [Ercilla, Santiago, March 17, 1976).
(3) The TFP has no "branches" in other countries.
Each national TFP is an autonomous society; there are independent TFP's in almost all South American countries and in the U.S.A., each one publishing its own magazine and having its own publishing house. (4) According to NC News, the bishop's "com
mittee protested to the government of Gener.' ! gusto Pinochet for allowing the publication oi .c book." It is puzzling that the bishops who are contin uously on record as having asked for freedom, includ ing freedom of the press, for Communist subversives and terrorists, are now asking the government to cen sure and forbid a Catholic current of public opinion
from lawfully and respectfully printing its point of view. The bishops never asked that similar steps be taken against the Communists, as the book explains. In publishing the book, the TFP based itself on the
religious freedom that the Chilean Constitution guar antees to all Chileans.
(2) In regard to excommunication, the perma nent Committee of the Bishops has no power to ex
(5) NC News quotes some sentences it says are
from the book by the TFP. But there are no such senCRUSADE
27
tences in it. Evidently, the correspondent who wrote the news item did not read the book. He probably copied sentences from press communiques as if they
belonged to the book. We will be glad to offer him a copy if he would actually like to read it. And we may offer it in English, for it will soon be available from Lumen Mariae Publications, P.O. Box 99455, Erieview Station, Cleveland, Ohio 44199.
(6) It was another untruth to confuse the writer
Salvador Valdez with the TFP. He kept a polemic go ing with the liberal Chilean Jesuits long ago, in 1969 and 1970. He discussed only internal scandals among the Jesuits, while the TFP best seller analyzes the general disarray of the Chilean Church as a conse quence of the majority of the bishops supporting the Marxists.
(7) As any well informed Chilean knows, the
book of the TFP is not being "distributed... free of charge" as the NC dispatch claimed. It is being sold in all of the good Chilean bookstores. And though it is not cheap by Chilean standards, it was nonetheless classified for several weeks among the first best sellers in the country, along with another successful book of the TFP, Frei, the Chilean Kerensky. The first edi tions of the book have been quickly sold out. As is customary throughout the world, the TFP sent a
certain number of copies to reviewers, newsmen, and supporters of the organization. (8) There is no basis whatsoever for the claim that several printers refused to make the book. The TFP printed two editions on its own machines. But needing a third one quickly, the book being unex pectedly sold out, the TFP ordered it from the big Gabriela Mistral Co., which belongs to the govern ment; But since this company wanted to charge too much to produce it quickly, the TFP decided to
switch to the Chilean University Printing Company. No other company was approached. (9) Finally, neither the TFP nor the printer ever heard of the Hollywoodian account of how the workers had refused to print the book in solidarity with Santiago's Cardinal. No newspaper or magazine ever printed such incredible gossip. As can be seen, the whole story had a strong bias against the TFP, and ignored the fact that the best seller was based on Catholic doctrine, analyzing some 200 documents of the bishops in a serene and respect ful tone, as Americans will soon be able to see for
themselves by reading the American edition. The Chilean TFP, in sending its clarification to NC, is sure that the agency, which is considered to be responsible, will set the record straight.
NOTE OF THE PERMANENT COMMITTEE OF THE EPISCOPATE OF CHILE* "For some time now there have been diverse tendencies in one direc
ways accompanied us in our decisions
with
enormous clarity and tender
tion or another to construct in the
kindness. We recall the words of Jesus
Chilean Catholic Church
a parallel
Christ: 'He who hears you, hears me,
magisterium. The ultimate concrete expression of this we see in the book
and he who despises you, despises me' (Luke 10:16) and we find ourselves obliged to express publicly:
The Church of Silence in Chile edited
by the so-called Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. "We
know
that
we
have
been
placed by the Holy Spirit to govern the Church of God (Acts 20: 28). And we are in profound communion with
the Holy Father Paul VI, who has al
Holy Father and the legitimate bishops. He who does not accept this doctrine does not belong to the Caf^^'ir Church..
"3. It seems strange to us that m "I.The persons who have collabo
rated in these writings and in this cam paign whether it be by writing, editing, or distributing this publication, have put themselves by their own actions
the present situation such .an attack is permitted, and that in a regime of authority proclaiming the Christian orientation of its principles, people are allowed freely to offend Holy
at the margin of the Catholic Church,
Mother Church in this manner and call
whose spirit is absolutely opposed to what they are doing.
for
disobedience to its legitimate
shepherds."
Juan Francisco Fresno, Archbishop of la Serena,
Carlos Camus Larena,
President of the Episcopal Conference of Chile
Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Chile
For the Chilean TFP's answer to this note, see CRUSADE, March-Aprii, 1976, p. 14. 2e
"2. We ask Catholics that they keep in mind that the Church is built on Jesus Christ in communion with the
CRUSADE
32 PRIESTS DECLARE THE TFP IS RICHT The Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property
has received the following letter *of support for its best-selling book entitled: The Church ofSilence in Chile: The TFP Proclaims the Whole Truth.
"Honorable Directors of the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property "We, the undersigned Catholic priests, have read with full attention the
book The Church of Silence in Chile which was written and edited by members of the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. "We must declare frankly that a prolonged analysis of this work permits us to affirm publicly and without fear of being contradicted that there is nothing
objectionable in this work. In other words, all of the events related in its pages are solidly documented and the doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church is perfect ly well expounded in them.
"This being the case, one can only applaud the integrity of faith and cour age which moved the youths of the TFP to publish The Church of Silence in Chile.
"We consider, however, that the controversy which the book has aroused, demands from us not only a word of applause but also an expression of sadness. We lament, indeed, that by a mistake - perfectly attributable to the influence which human passions have in times of crisis - the ecclesiastical authorities have adopted an attitude of rejection in relation to the aforementioned work which it by no means merits.
"We believe, therefore, that in formulating this declaration of support for and praise of the work The Church of Silence in Chile and its authors, we are performing an act of justice. In making this declaration, we wish to make clear
that we are not motivated by any intention to stir up polemics or to show lack of due respect for the authorities. Most cordially yours in Christ,
Fr. Ernesto Alcayaga
Fr. Francisco Martinez de Quintana
Fr. Luis Alvarado
Fr. Francisco Martinez Ortiz
Fr. Raimundo Arancibia
Fr. Guillermo Mateluna
Fr. Alfonso Araya
Fr. Jose Gregorio Mesa
Fr. Alberto Chandia Fr. Estanislao Domenech
Fr. Humberto Montes
Fr. Humberto Moatt
Rev. Fr. Alfonso Donoso
Friar Milton Pino OP Rev. Fr. Estanislao Ramor CMP
Fr. Manuel Escalona
Friar Damascene Espinoza, OFM Fr. Luis Gutierrez
Fr. Edmundo Rivera Fr. Pedro Ruiz
Fr. Hugo Herrera M.
Fr. Francisco Salgado
Rev. Fr. Jose Anibal lluffi, CSR
Rev. Fr. Luis Santamaria CMF
Fr. Tadeo Lagorski
Fr. Domingo Soto
Fr. Luis Lineros
Fr. Manuel Valderrama
Rev. Fr. Francisco Llerena
Fr. Guillermo Varas A.
Fr. Jaime Manrique, OP
Fr. Jorge Wilde May, 1976
^Published as an Open Letter in La Tercera de la Hora, June 9, 1976, page 13.
COMMUNISM
(Continuedfrontpage I) press of the world. We say conspiracy, because it is impossible otherwise to explain how a press usually so eager to exploit even the little daily incidents of
various names that do not suggest Com
me also . .. that she commanded the
munism, they establish organizations
Jumanos to call us and that she had instructed them during all this time. She
and periodicals with the sole purpose of carrying their ideas into quarters other wise inaccessible. They try perfidiously to worm their way into professedly Catholic and religious organizations. A-
gave me all their signs and [declared] she had been with them. She knows
Captain Tuerto (the one-eyed Captain) very well, having given me his personal
gain witliout receding an inch from their
characteristics and that of all the others.
subversive principles, they invite Catho
She herself sent the messengers ... to
life has been able to remain silent for so
lics to collaborate with them in the
call the missionaries."^
long about the horrors perpetrated in
realm of so-called humanicarianism and
Russia, in Mexico, and even in a great
charity; and at times even make propos als that are in perfect harmony with the
part'of Spain; and that it should have relatively so little to say concerning a world organization as vast as Russian the
beginning
Church . ..
"See to it, Venerable Brethren, that
Communism . . ,
"In
Christian spirit and the doctrine of the
Communism
the faithful do not allow themselves
CONCLUSION There are several beautiful considera
tions involved in these extraordinary
happenings. First, we note that the miraculous
showed itself for what it was in all its
to be deceived! Communism is intrinsi
visits of the Venerable Mother Maria de
perversity; but very soon it realized that it was thus alienating the people. It has
cally wrong, and no one who would save
therefore changed its tactics, and strives to entice the multitudes by trickery of various kinds, hiding its real designs be hind ideas that in themselves are good
with it in any undertaking whatsoever." â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Pius XI, Encyclical DiviniRedeniptoris,
Jesus de Agreda began in 1620 (about 100 years after Cortez conquered Montezuma and destroyed his idols and the
Christian civilization may collaborate
cult of human sacrifice), and that they
ceased in 1631 (100 years after the Mir
1937
acle of Guadalupe occurred, a miracle
and attractive. Thus, aware of the uni
that resulted in the rapid conversion of eight million Indians).
versal desire for peace, the leaders of Communism pretend to be the most zealous promoters and propagandists in the movement for world amity. Yet at the same time they stir up a class warfare
(Continued from page 5) to the feet. The cloak is of blue cloth,
was claimed for the Faith, a period that
that causes rivers of blood to flow, and,
coarse, with a black veil."
culminated in the Miracle of Guadalupe.
MARIA DE AGREDA
Thus, the miraculous visits of Mother Maria de Jesus occurred during the cen
tennial of the period in which Mexico
realizing that their system offers no in
"The first time she went was in the
And the miraculous instruction of the
ternal guarantee of peace, they have re
year 1620. She has continued [these
Jumano Indians during this period shows
course to unlimited armaments. Under
visits] ever since until 1631 ... She told
in the first place the continuing tender ness of the Mother of God toward the
Indian peoples. Now it must be noted that Our Lady
of Guadalupe is the patroness not only of Mexico but of the whole Western
hemisphere. As the Entirely Perfect Virgin who crushes the serpent of idola try and Revolution, She is the Immacu
late Conception. We may see, therefore, that the Bishops of Baltimore acted in accord with the most perfect American tradition when they conscci d the United States to the Immacui
in
ception in 1846, several years betorc the infallible pronouncement of that dogma by Pius IX.
v!f
The Venerable Mother Maria de Jesus de Agreda had a special devotion to the
Immaculate Conception, beingprofesscd in the Convent of the same name and the author of a sublime book about the
Blessed Virgin called The City of God.
In this work several chapters are devoted to describing the hidden glories of Mary as the Immaculate Conception.
The words of Our Lady of Fatima, "In the end My Immaculate Heart will Painting representing Our Lady dictating The City of God to Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda. At the right: King Philip IV reading it. 30
CRUSADE
^Benavidcs, Tanto que se saco de una Carta.. ., pp. 4-5, 6-7.
triumph!" constitute a prophecy ot tne triumph of the Immaculate Conception over the Gnostic and egalitarian Revolu tion and of the beginning of Her reign ^
*
The events described in this essay are
but a pale reflection of the Immaculate Conception by which the Most Holy Mark 's body was formed from natural faculties and materials by the Miracu lous power of the Divinity. Nevertheless, in that they show grace building quickly
to a high point, using the most limited materials in the order of nature, they provide a glimpse and foretaste of the Reign of Mary in which the Mediatrix of all Graces will implant the law of Grace in the hearts of men.
the orientation of the committee, either
to safeguard the family, as supporters of
fall into passivity or, as is more com mon, leave the group.
to safeguard the bill from being defeated by those who truly defend and support the family. It is the second context of the bill,
its second philosophy, which is the one that is intended to prevail. It is this context that would give the Federal Government and its "experts" control
over the development and rearing of children, consuming astronomical amounts of dollars and having dangerous anti-family effects in the moral sphere while providing an instrument for collec tivization and the advance of Commu
nism. The TFP refers to this second
context of the bill, within the frame AUTODEMOLITION
(Continued from page 13) pressed pledge — at Helsinki in July 1975 — to "respect fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, con science, religion, or belief." HOW MANY CATHOLICS ARE NOW IN CHINA?
Rome (AIF) — "An NC report has
5. Feeling themselves to be isolated, persons who are in disagreement with
this first context of the bill is not there
the bill try to claim, but rather is there
over the whole world. *
ents and the government in Sec. 2.(4). Accordingly, the TFP concludes that
Now, to return to our initial line of
reasoning,since the program isareligious, not to say anti-religious, and since it will eliminate "the barriers" which keep the children from "full participation," what type of education will our children re ceive? In fact, who will protect the parents themselves from becoming in volved, through these leadership commit tees, in the type of education that these committees will seek to give their child ren?
But, we ask ourselves, couldn't Your
Excellencies say the program is volun tary? We would like to believe that Your
work of the whole, as a camouflaged collectivist beachhead for establishing a
Excellencies will not use such an argu ment, because it is contrary to Catholic
conception of the world and society which "has no high values, no belief in the natural order, and no respect for the family or the individual" and which "in spires a totalitarian all-encompassing State that eliminates the rights of the
doctrine. Your Excellencies know very well — as St. Paul teaches — that one
cannot draw good from evil; that is to say, no one has the right to propose or to accept something immoral in itself. But will the program really be volun
family." This bill can only be defeated if you
tary?
act. Review immediately the What You May Do section, and act now!
choice in this strange partnership with the all-powerful Federal Government,
Will the mothers have freedom of
quoted Henri Fesquet, religion editor
which will use its billions of dollars and
of Le Monde, as saying that the Vicar General of Peking told him on a recent
mighty power to eliminate inevitably the many optional, presently-existing programs, be they private, religious, or
visit to China that there are two million
baptized Catholics in China. "In Peking, he said, there are 6000 Catholics, 20priests, 20seminarians, and 30 sisters. The Vicar General, whose name was not revealed, said that'Chinese
BISHOPS
municipal? Does not this constitute such a di
(Continued from page 24)
lemma that it ends by exerting a moral force that unjustly compels the parents to accept this atheistic and collectivized
Catholics are in union with the Pope, but not with Vatican city, which recognizes
2. The nucleus that is running things has well-defined ideas and a previously established program. The rest of them
the Government of Formosa.'
will have confused or scattered ideas, or,
the Divine and natural law, which are,
"Apart from a church in Peking which is open mainly for the use of foreign
at least, will not be entirely united among themselves. In short, they will not be a solid body. 3. By the use of psychological tech niques or by taking advantage of certain natural sympathies, the members of the nucleus attract to their sphere of influ ence some people who come to admire them and to agree systematically with them, even without understanding them. These people consider themselves to be advanced because they are in agreement with persons culturally superior to them
therefore, immutable, has explained
diplomatic personnel, there are no churches open for worship in China."
TFP ON DAY-CARE
(Continued from page 16) diminishing its stated voluntary nature. .Among these are (a) the large number of regulations to be imposed during the im plementation of the bill, (b) the defini tion of "parent" as ''any person who has primary day-to-day responsibility (or any child"(emphasis added), and(c)the shaky partnership that is set up between par
selves.
4. The ideas are presented gradually,
beginning with proposals that are easily
education?
Pius XI, using arguments drawn from
that this situation is characteristi
totalitarian states, which conceive
every right as emanating from the State. Such a moral coercion, as terrible or
perhaps worse than physical coercion,
would not exist, if the State presented CORRECTIONS
1. In the March-April, 1976 issue
on page 23, in caption, St. Pius X should be St. Pius V.
2. In the March-April, 1976 issue in the box, third paragraph, third line, "outside of" is a mistransla
accepted by the majority. Discontented
tion. It should read "at the margin
persons are gradually and cleverly made
of."
unpopular and pushed aside. CRUSADE
31
Europe: More Repercussions
could elect one in good conscience, without harm to his natural right to
haps serve to assist you to rcstudy the support which you have perhaps a bit hurriedly given to the Child and Family Services Act, and that you will serenely
educate his children and
and firmly point out the harm that can
indicate briefly: France (Le Courrier dc
come of it.
Your Excellencies may be assured
L'Oust, Le Maine Libre, La Croix, Tenioignage Chretien, Le Monde, Quest-
that in doing so you will have the grati tude of millions of parents who are in
France)-, Italy (L'Unita, etc.). Misrepre sentations have been serenely corrected
valid options to solve a real difficulty, among which, a Catholic and citizen
without of
fending against the principle of subsid iarity. Accordingly, then, why not seek to assist the many programs already in existence, programs which, moreover have room for many more children?
The cost in taxpayers' money would be incomparably less, and families would be truly assisted without being forced to submit to the whims of "technicians"
with strange anti-Christian ideologies. This could have been done by the au
thors of the proposed legislation if they really wanted to strengthen the family. There, Excellency, you have now be
fore you the grave concerns which our hearts as Catholic Americans have urged us to communicate to you. We are at
anguish over a problem that is tearing
by the Bureau for Europe of the Society
them to pieces. If you do not do so.
for the Defense of Tradition, Familv,
Your Excellencies will have to bear part of the responsibility for the grave and painful consequences that will come from this unhappy project. It is Your Excellencies' turn to speak. Praying and hoping that Your E.\cellencics will pronounce the words that could save our children from catastro
phe, we are respectfully In Jesu et Maria.
and Property, which has its headquarters in Paris. This necessary correction b)'
the Bureau has been carried b)' Le Mon de and other publications. Moscow Acts to Protect
The Marxist Clergy Moscow, seeing that the influence of the Marxist clergj' has been weakened by the book, unleashed several radio at
tacks against the Chilean TFP and came
taching, for your information, a copy of
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and
the analysis of this bill which we are sending to the Congress. We arc still
Properly (John
hopeful that these arguments may per
News about the book has appeared systematically in European countries, some publications of which we will
Parrot, President)
June 11, 1976
to the defense of Cardinal Raul Silva
Flenriquez and a great part of the Epis copate and clcrg)'. As the Chilean TFP has pointed out, this was an error and a grave one, for it confirms veiy well the
"Catholic"-Communist pact demonstra ted by the book of the TFP. In retrospect and considering the real
events which are happening in Chile, we must wonder what Mr. Kissinger's visit
CHILEAN TFP
(Continued from page 26)
to that country recently really means.
Cardinal Silva Henriquez, demonstrated
What did Mr. Kissinger see in the faces of the Chilean people which caused him,
that the declaration of the Permanent
Committee of the Chilean Episcopate
Si
which claimed that the Chilean 'I'F'P in
writing this book had placed itself "on the margin of the Church" was not an excommunication as was being claimed
as the press reports, to be deeply moved? Why is he threatening economic repris als if the Chilean government does not show signs of liberality toward Commu nist political prisoners? Why was he
never deeply moved by the expressions
by an NC News release. Mr. Varela, Jr.
on the faces of the enslaved masses in
showed that the book by its profundity
Russia and China? Why is he not con
and consistency had already achieved a
cerned by the inhuman treatment of
tremendous triumph over public opin ion in Chile. He answered serenely and with convincing, soundly-reasoned argu mentation the questions of all comers.
Mr. Cosme Beccar Varela, Jr., in the
Everyone was deeply impressed by the
singer, and the progressive clergy in
United States defending the book
different countries of the world?
talk of Mr. Varela.
political prisoners in these c What is happening in Chile tl.
much feared by the Kremlin, Mr. Kis
by the Chilean TFP. *
NC News Release Answered
By Chilean TFP As we have said, an NC News Release
has been widely published by the Catho
les? so
by reading the answer to it prepared by the Chilean TFP, which is published in this issue of CRUSADE. The American TI'P has sent the realeasc to NC News
ÂŤ
*
Let us pray that the eyes of Catholic people in other nations will also be opened to the danger that comes from a leftist clergy, as has already happened in
lic press of this country (The Tablet of Brooklyn; The Guardian, Arkansas; H'f
and all the papers which published the
Chile through the publication of The
defamations, asking that corrective ac
Church ofSilence in Chile.
Catholic Herald Citizen, Los Angeles
tion be taken.
Herald Examiner; The Advocate, The
The book The Church of Silence in Chile is scheduled for early publication here by Lumen Mariae Publications
Remnant; The Michigan Catholic; Our Sunday Visitor, etc.). The NC Release about the book contains many errors and misrepresentations, as can be seen 32
CRUSADE
(P. O. Box 99455, Erievicw Station, Cleveland, Ohio 44199).
mm By Bishijp A.ntonio de Castro Mayer This book presents a profound critique of the doctrinal and moral dangers within the SDSOL
Cursillo movement and the inevitable conse
quences in the socio-economic sphere. In reading this book you will learn how traditional spirituality, even that of the saints, has been ridiculed in some Cursillo circles; how the hierarchy of human faculties is overturned and
intellectual faith is replaced by a "faith" of emotions; how the effects of original sin are
A bi-monthly magazine, spokesman of the American TFP. Provides a penetrating analysis
of international events relating to both the Church and secular society, and articles on the
doctrinal, historical, philosophical, and aesthe
belittled, egalitarianism within the Church is
tic foundations of Christian Civilization. Shows
promoted, and Jesus Christ is referred to as a
just what must be done if the Christian Civiliza
"Big Boss
tion is to be restored.
how subversion of present political
and social structures is fostered, and in a manner favorable to Communism.
Cursillos in Christianity is not only useful for analyzing the Cursillos, but also provides the doctrinal foundation for scrutinizing any
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. a t ■ '• -AiJ'v'.'tJ
«ri -'.
' •-• ■ »•
■//
>•!
I
i The TFP defends the family: In the streets and plazas of New York City, it distributes Its Open Letter to the Congressmen of America, denouncing the Child and Family Services Act. (The close-ups were taken on Fifth Avenue, showing the interest of the people in the campaign.)
Jety-Octdber V
#
.N
».,
w
l®iii
i
%»
I tone
JESZCZE tu 0 KSIEZCt ZBIGNIiWA ZAIUSKIESG
KFRUNK DIALOGO,
STOSDIII W PIACT
COEXISTENCIA E HECAT0M6E OTWARTY
TERMONUCLEAR
DOEJRPUNiO
Plinio Correa de Oliveira's essay, "The Church and the Communist
State: the Impossible Coexistence" has even penetrated the Iron Cur PRZEPUSTKADO PRZYSZLOSCI
tain. The Polish "Catholic'-Marxist
journal Kierunki, shown at the left,
mounted violent attacks against the essay on its frontpage, which, in a running debate, were answered serenely by Prof. Oliveira in Catoli-
ANO XV • PEVERQRO 1005 • N.« 170
THE CENTRAL QUESTION POSED BY THIS ESSAY As is well known, it is possible to have a Communist regime in which the Church is allowed to continue functioning, but with only a minimum amount of freedom. An example of such a situation is provided by Poland.
This raises a question. Is it legitimate for a Catholic in the HVest to view as a morally acceptable possibility the imposition of such a Communist regime in his own nation? There is no way of avoiding this question. It is, on the one hand, certainty possible that for political reasons a Commu
nist regime may grant this marginal freedom to the Church for a considerable period of time as in the case of Poland. It is also possible, on the other hand, that the nations of the West may be forced to choose in the not-too-distant future between the lesser of two evils: nuclear warfare and Communist domination.
If it is licit for the Church to accept a partial liberty under Communist domination, perhaps the lesser of the two evils
may be to permit the victory of Marxism to avoid the hecatomb of atomic war. But if this coexistence represents a grave risk of complete or almost complete extirpation of the faith, the case is different. Then, to accept the struggle against Marxism would be the lesser evil, for the loss of the faith is a greater evil than the destruction of everything that an atomic war could touch. How imminent, how palpable this question is! Consider the photograph on the front cover of this magazine. It shows a Communist demonstration in front of the Cathedral In Milan which occurred during the recent Italian elections. This scene, situated in the nation which is the very seat of the Church, brings the Church and Communism into a tragic proximity. Who can fail to grasp the direction and import of such a scene?
Yet there is only one solution to the central question we have raised, and it is argued convincingly by Plinio Correa de Oliveira in his essay,"The Church and the Communist State, the Impossible Coexistence."
•v..
A A
/ ^ La K)
^\J sOs /y/
^
*. ■» ••
. 'Z3
Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira, the author of
•
V .)
'A
»•
'
"The Church and the Communist State: the
Impossible Coexistence."
Osusafte Fon» ChRistian Civilization Editor: John Hart Circulation Director: Philip Moran
a
Foreign correspondents: Jules Ubbelohde (England), Guy de Rider (France), Jose Luis de Zayas (Spain), Luis Dufour (Italy), Michel Renaud (Canada), Aloisio Schelini
(Brazil),
Pedro
Morazzani
(Venezuela)
July-Get., 1976
Nos.4,5
CONTENTS
□ Raul of Chester, 1 I I The Catholic Must Resist Unjust Laws, 1
I I Pius IX, the Immaculate Conception, Infallibility, 2
r~l The Church of Silence in Chile, Spread and Repercussions, 4
□ Brazil's Silent Bishops, 5 I I The Vatican Intervenes In Chile, 8
□ Cesar Chavez and Helder Camara, 10
n American TFP and Child-Care Bill, 12 D The Church and the Communist State: the Impossible Coexistence (Oliveira), 15
I I In Red China: "the Kingdom of God." 40
□ Two Ways of Dying (St.Therese and Stalin), 46
Raul of Chester Count Raul of Chester was the founder of the Cistercian abbey of Dieulacres. He was returning from the Crusade in which Damietta
was captured (and where he had covered himself with glory) when a violent tempest broke over the ship in which he was sailing.
It was already ten o'clock at night, and the danger increased at every instant. The count exhorted the voyagers to redouble their efforts for just a minute more, promising them that the tempest would pass. He himself joined them in the labors involved in maneu vering the ship, and worked more than anyone else. Afterwards, the wind ceased, and the sea grew calm. When the pilot asked Raul of Chester why he had ordered them to work only a
minute more, the count answered: "Because beginning at that time, the monks and other religious whom my ancestors and I have estab lished in various places, were preparing to chant the Divine Office, and knowing that they would be praying at that moment, I hoped from Heaven that thanks to them the storm would stop." — LesMoines d'Occident, Montalembert, p. 35.
□ Indochinese Refugees, 48 0 A Just Chastisement, 49 1 I Albania: a Hope Survives, 50 I I The Marvelous, the Real, and the Horrendous in the Literature
for Children, 52
(§^orgof[en SrufFis
n Rise of Communism in Italy, 54 D All Souls' Day (Parrot), 55 DEPARTMENTS Medieval Wisdom, 1
Forgotten Truths, 1 Religion, 2 The News in Focus, 56 Our Reader's Write, 60
Crusade for a Christian Civilization P.O. Box 1281, New Rochelle, N. Y.
10802 Issued bi-monthly. Annual sub
scription - $9.50. Foreign - $10.50. Application to mail at Second Class Post age is pending at New Rochelle, N.V. 10802.
THE CATHOLIC MUST RESIST UNJUST LAWS
". . . She (the Catholic Church) accepts any form of government, provided that it is not in conflict with Divine and human rights. But where there is any conflict between the laws of the state and Divine and human rights, bishops and faithful, fully conscious of their own duty, must resist unjust laws." — Pius XII, Address to the Sacred College of Cardinals, on February 14, 1949 CRUSADE
1
Religion
The Glory of Pius IX: The Dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and Infallibility
By Thomas Bell
she have the least note of original sin. The inflexible law by which all of the descendants of Adam and Eve would
which is perverse, and he tries to find
have original sin, was suspended in re spect to Our Lady and naturally in respect to the most sacred humanity of
evil in everything. Now then, the idea that a being could be so celestially good, so celestially holy from the first instant of her being is obviously such as to cause
Jesus Christ.
Pope Pius IX had an extremely long pontificate divided into two distinct parts. In the first months of his ponti ficate, he had a liberal formation, and because of this he favored liberalism in
the pontifical states, a group of medieval fiefs having Rome as their capital and
the Pope as their King. Afterwards, there was a revolution and this opened
the eyes of the Pope. He had to flee from the Papal states, and took refuge in the territory of the ancient kingdom
of Naples, which was then faithful to him and which constituted the southern
part of the Italian peninsula. There then, considering well what the revolu
tion was, he changed his orientation and became one of the most counter-revolu
tionary Popes of History. Two particu larly counter-revolutionary acts on his
part were the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and later
the definition of the dogma of Papal In fallibility.
trace of evil. Being perverse himself, he feels a harmony and sympathy with that
Our Lady was not subject to the bad impulses, bad inclinations, and bad ten dencies which afflict men. Everything in
hatred in a revolutionary. Imagine a person filled with impurity, lost in impurity, filled with impure incli
Her was a continuous movement toward
nations that lead him every which way,
God. She was a perfect example of liberty in the sense that everything indi cated to her by reason illuminated by faith she wanted entirely without having within herself any kind of interior obsta
feeling depression and naturally shame, because he knows he gave his consent
to these impurities,considering Our Lady who has no desire for impurity, who is the most transcendental purity. He will
cle to it. Grace, on the other hand, filled
obviously feel a hatred and an antipathy
her to overflowing. She was full of grace so that the impulsewith which her whole
toward Her, because he senses that his pride is crushed by the Immaculate Pur
being moved toward anything that was
ity of Her of whom he is thinking. To
true and toward everything that was good
define such an absence of pride, such an
was truly ineffable. Our Lord Jesus Christ was not a mere
absence of sensuality, such an absence of any itch of the Revolution in that
human creature; He was human nature
united to the Divine Nature, forming one single person. But for a mere human
privileged being, was to make it such an object of repudiation on the part of Our Lady as to cause the revolui 'cs to
creature, such as Our Lady was, to have
be hurt and filled with hate.
this extraordinary privilege was funda mentally anti-egalitarian. To define this dogma was to define such an inequality in the work of God, and such a superior ity of Our Lady over all other human beings, that it was bound to make all
Within the Church, there have always been two currents: one that fought against the Immaculate Conception and another that was favorable to it. Natural
ly it would be an exaggeration to say
THE IMMACULATE
egalitarian spirits foam at the mouth
that everyone who fought against the
CONCEPTION
with hatred.
Immaculate Conception did so because
There were two particularly counter
(2) But there was an even profounder
he was under the influence of revolution
ary itches. But it is a fact that everyone
revolutionary notes in respect to the
reason for the Revolution's hatred of
definition of the dogma of the Immacu late Conception. (1) As is well known, the dogma
this dogma.That reason is as follows: the
who was under the influence of revolu
revolutionary loves evil, he is a sympa thizer with evil, he rejoices when he finds
tionary itches,combated the Immaculate
teaches that Our Lady was conceived
a trace of evil in someone; he is, on the
who fought in favor of it by asking for
without original sin from the first mo
contrary, very sorry when he sees a per son in whom he does not perceive any
the proclamation of the dogma of the
ment of Her being. At no moment did 2 CRUSADE
Conception. On the other hand, those
Immaculate
Conception, showed
a
counter-revolutionary mentality in re spect to this point.
Thus we can say that in a certain way
the struggle of Revolution and Counter revolution was present in the struggle between these two theological currents. And it is not difficult to understand how
in an epoch in which the Revolution was already breathing flames throughout the world, there were those who were
indignant over the definition of this dogma. There is another reason why the liber
f V V-., ■
als found the definition of this dogma odious: it is that the dogma of Papal In fallibility had not yet been defined. There was a current of opinion in the Church which maintained that the Pope by himself was not infallible. They held
that he was infallible only when he de fined a dogma in association with a Council. But Pius IX, before the dogma of Papal Infallibility had been defined,
purely and simply ordered a consultation on the Immaculate Conception; he con
'-- -•--.— '^,1. J-OJITI FEX MA X Our Lady of Confidence
sulted a series of theologians and after wards all of the Bishops of the world,
and then, on his own authority, making use of Papal Infallibility, he defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. That for a liberal theologian was a kind
of begging of the question. Since it had not been defined that he could define,
how was he going to define? He, on the contrary, by defining affirmed that he had Papal Infallibility. This was a thun derclap which caused an explosion of indignation in the revolutionary world. What a shock that was for the im
pious world, what sarcasm wasunleashed
upon the Pope who, at the moment the abyss was opening up before his steps as a temporal king, gave himself up to
questions of pure theology. But a Pope is a theologian before he is a king. And when he pronounced these memorable
words which filled the cupola of St. Peter's in the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, a ray of sunlight passing through an open window illuminated the resplendent face of Moses on the height of Sinai.
baptized with the name of Conception precisely in honor of the new dogma. In this way the parents affirmed that these little girls had been consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. But Pius IX went further. At this
time, the capital of European Protes tantism was Geneva, the focus of Calvin
Council. And during Vatican Council I, he defined the dogma of Papal Infalli bility. It was really beautiful. When he arose to define the dogma, a tempest burst over the Church of St. Peter. There were
changes in Swiss legislation, it became permissible for a Catholic Cathedral to
lighming bolts and thunderclaps. One
be constructed in Geneva in the time of
hatred ofhell were unchained and throw
Pius IX. When he learned of this, he sent
ing nature into a convulsion. Imagine the majestic figure of the Pontiff stand ing in the midst of the lightning bolts and roaring thunder, defining the infalli bility of the Papacy. What happened? Some days after the definition of r '"il
word that he would send a statue as a
present. The statue was the image of the Immaculate Conception to be placed in the center of Geneva to affirm and pro claim that dogma which the Protestant revolutionaries hated more than any thing. In this way, Pius IX led the fight
would say that all of the elements of the
Infallibility, the French troops (th the troops that were protecting the
against the Revolution in his time and in
Pope) withdrew from Rome, and Gari
his pontificate.
baldi's troops penetrated the Holy City. The Pope became a prisoner in the Vati
THE DOGMA OF PAPAL
can. But such was the prestige which Papal Infallibility gave the Pope, such washis authority over the whole Church,
The canon of the Castle of St. Angelo roared as in its best days, the innumer able bell towers of Rome proclaimed
tical situation. The armies of Garibaldi
the news, and Rome lit up that night and thousands of cities all over the world
threatened the Papal States more and more, undermining his temporal power.
imitated her. Millions of souls celebrated
The liberals made fun of him, "What
There was an enormous enthusiasm
when the Papal States were almost ready to fall, he convoked the First Vatican
ism. It happened that because of certain
INFALLIBILITY
the glory of Mary in whom God had put the fullness of all good ...
followed. But he went further. In 1870
Pius IX was in an extremely bad poli
kind of a Pope king is this, he is losing his land, and he is worrying about de fining dogma." Pius IX was not dis
that historians say not even the power of the Popes of the Middle Ages was greater than that of Pius IX. So then we
have an analogy between Pius IX and Gregory VII; St. Gregory forced an em
peror of the Holy Roman-German Em
pire to bow down before him, begging
in the Counter-revolutionary world. Eve
tracted by this. He defined the dogma,
pardon. Pius IX did something even
rywhere there began to appear little girls
and a universal explosion of enthusiasm
(Continued on page 57) CRUSADE
3
BEST SELLER OF CHILEAN TFP
PENETRATES THROUGHOUT SOUTH AMERICA
By Harold Wyn Newcastle The Church of Silence in Chile has now been published in special editions throughout the length and breadth of South America with remarkable repercussions. The book of the Chilean TFP documents the collab oration of Marxist-oriented shepherds with Marxism for a period of 15 years, and shows how the collaboration
ist hierarchy and clergy became the spearhead of the Marxist advance in Chile. This serene, sober, and wellbalanced work, by proving that the Marxist clergy is the keystone of the Communist advance, serves as a prism through which the growing anti-communist reaction on the continent may be brought into intelligent focus. The best seller has appeared in special editions in Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, etc., each edition carrying its own preface emphasizing the analogies between the support given by the Chilean Episcopate to Communism and the leftist attitudes displayed by its own episcopate.
The reality that emerges from all of this is as follows: the Catholic hierarchy to the extent that it abstains from the combat against Communist subversion is isolating itself within the national context. What are the consequences of this failure to combat Communist subversion? What is the correct remedy for it? These are the problems treated by Plinio Correa de Oliveira in his brilliant new book,Brazil â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 1976: The Church in Face ofthe Rise of the Communist Menace â&#x20AC;&#x201D; An Appeal to the Silent Bishops. The book which con tains a resume of The Church of Silence in Chile may be viewed as a natural extension and refinement of the crystallization of public opinion in South America which the Chilean book reflects so accurately. Professor Oliveira's book is discussed more fully on the facing page.
REMARKABLE INTERNATIONAL REPERCUSSIONS Argentina
Seeing conditions in Argentina which were analo-
to those in Chile, the Argentine TFP published
Uruguay
In this South American country, The Church of
Chile has been having a similar success.
the best-selling book of the Chilean TFP under the tide The
Members of the Uruguayan TFP are selling the Argentine edi
Church of Silence in Chile: A Theme for Meditation by Argen
tion of the book with a special introduction that rela;
tine Catholics.
the Uruguayan situation.
A penetrating and substantial preface by Dr. Cosme Beccar Varela, Jr., brings into focus the importance of the book as a means of clarifying the responsibility of part of the Argentine Episcopate for the chaos in which the country finds itself.
The Chilean best seller is moving very well in Monte video as well as in the countryside. The seats of the Uruguayan TFP have been receiving innumerable requests for books by
Right after the publication of the book, the main papers of Buenos Aires {La Nacion, La Prensa, La Opinion, etc.) and
those from other principal cities of the country gave wide pub licity to the matter. The radio and television stations also com
to
phone and by mail, as this edition continues to sell in book stores, where it is prominendy displayed. The daily press has published comments and news articles about the book, while the main television and radio stations of Montevideo have been
mented on the book.
echoing the good reception which the public is giving it.
Now applauded, now attacked, the book spread rapidly all over Argentina. In Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza, Tucuman, Rosario, and other important capitals of provinces, the book stores displayed it prominently and sold it abundandy. Members of the Argentine TFP are traveling through the main cities selling the book which is also being offered on the
How may we account for this interest? As the respective prefaces emphasize, there are analogies between the suppbrt given by the Chilean Episcopate to Communism and the leftist attitudes displayed by the episcopates of Argentina and
newsstands. 4
CRUSADE
Uruguay.
(Continued on page 57)
NEW BOOK BY PROF. OLIVEIRA ASKS BRAZIL'S SILENT BISHOPS
TO SPEAR AGAINST MARXISM NOW
The widespread success in South America of the book The Church of Silence in Chile: The TFP Pro claims the Whole Truth has helped to bring into sharper and sharper focus the following sad condition: The Catholic hierarchy to the extent that it abstains from the combat against Communist subversion is isolating itself within the national context. The internationally famous Brazilian thinker and man of action, Plinio Correa de Oliveira, examines
this problem in his brilliant new book, Brazil â&#x2013; 1976: The Church in the Face of the Rise of the Communist Menace - An Appeal to the Silent Bishops. The author, considering this question in respect to Brazil, points out that this growing isolation of
the Catholic faithful from the leftist ecclesiastical
leadership, by no means signifies that those isolated Catholics will revolt against the Church. Rather, it is precisely because of that immense flock's spirit of hierarchy and its love for religious discipline that it perceives how far the shepherds who have gone astray in the ways of the left have separated themselves from the mission confided to them by the Church. What is left for Catholics to do?
An intervention by public authorities punishing priests and even bishops such as the ultra radical Dom Casaldaliga of Brazil could easily be misunder stood by a certain number of Catholics. Plinio Correa de Oliveira affirms that it is from
Going like "hotcakes." CRUSADE
8
the Catholic circles themselves that the remedy ought to arise. Naturally, that saving action should have come from the National Bishops' Conference of Brazil(CNBB). Unfortunately, however, as the author abundantly demonstrates in his book, that body has never taken any corrective action in that regard but instead has consistently favored the left. There are a number of silent bishops who would gain praise and advantages of every kind if they had spoken in favor of the Marxization process. Since they have not done so, it is to be presumed that they are resisting pressures which are enigmatic and pain ful to bear. And they suffer in silence. It is to these silent bishops that the author issues a stirring call: "Act. We beseech you. Speak, teach, fight. The guardian angel of our country waits to comfort you in the course of the battles. "And Our Lady of Aparecida, the Queen of Brazil, is preparing for you with smiles the hundred fold already promised on this earth to those who abandon all for the love of the kingdom of heaven."
The book accomplishes several things:
1. It traces the roots of Communist infiltration in
the Church in Brazil during the 40's, at which time the author wrote his first work,In Defense of Catholic Action, which denounced the development in Cath
olic circles of the policy of the extended hand toward Communism and unmasked the danger that emanated from the Dom Vital Centers and from leftists encysted in Catholic action.
He shows also in his most recent work, the flower
ing of the leftist current under Dom Helder Camara, first secretary general of the Brazilian Conference of Bishops (CNBB), and the role that this ecclesiastic played later as the "Red Archbishop" of Olinda and Recife in promoting the Marxist agrarian reform dur ing the administration of President Jango Goulart. In 1960, the Brazilian TFP was founded. The
TFP, by distributing the book Agrarian Reform: A Matter of Conscience, effectively countered the work of Dom Helder Camara in favor of Goulart's agrarian reform program, and provided the initial impetus which eventually led to the overthrow of the Goulart government in 1964. As a result of the uprising of 1964, the air changed all over Brazil for the better, but it did not change in Catholic circles. The leftist clergymen who had pro-
i
The TFP's collected over two million signatures against Communist Infiltration in the clergy, which were submitted to Paul VI on microfilm. 6
CRUSADE
moted these Marxist reforms remained untouched, and continued their subversive work.
Commenting on this situation, the author affirms: "In Brazil, the voice of the Church is influential even over Catholics who live away from the sacraments. It would be enough for the Episcopate to rise up as one
man against Communism in order to conquer public opinion. Then the action of the public authorities could be exercised freely against the foci of Commu nism. Once these had been eliminated, Brazilians
could work together fraternally for the prosperity of their country. The leftism of Catholic circles is de priving Brazil of prosperity and opening the doors for the action of Moscow.
2. The bad situation of the Brazilian hierarchy which existed in 1964 has become worse in 1976. For
example, the ultra radical Dom Casaldaliga, Bishop of San Felix de Araguaia, writes in mediocre verse: "Cursed be all / Private properties / Which deprive us / of living and loving! . .. / With a callous for a ring, / Monsignor cut rice. / Monsignor 'hammer and sickle'? / They will call me subversive .. ./1 have the faith of the guerrilla/ And the love of the revolution." (The bold face emphasis is ours). Moreover, seventeen bishops in the state of Para na issued a document entitled The Church of Vietnam Is Disposed to Survive (April 25, 1976), which holds up the Vietnamese Catholic Church as a model for the Brazilian Catholic Church to follow in submitting itself to Communism. In this document on the
Dom Pedro Casaldaliga,
Church in Vietnam we may find these passages: "what difference does it make if the regime expels the foreign missionaries ifwe have our own clergy formed, mature, and perfectly integrated with their people? And in the final analysis, weren't the missionaries and the Churches also the symbol of the 'misery and the domination of our people?.. . The regime which 'lib erated' our people can now enslave our Church ... But what difference does it make if the Church goes to the catacombs if the people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who are her first and only mission â&#x20AC;&#x201D; finally live in peace, have work, and above ail dignity?(The bold face emphasis is ours). And the document continues: "Here is one of the greatest examples in recent history of the Church
"Monsignor hammer and sickle."
agreeing to sacrifice herself {immolate Herself) for the good of the people whom she serves."(The bold face emphasis is ours).
Msgr. Nguyen Van Binh, the Archbishop ofSaigon is eulogized by these same seventeen Brazilian bishops, because in spite of being acquainted with the whip of the Communists he has the "courage" to collaborate with them and to accept "with joy all the values of the (Communist) revolution."
This is the national context in which PlinioCorrea
de Oliveira issues his appeal to Brazil's silent bishops.
In this situation, which is an affliction for the
Church and for the country, are they perhaps praying and groaning at the foot of the altar, those "silent ones," who call to mind the "Church of Silence" in
Chile. It is to be presumed that they are. It is to them that Prof. Oliveira most especially dedicates the resume of the Chilean book.
God has placed in the hands of these silent ones all the means that are needed to still remedy the situ
ation; they are numerous,they have prestige, position, and official charges. And they have the promise of Our Lord to those who abandon all for the love of the kingdom of heaven. CRUSADE
7
THE VATICAN INTERVENES IN THE POLEMIC RAISED DP AROEND THE EEST SELLER OF THE CHILEAN TFP The Vatican has intervened in the polemics raised up around the book, The Church ofSilence in Chile: The TFP Proclaims the Whole Truth. This was done by means of a letter sent to the Chilean bishops by Cardi nal Villot, the Prefect of the Council for Public Affairs of the Vatican. The Chilean bishops then issued a com munique about the letter. Based on 220 documents, the work of the Chilean TFP analyzes how the episcopate and clergy helped the Marxists to obtain and hold power in their country. The book proves that once the regime of Allende was overthrown, the same ecclesiastics continued to act in a way that favored a return of the Marxists to the govern-
"BECAUSE I AM THE LION The Response of the Chilean TFP The following Is the
'
text attributed to Cardi-
nal Villot as it was reproduced
in
the
9^.,- f
the following: The Car-
Chilean
dinal
press.(The text was made
cation
of
the
Prefect
makes
known 'the profound sorrow with which the Holy
public by the national center of mass communi-
the book F/r/t/c/a says the
,
Father viewed the grave
Chilean
and inadmissible accuse-
"In the face of the re-
tions directed against his brothers In the Episcopate and his close associ
Episcopate.) peated attacks of Fiducia against the Church, and of the publication and spread of new pamphlets which can confuse Catho lics, we deem it necessary to make known to public opinion the support
ates, by reason of which
The following is the full text of the Chilean TFP's answer to the Communi
que of the Chilean Bishops which quotes a letter to them from Cardinal Villot
(published in the box at the left).
"As Catholics we wish that the high interests of our country and of Chris-
dan Civilization had not obliged us to publish The Church of Silence in Chile: The TFP Proclaims the Whole Truth.
Nevertheless, the consciousness of our
obligation being fulfilled more than
he wishes that the assurance of his par
compensates, in the innermost
-^cs
ticular affection and his full confidence
of our hearts, for the sadness l
we
reach all of You. The manifest blind
feel over the step we had to take. We
that the Holy See has given to the bish
ness of the guilty ones, the very enor mity of the calumnies which they dare
ops of Chile. "The Chilean Episcopate received a letter from Cardinal Villot, the Prefect
are also consoled by the undisguisable support of the great majority of Chile
to weave, and the invitation to rebel
ans, shown not only by the numerous
lion against the legitimate authority of the Church make quite clear how
expressions of solidarity which we have
of the Council for Public Affairs of the
censurable such attitudes and actions
Church, which in the part relating to
'Juan Francisco Fresno Larrain, Archbishop of La Serena and President of the
Episcopal Conference of Chile
received â&#x20AC;&#x201D; among them, the written message of 32 valiant priests â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but also by the massive sale of our book in San
"Carlos Camus Larena, Bishop and Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Chile
"Santiago, June 1, 1976"
tiago and in the rest of the country. "An expressive symptom of this support is provided by the constrained character of the reaction of the Penna-
nent Committee of the Episcopate and of the various Chilean prelates. In their public pronouncements, they did not
give proofs to contest one, single fact 8 CRUSADE
ivvii'Pmw
nor to refute one, single argument.
Their reaction was limited to affirming merely that they were not guilty of the faults pointed out in our book, giving as their only proof the argument of authority, that is to say, they are bish ops and therefore all that they say is automatically proved. The episcopal re sponse calls to mind the saying of the
lion in the fable: "I am right because I am the lion." "In the face of the recent frank but
respectful answer of the TFP, they firmly kept their silence. — What inter est does the lion have in prolonging a debate which he had hoped to close with his roar? "But in this situation the lion did not
count on one fundamental fact. Every thing which we impute to him was wit
nessed by the entire country and was registered in all of the newspapers. Thus, once the echoes of the roar had ceased
in the midst of the general indifference,
the lion realized he had not impressed anyone — outside, of course, of the Allendeist, Mirist, and Christian Demo cratic sectors. Within the national con
text, there was no remedy for the bad situation into which the lion had placed himself.
"Therefore, it behooved him to seek
support outside of the country, that is to say, through the great network of international propaganda. "The task was difficult, for Radio
Moscow itself, in a hasty defense of the ChileanEpiscopate, had already launched invectives against our book in four of its
programs in the Spanish language which were broadcast February 23. But it was
ny consists, and upon what foundation he affirms that it is a calumny. "Nothing of this is to be found in the
statement of Cardinal Villot. Once again the argument is that of the lion of the fable. And nothing more. "This is the way sons of the Church are treated in an epoch in which the Vatican strains itself ecumenically to achieve an opening to all of the hereti cal, schismatic, and even pagan sects, as well as to practice detente with MosThe Chilean TFP In Santiago.
"The letter of Cardinal Villot classi
country, the gesture of Paul VI in rela
fies as "grave and inadmissible accusa
tion to the schismatic Meliton of Calce
tions" everything that our book sustains
donia. And Paul VI should have been
and documents against the conduct of the Chilean Episcopate during the rise
tenderly moved to bless this request for
of Communism in Chile, during the im plantation of a Communist regime in this country, and during the period of the present efforts to restore it. "That the accusations are grave is quite certain. That they be inadmissible is an assertion to be proved. "Why inadmissible? — The Cardinal gives no reasons. It appears that he con
pardon. "All of Chile would then have trem
bled with jubilee and their reconciliation with their shepherds would have been
unanimous and profound. We would have lived through one of the most touching moments in our national his tory.
But that is not what happened.
siders them to be inadmissible on the
Instead, what this always faithful, always respectful, but profoundly sad
basis of the simple fact that they are grave. It is as though it were considered absurd that grave accusations could be made with foundation against an episco
from the sacred heights of the Vatican
pate.
"But we sustain as Roman Apostolic Catholics that one can make grave accu sations against an episcopate in all justice. As proof of this we need no argument other than the various requests for pardon made by Paul VI, in the
dened nation heard descend over her
was the same "because 1 am the lion." Can it be that Cardinal Villot actual
ly imagines that in this way he sustains the position of our episcopate in the eyes of the Chilean public, which has
read everything, heard everything, and witnessed everything?
But, someone will object, since the members of the TFP say that they con sider it their honor to be Catholics, by what right do they affirm in so preemptory a fashion that they disagree with an evaluation of Paul VI in respect to the concrete facts of Chilean politica' ' ''
all in vain.
name of the only true Church of Our
"Our bishops give the impression that then they tried to get the Vatican to provide support for their situation as
Lord Jesus Christ, to all the heretical
and schismatic sects for the injustices which they are supposed to have received
they appear to confess ingenuously in
from Her in the course of the centuries.
the communique of June 1.
These requests for pardon appear to
which arc narrated and documenii.
"They did not remain without this support. They inform us in this same
have inspired in Paul VI a most dramatic act; a kiss which, while kneeling on the
the book that they have published? All Catholics know that, without prej
ground, he placed on the feet of the
udice to the obedience due to the su
communique that Cardinal Villot, Pre fect of the Council for Public Affairs of
the Vatican, wrote them a letter about the book of the TFP.
"This letter accuses us of being 'enor mous calumniators.' And in this accusa
tion we feel ourselves to be grossly ca
schismatic bishop Meliton of Calcedonia
preme magisterium, it is licit for them
in a ceremony in the SistineChapel. How
to disagree, even profoundly so, with
is it possible to express with more em phasis than these attitudes and acts do
concrete attitudes taken by the ecclesi astical authority, however high it may
that previous high authorities in the Church may have proceeded at times
adequate arguments for such an attitude.
be. It is sufficient that the faithful have
very badly in relation to communities
In April of 1974, the TFP published
surprised that we invoke here all of the
separated from Her by schism or by
a declaration entitled "The Vatican
rights which the natural, canonical, and
heresy?
Policy of Detente Toward the Commu
lumniated. Therefore, no one will be
"According to our way of looking at
nist Governments: the Question for the
niated.
things, having carefully considered all
TFP, to Maintain Silence, or to Resist?"
"When someone acusses any person of being a calumniator, justice demands that the accuser say of what the calum
that previously occurred, during and
In this declaration, the TFP affirmed
after Allende, the Chilean Episcopate
officially that it was in a state of resis(Continued on page 58)
civil law confers on those who are calum
should have imitated in relation to this
CRUSADE 9
WHO IS ARCHBISHOP HELDER CAMARA?CESAR CHAVEZ USES THIS BISHOP'S IHFLUEHCE IN HIS COERCIVE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE GROWERS By George O'Toole In July of this year, the Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara ap peared publicly with Cesar Chavez at a
meeting near Delano, California. According to the Californian News Service: "Chavez used the gathering to
ask renewed support of the union's policies in forcing growers to sign con tracts with the UFW." But there is more
Party under his cassock. He continued his radical nazi political activities till the beginning of World War II, when his archbishop tried to moderate him, threatening him with a "suspension a divinis" if he continued using his time and abilities for nazi-fascist propaganda instead of complying with his priestly duties. The people of Fortaleza called
ferred from Rio to Recife in Northeast ern Brazil.
After successive scandals provoked
by Archbishop Helder Camara's procommunist activities in Recife, Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira called him
"the Red Archbishop," an epithet which soon became popular. Prof. Cor rea de Oliveira addressed an open letter to him entitled "The Red Archbishop
to it than this. Although Helder Camara is generally repudiated by Brazilian pub
him "our little Goebbels with a cassock."
lic opinion for his leftist ideas, he is not properly understood in this country; therefore, given his high ecclesiastical office and the support he is receiving
feated, Fr. Helder decided it was time to
Communism," in which he accused
change his political convictions. He then
him of being the prime mover of the Communist agitation machine in Brazil. Although this strong open letter was
from the international network of liber
al propaganda, he is in a posidpn to
When the war ended with Hitler de
showed
a "keen
interest" in
social
problems, apparent especially in lively conversations at cocktail parties and high society events, of which he became
exert an influence upon Catholic opin
a habitue. In 1952, he was named Auxil
ion here. This occurs at a critical time,
iary Bishop of Rio de Janeiro. Soon he became famous in the high society cii> cles of Rio, where according to his own words he was actively involved "trying to convince the rich to give their money to the poor." The Divine Providence Bank which he started with the express purpose of helping "the poor" soon had to be closed due to mismanagement and the utter failure of its projects.
since Proposition 14, which was put on the ballot through signatures collected by Chavez, will be brought to a vote in the November election. If passed. Proposition 14 will give union organi zers permission to campaign on employ ers' property, thereby greatly weakening the right of private property and increas ing the power of the UFW. Who is Archbishop Helder Camara, who has just recently lent the prestige
of a high ecclesiastical office to the cause of Cesar Chavez, a potential agent for the introduction of a Marxist agrar ian reform in this country? Helder Camara was born on Feb
ruary 7, 1909 in Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceara in Northeastern Brazil.
His father's family was famous for its long-standing loyalty to freemasonry. His father was a freemason.
He entered the diocesan seminary of his native city when he was 19 years old.
After becoming famous as a socialite, he proved he was a socialist. In 1960 he joined with several socialist and commu
ment begun by
him
previously to
"mobilize the masses" ("Movement of Moral Pressure for Liberation").
which demanded a radical agrarian re
Communist guerrillas and terrorists in different ways. In an interview with the press on October 3, 1968, he gave his support to the "wars of liberation" of the peoples oppressed by imperialism. In another interview (published in the French magazine L'Express), he said: "I respect all those who in conscience have
He was one of the main outspoken supporters of the pro-communist presi dent Goulart. When in 1964 the Brazil
ian people in an all-out effort to save the country from Communism went to the streets in the millions to ask that
measures be taken against this danger. Bishop Camara condemned the people's anti-communist demonstrations as "in
CRUSADE
the successor of another futile move
form for Brazil.
tolerant." Two days before Goulart's fall, he went to the presidential palace
10
tice and Peaceful Action," which was
In spite of his much touted p n, the "Red Archbishop" supportcu the
militant of the Brazilian Nazi Party. Fr.
was so great that he decided to be or dained wearing the uniform of the Nazi
widely distributed. Bishop Camara re
fused to answer it, giving newsmen only the vague expression "the future will judge me." In Recife, though he continued his career of agitation and subversion, he conspicuously failed to attract popular support for his subversive theses. A proof of this is the quiet end of his peasants and workers movement, "Jus
nist leaders to start a national campaign
By that time he was a most dedicated Helder was ordained in 1931. His enthu siasm for the totalitarian nazi movement
Opens the Doors of South America to
to lunch with him and "to bless our
good president" as he put it to the press. In this same year of 1964, he was trans
chosen active violence â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Che Guevara
and the youngsters who have adopted the same option here. (/ respect them)
because they sacrifice themselves for justice. But I suffer for it." And also: "At a certain point we perceived that we were agreeing with Marx that the Church was an alienated force which
1
Archbishop Helder Camara: "a large subversive repertoire."
was alienating itself... then, we started
state of Sao Paulo declared that Arch
ous Belgian priest Joseph Comblin, at
to promote agitation {of the masses). .. Che Guevara, the genius of these guerril
bishop Camara "belongs to the propa
that time a professor at Archbishop Helder Camara's seminary and his close
las, failed because the people were not prepared ... I don't believe in urban guerrillas anymore. I don't say that to
dishearten those youngsters who are try ing to liberate our people. I love them and I have the same goal that they have. They are extraordinaly people, these ur ban guerrillas. They have courage. They rob banks to obtain money to buy arms. But when you know the price of the arms, you know perfectly well that they will never have a sufficient amount of
ganda machine of the Communist Party" and that "he receives money and travels to promote Communism. The radical leftists want to have a star, not
one with a beard and a cigar, but one
wearing a cassock. They are using him in foreign countries to smear Brazil; this is the work being performed by this Fidel Castro with a cassock in Europe."
In June 1968, an astonishing docu ment was published by the Brazilian press. It was the so-called "Comblin
friend and advisor. He wrote that "the
social reforms will not be made through persuasion, nor through platonic discus sions in the Congress. 'low will these re
forms be installed? It is also by a proc ess offorce." And also-- "the power will have to be authoritarian and dictatorial.
It is not possible to effect radical social
reforms by consulting the majority of the people. . . the powermustneutralize the forces that resist-, it will neutralize
document," which was a blueprint for a
the Armed Forces if they are conserva
money ..." These declarations caused
Communist take-over of the Brazilian
tive; it will have to control radio, TV,
an uproar in Brazil. The governor of the
government. Its author was the notori
(Continued on page 58) CRUSADE
11
CAMPAIGN OF THE AMERICAN TFP IN DEFENSE OF THE FAMILY
DEVELOPS MOMENTUM QUICKLY
The first campaign of the American TFP in de fense of the family is developing momentum quickly and attracting national attention and enthusiasm. The campaign centers around the TFP's An Open Letter to the Congressmen of America which denounces the collectdvist Child and Family Services Act S 626 and HR2966, sponsored by Senator Walter F. Mondale and .Representative John Brademas. It bfegan with a symbolic act in front of the capitol building and then rapidly spread to lightning campaigns on the streets and squares of the major cities where the manifesto was distributed to an enthusiastic public, happy that "someone had at last arisen to defend the family." The street campaigns with their broad distri
tions, and laymen. One priest, after reading the "Open Letter," advised us: "The priests and laity know
nothing of the Child and Family Services Act ... If you send literature directly, you will receive outstand ing support in your campaign against the bill." And Sister Rose Marie Larkin, O.S.B., writing in her col
umn in The Wanderer states: "This grave need for the conversion of the Religious currently distracted by women's lib and the allurements of our hedonistic
culture is all the more pronounced because of the threat to the child found in the proposed Child and Family Services Act S 626 and HR2966. A very good discussion of this thrust toward collectivizing the children of America can be found in the May-June,
1976 issue of Crusade for a Christian Civilization
bution of "The Open Letter" were accompanied by a mass mailing of the flyer to 6000 select conserva
(P.O. Box 1281, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10802. $1.50,
tives, distribution of the manifesto at conservative
published by the American Society for the Defense
conventions, and publication of it in conservative magazines. In another phase of the campaign, the TFP sent an Open Letter to the Bishops of Minnesota, protest ing their endorsement of the Mondale-Brademas legis lation. The TFP shows how illogical it is for Catholic Bishops to support a measure that prohibits the teach
of Tradition, Family, and Property). Flyers on the subject can also be obtained from the TFP ... What ever is done to prevent the passage of this dangerous
ing of the CaAolic religion, and asks the Bishops to restudy their position and to denoimce the bill. (See
that of Senator Lawton Chiles of Florida: '
CRUSADE, May-June, 1976, page 23). Many persons have expressed surprise that such collectivizing and injurious legislation as the"Mondale monstrosity" could be proposed in America. Cath olics are full of amazement thatsome Catholic bishops have given their support to the measure. And there is a general sense of shock that its sponsor, Walter F. Mondale, has been selected as the vice-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, since election
would put him only a heartbeat away from the pres idency. Repercussions and requests for flyers have been pouring in rapidly from priests, religious, organiza 12 CRUSADE
legislation will certainly be a preventive measure in the ministry to the spiritually abandoned child in our Country." Characteristic of the response of politicians was nk
you for sending me the 'Open Letter to Congre^i re garding S626, the Child and Family Services Act, introduce by Senator Mondale in the Senate ... It is unnecessary and unwise legislation and I plan to vote against this measure should it ever come to the floor." Bulk orders for the manifesto continue to pour in by mail and telephone, coming from Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Kan sas, Alabama, Florida, Connecticut, and California,
etc. Among these, the anti-busing organizations, S.T.O.P., assures us that the flyers will be sent to "select addressees where we know that they will re ceive appropriate action." Most individuals are taking bulk orders of at least 100 with the request â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
iWfniifi
^^lArw..
J
CRUSADE
13
"PLEASE RUSH, VERY URGENT."
The TFP is preparing a press release to be sent to the newspapers on the campaign. And CRUSADE asks its readers to redouble their efforts. Although the bill is presently in committee, it can come to the floor at any time for a vote. It is important to realize the collectivization which this bill will bring about will ultimately destroy the family. In the words of the Psalm about the Lord:
that should be born, and should rise up and declare them to their children. That they may put their hope
in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments."(Psalm 77:3-7). Read thoughtfully the instructions below, and make a firm resolution to take all of the steps enumerated. Make it a matter of conscience not to
"great things he commanded our fathers, that they
fail to take all of the steps you are able to take in defense of your own family, the families of the na
should make the same known to their children: that
tion as a whole, and the Christian Civilization. Act
another generation might know them. The children
resolutely and with great dispatch.
This bill can only be defeated with your help. This is very easy to give, yet highly effective: (1) Send this open letter to your senators and to all of the representatives of your state; add a personal note or letter asking each one of them to reject this bill. Congressmen give an enormous importance to the letters that they receive. Their mail provides them with a sure way of knowing what their constituents are thinking in respect to the issues, of knowing the opinion of those people whose support they need to survive politically. Therefore, it is very impor tant that you write to them personally expressing your deep concern about this bill, asking them to reject it. (2) Ask your relatives, friends, and associates also to write to
their congressmen. Pass on to them the TFP flyers. The more letters the congressmen receive, the more possibility there is of this bill
being rejected. Make this same appeal for the writing of letters in social, political, and patriotic meetings and clubs to which you may belong. Contact as many people as possible; the more of them you reach, the better it will be. In each case give them the address of the TFP so that they can ask for more flyers.
4? ^ ^
(3) Write to the "Letters to the Editor" section of your news papers, summarizing the arguments against the bill and asking the readers of the paper to write to their congressmen instructing them to reject the bill. If possible, deliver the same message on radio talk
shows. In each presentation include the address of the TFP so that readers or listeners may ask for flyers. (4) If you are a Catholic, write to your Bishop, protesting against the unqualified endorsement that the National Conference of Catholic Charities gave to this bill. Ask him to go on record as being opposed to this anti-Christian bill. Act now. Tomorrow may be too late to save our children from the Mondale-Brademas "monstrosity." Stand up and be counted. May God bless you for your efforts in this noble cause in defense of the Christian family. Flyers: U.S. SO.05 each 10 copies: $0.50 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 100 copies; $5.00 1000 copies: $50.00
Please send your donation for the successful continuation of this vital campaign! Make checks payable to the American TFP; P.O. Box 238; Wykagyl Stateion, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804. 14
CRUSADE
THE CHURCH
AND THE COMMUNIST STATE: THE IMPOSSIBLE COEXISTENCE By Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira
establish a regime of peaceful coexistence between the capitalist and communist worlds. At that time, a
after another: nine in Portuguese, one in German, eleven in Spanish, three in French, one in Hungarian, four in English, two in Italian, and one in Polish, for a total of 144,000 copies, not counting its complete transcription in more than thirty newspapers and magazines in eleven different countries. At the same time, events developed on the inter
new set of relations between the East and the West
national scene. And as these events manifest them
was only beginning to emerge from the period of the
selves now, they impose the following conclusion: the "pacifistic" efforts of Moscow have accumulated, managing to work immense transformations and at taining to a large extent the goals at which they were
AUTHOR'S PREFACE When this study was published for the first time in August of 1963, the propaganda and diplomacy of Communism were making ever-increasing efforts to
Cold War.
The special targets of the "pacifistic" Soviet ef fort were the two great pUlars of resistance to Com munism: in the material sphere, the United States, and in the spiritual sphere, the Catholic Church. The propaganda directed by Moscow against the United States employed useful innocents â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of an innocence at times contestable, but of an indisputable utility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to spread an atmosphere of sentimental and pacifistic optimism, which surreptitiously led Amer icans to forget the experience of the past and to hope
aimed.
The "detente" promoted by Nixon and Kissin ger between the West and the Communist nations continues obstinately. The Vatican is also "relaxing tensions" in a most impressive way in respect to its
relations with the governments of Moscow and the various satellite nations. At the same time, ecumen
ism has provided the instrumentality for establishing
for a difinitive reconciliation with the smiling Soviet
increasingly frequent relations between the Catholic
leaders of the post-Stalinist era.
Church and the schismatic church ("Orthodox")
This same atmosphere was spread in the bosom
of the Church, carried out in the first place by groups of theologians and men of action, some of whom were ingenuous and others declaredly leftist. The illusion that a truly peaceful coexistence was possible
between the Church and the Communist regimes continued to gain ground, in spite of the fact that the anti-religious campaign proceeded with full rigor throughout the Communist world. This study was written in order to create as many obstacles as possible in Catholic circles to this deceitful "pacifistic" maneuver of Moscow. *
*
*
From that time until now, over the course of the
years, editions of this work have been published one
subordinated to Moscow.
As milestones of this diplomatic and religi rapprochement between the Church and the Com
munist world, it is not superfluous to call to mind some great events: the omission of any censure of Communism by the Second Vatican Council; the agreements of the Vatican with Yugoslavia, Hungary,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany; the Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens; the difficul ties between Cardinal Slipyi and the Catholics of the Ukrainian Rite and the Holy See; the dismissal of
Cardinal Mindszenty from the archepiscopal See of Esztergom; and the signing by the Vatican of the Helsinki accords.
Distinct from the twofold "detente" (MoscowCRUSADE
IS
Washington and Moscow-Vatican) but like it is the ferment that is spreading within the more flexible political spheres of Western and Eastern Europe, in favor of "convergence." As everyone knows, this tendency, which is expressed on different levels and which bears various labels, is aimed at bringing about
the adoption of the same socio-economic regime in all nations. Such a regime would fall somewhere between one based on individual property and one imposing
collective property. If such a tendency succeeds in prevailing, the non-communist world will have taken an immense step toward the left. And the more "duc tile" part of the Communist world will perhaps have taken a tiny step toward the regime of private proper ty. Such a solution would permit one to perceive the advent of the day when the nations so "converged" would take another "convergent" step toward the part of the world which is irreducibly Communist. In this way, they would virtually arrive at Communism. The future will show that the various stages of"con vergence" are nothing more than so many stages in the march toward the most extreme and radical pole of Communism.
All of this is so, be it understood, if Providence
does not bring to a halt this immense process by which the world is being conquered by Communism, but we are certain that Providence will intervene.
When this panorama is considered as a whole, it gives us an overwhelming vision of the escalation of Communist power in the world. And it imposes on us a question: Are there still other aspects of this escal ation to be considered?
It would be impossible not to mention three of them: a) there is a malaise between Western Eur ope and the United States that gravely threatens the
Atlantic alliance; b) the economy of the West is ap parently being eroded by an economic and financial
That is perhaps the worst of the calamities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the torpor of the good. *
*
*
Under the circumstances, what is the good of this new edition of a work which calls us to stuggle
against an adversary whose final victory already ap pears, even before it is consummated, to be irreversi ble to so many pusillanimous spirits. I advise certain kinds of people not to read this
essay. It was not written for compliant mentalities who worship the "fait accompli," nor for slothful and fearful persons who view effort and risk as an evil which they are never disposed to face. Still less is it for the ambitious who try to guess the trend of events so that they may perceive before whom they must bow down in order to rise more rapidly in wealth and power.
The ones who will most especially waste their
time reading this essay are the men without faith, who do not believe in God and who consider the
course of history, in epochs of catastrophe and deca dence, to be exclusively subject to blind social and economic forces, or to the personalities, both insipid and monstrous, who at those times appear on the crest of events.
The persons in these various categories are not
prepared to give due weight to the fact that public opinion was mysteriously put to sleep, but by no means conquered, by Soviet propaganda. Today it continues to be just as absolutely true as it was in 1963 that Communism has never shown itself to be
the majority position in free and honest national elections.^
Accordingly, the thirteen years that have elapsed since 1963 have seen a pertinacious and general rejec tion of Communism in the West. Add to this the fact
crisis, which is confused in its causes and in its
manifestations; c) finally, in another order of facts, the military power of Russia is growing increasingly, while the international influence of the United States
is withdrawing everywhere as it permits its military power to be overtaken or surpassed by the Russians. If anyone had dared to forecast such calamities in the year that this study was first published, he would have found very few people who would have
believed him. And the majority of the people today, face to face with these incontestable facts, do not
recognize them as being surprising, much less calami tous.
16
CRUSADE
The rise of the Marxist government of Allende to power in Chile in 1970 is no exception to this fact, as I have demonstrated in an article entitled "The Whole Truth about the Elections in Chile." The
main points of the argument ares (1) Allende obtained only 36.3% of the votes in 1970, which was not a majority. He was subsequently ap pointed by the Congress. (2) This 36.3%, which he received at that time running with a coalition of parties, was less than the 38.7% ob tained by him in the previous election of 1964 when he did not have the support of this coalition. There was therefore a decline in support for Marxism in 1970, because even by adding the other forces, he achieved a smaller percentage of the vote than he did in 1964, and this
was the case in spite of the fact that immediately prior to the election of 1970 Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez went so far as to authorize Cath olics to vote for a Communist.(3) In the elections held after 1970, the
leftist coalition did not obtain a majority of the votes. Furthermore, the elections were not carried out in a climate of authentic liberty.
SACRED CONGREGATION
Rome, December 2, 1964
OF SEMINARIES
AND UNIVERSITIES Proc No. 914/59/9
JktRA CORGRESATIO
OE SEuiKARils
Roaa, 2 dlceabre 19&'>
ET JTUOCORUH UAIVERSITATIEUS
Most Reverend Excellency, P.OT. N. 914/52/9 ZccelleQzs RsT«readlBaiaa, solo ors Bbblaao potuto leeeere lo studio sapio e profondo
Only now have we been able to read the ample and pro found study of the illustrious Professor Plinio Correa de OHveira of iJie Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, on
dsll'lllustre Prof. PLIKIO CORREA DE OLIVEIRA, dells Fontirieia
the important theme "The Freedom of the Church in the
Vnlvereitd Csttollca dl Sas Paolo, Ictomo all'laportaste ceaa
Communist State"(3rd enlarged edition, Sao Paulo, 1964),
*La libertd dslls Cbiess aollo State CoBimlsta" (3a editions aa-
pllata; Sao Paulo cbe I'E.V, Rev.as ba avuto la bontft di traSBSttere a quests Sacra Coogregszione coo la cortessias latta ra porvenuta al noatri ufflcl nel noveabre u.ac. Uaatre le esprialaao is aostrs slncera gratitudine, ci con
gratulisBo con I'E.V. e con 11 Cb.ao Autore, aeritaaente celebre per la sua aclenza filoaorica, etorica e eociologica, ed augurla
BO la pill large dlffusione al deoso opuacolo, cbe d un'eoo fedeliaslaa del Qocuaentl del supreao Uagistero dells Cbiess, sine al Is luniaose Encicllcbe 'Uater at Kagistrs" dl Qlovanni mil e "Bcclealaa suaa" dl Paolo VI lellceDonte regaante. Voglla 11 Slgnore concedere a tuttl 1 cattollcl dl coaprsn
dare la necessity .dl essere unltl "In uno sensu sademque sentacla" affla dl avitare la lllutionl, gll Ingaacl ed 1 pericoli cbe oggl alnaceiano dall'intemo la sua Cblaaa!
which your Most Reverend Excellency was kind enough to send to this Sacred Congregation with the very kind letter that reached our offices this past November. At the same time that we express to you our sincere
gratitude, we congratulate Your Excellency and the eminent author, justly celebrated for his philosophical, historical, and sociological knowledge, and we wish the widest circulation for this compact pamphlet, which is a most faithful echo of all the Documents of the supreme Magisterium of the Church including the luminous Encyclicals "Mater et Magistra" of John XXIll and "Ecclesiam Suam" of Paul VI, happily reign
ing. May Our Lord grant that all Catholics comprehend the
necessity of being united "in uno scnsu eademquc sententia" in order to avoid the illusions, deceits, and dangers which to day threaten His Church internally.
•
Coo sanai dl partlcolare sciaa od osaequlo, dl tutto euore b1 profeeoo nuovameote
With sentiments of particular c.stecm and consideration, with all my heart 1 profess myself once again
dall'Bccelleoza Vostra Revareodlsalma
to VourMost Reverend Excellency
dsTotlsalBO in Cesd Criato
most devoted in Jesus Christ G. CARDINAL PIZZARDO A Sua Ecc.za Rev.Ba Hons. AjnOHIO OS CASTRO HAIOB Veacovo dl C A U P 0 s
To His Most Rev. Exc.
Msgr. Antonio de Castro Mayer BISHOP OF
CAMPOS
+ Dino Staffa, Secretary
At the left, the letter from the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities, praising this study; at the right a translation of the same letter into English.
that inconformity with Communism, intact in the West, has done nothing but grow behind the Iron Cur tain during these same thirteen years. The manifesta tions of this fact are so numerous and so notorious
that I dispense myself from commenting on them. In summation, then, Communism has power,
gold, and propaganda at its service. And it has not ceased to grow among certain corrupt elites. But with the multitudes, the case is different, for, on the one hand, Communism does not win them over, and, on the other hand, it loses them. In the face of these facts, the power of Communism, which is as formida
ble as a giant, allows its feet of clay to show through as being quite bare. Only men of faith, who do not permit them selves to be deceived by the whirlwind of publicity raised up around the supposed Communist omnipo tence, see with full clarity that those feet are made
of clay. They believe in God, confide in the Virgin, and are firmly disposed to enter into the struggle against the giant, having an unshakable certainty that the final victory belongs to them. One may hope that such men, who know li 'o see that the feet of the colossus are of clay, . .li trample on those feet. This essay was written for such men. By proving the impossibility of coexistence between the Church and the Communist regimes, this work aims to help them to solidify themselves in a position of absolute rejection of the Communist on slaughts. And it constitutes a stimulus for them, in
ever growing numbers, to attack this terribly great and ridiculously weak adversary. We repeat: Since they are fighting for the Cause of God, they will have the help of Heaven with them, and will be able, with the help of the Virgin, to renew the face of the Earth. — Plinio Correa de Oliveira CRUSADE
17
Among those persons interested in the problem of the relation between the Church and the State, I believe there are those who will receive with under
standing some reflections on a modern aspect of this problem, that is, the freedom of the Church in a Communist State.
Before taking up this matter, it seems necessary to define the natural limits of this essay. It is a study of the question of whether peaceful- coexistence between the Church and the Communist regime is licit in states where this regime prevails. This theme should not be confused with another
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that of peaceful coexistence on the international plane of different states living under different politi
1. The Facts 1. For a long time, the attitude of Communist governments, not only toward the Catholic Church hut toward all other religions as well, has been pain fully clear and consistent.
a) According to Marxist doctrine, every religion is a myth which has as a consequence the "aliena tion"^ of man to an imaginary superior being, that is to say, God. The oppressing classes take ad vantage of this "alienation" to maintain their domi nation of the proletariat. Indeed, the hope of a fu ture life, promised to uncomplaining laborers as a reward for their patience, works on them like an opiate so that they may not rebel against the hard
living conditions imposed upon them by capitalistic society.
b) Thus, the religious myth is utterly false and harmful to man. Neither does God exist, nor is there
any life hereafter. The sole reality is matter in a state of continuous evolution. This evolution has as
its specific purpose the "disalienating" of man from any subjection to real or imaginary masters, and the free course of this evolution is the supreme good of humanity. c) This evolution encounters a serious hindrance
in every religious myth. As a result, the Communist
^ Alienation is the act of conveying or transferring to another a title or property. Therefore, by alienation a man ceases to belong to himself and belongs to another as does a dog, a sheep, or a cat.
18
CRUSADE
cal, economic, or social re^mes. Nor should it be confused with the problem of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and nations subject to the Communist yoke. Since each of these two themes has unique char acteristics and perspectives, to discuss either of them even briefly would involve making this study too lengthy. Therefore, we will not discuss them in this work, which is devoted exclusively to investigating whether, and under what conditions, the Church
can maintain a truly free coexistence with a Com munist regime. After these observations, let us approach the
question, starting with an analysis of the facts.
State, which through the dictatorship of the prole tariat should open the way toward the evolutionary "disalienation" of the masses, has the duty of exter minating radically all forms of religion, and to achieve this purpose, in the regions under its author ity, it should: â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the long or short run, according to the mal leability of the population, close all churches, do away with all clergy, forbid all worship, profession
of faith, and apostolate;
— for as long as it is not entirely able to achieve this result, to maintain with regard to all forms of worship which have not yet been suppressed, an attitude of odious tolerance, of multiform spying and of continuous restriction of their activities;
— to infiltrate Communists into subsisting ec clesiastical hierarchies, for the purpose of underhandedly transforming religion into a vehicle of
the Communist ideology, the Church had no other resort than to react equally radically, using all licit means.
The "relations" between Communist Govern
ments and the Church could consist only of an out and out, life and death struggle. Aware of this, Cath olic opinion in every non-Communist country rose as a great phalanx, ready to accept everything, even
Communism;
martyrdom, in order to avoid the implantation of
— to promote the "atheization" of the masses through all the means available to the State and the
Communism. And in those countries where
Communist Party.
From the time the Communist dictatorship took power in Russia until the time (roughly) that the country was invaded by Nazi armies, the conduct of the Soviet Government with regard to the diverse religions was governed by these principles. This was the first stage of the Soviet action. Throughout the whole of this first stage, Com munist propaganda boasted to the world that it in
tended to do away with all religions, and made it perfectly clear that, even when it tolerated some of them, this was done only to ensure their more efficient destruction thereafter.
2. In view of this Communist procedure, the line of conduct that Catholics should follow was likewise simple and clear-cut. Persecuted as a result of the deep-seated and absolute incompatibility between its doctrine and
Com
munism had been established, Catholics organized themselves with great strength of soul in order to live in a state of heroic undergroundness like the early Christians. 3. From a certain time on, the attitude ofsome Communist Governments with regard to religious matters seems to have taken on fresh nuances. In fact, while the attitude of the Communist governments toward religion continues to be in
exorably the same in some Communist-dominated countries, such as, for instance, China, this attitude
seems to be undergoing a gradual change in other Communist-dominated countries, such as Yugoslavia, Poland, and more recently Russia. Thus, in these latter Communist-dominated
countries (as announced by their respective propa ganda agencies), a governmental attitude of intol erance, with respect to some religions, was replaced
by a tolerance, which although initially malevolent.
In the beginning, the policy of the Com munist governments was to maintain a clear and open persecution of Religion; for the Church there was no alternative: it
had to react vigorously against them. During the course of dramatic incid^^nts, the blood of the martyrs flowed abun ly, and Communism did not succeed in extinguishing the faith in the souls of the peoples subjected to it. After a while, certain Communist
governments began changing their tactics, inaugurating an era of limited tolerance, which opened up the possibility of a tenuous freedom of worship and speech for the Church — a most tenuous freedom
of Warsa>y, i wfieflfe SHel^n ,be jhrough^thiB . ^ irpiT bars as if she were a prisi^^f^wJ ' A'r
indeed because even where those limited concessions reached their limits the
Church was still openly combated by the official ideological propaganda and spied upon by the police.
CRUSADE
19
Cardinal Mindszenty, ex-archbishop of Esztergom and former Primate of Hungary, is a symbol of heroic resistance to Com munism: peaceful coexistence between the Church and a Communist regime is impossible.
Cardinal Wyszynski's efforts to achieve a "modus vivendi"
later became, if not benevolent at least indifferent.
preaching the Gospel to people who until now had been entirely deprived of religious assistance. We say "tenuous," for in spite of everything, the Church continues to be attacked quite openly by official ideological propaganda and to be permanently spied
And the former regime of aggressive coexistence tends more and more to be replaced by one of peace ful coexistence.
In other words, the Russian, Polish, and Yugo
slav governments still maintain their complete adher ence to Marxism-Leninism, which continues to be
the only doctrine taught and accepted officially by them. However, now they are â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to a greater or lesser degree according to the country - permitting a greater freedom of worship, and allowing a treat
have not disarmed the hatred of the Communists: this is a
proof that there is no possibility of harmonious relations with them.
upon by the police, so that She can do nothing or almost nothing more than carry out the functions of worship and some catechesis. In Poland, besides
this, the Church is grudgingly allowed to maintain courses for the formation of priests and to engage in a few social works.
ment devoid of violence and, in certain respects, an
almost correct attitude toward the religion or reli
gions which have considerable importance in their
2. A Complex Problem
respective countries.
In Russia, as is well known, the religion having
The behavior of the Communist authorities in
the greatest number of adherents is the Greek-
the aforementioned countries having been modified
schismatic church currently known as the Ortho dox Church. In Poland, the dominant religion is Catholicism, with a majority of the Catholics follow
to a certain extent, the Church in these countries
ing the Latin Rite, while in Yugoslavia, both churches are important.
As a result of this, there begins to appear for the Catholic Church in certain countries behind the Iron Curtain a "tenuous" freedom which consists in the
possibility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sometimes greater and sometimes lesser â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of distributing the Sacraments and of 20
CRUSADE
now finds two paths open: a) to abandon the underground and catacomb like existence it has led up till now behind the Iron Curtain, and to come out to live in the open, co existing with the Communist regime in accordance with a tacit "modus vivendi";
b) or to reject any "modus vivendi," whatever, continuing to lead an underground existence. The choice between these two paths is a very
il
.,,'r
S?^4IL
In view of this change of procedure by the Communist authorities in some countries,
^
t -IL
V
ip <w
two courses of action were presented to the Church: 'To accept a pact with the Communist regime, or to refuse it, thus remaining in hiding. The making of this choice depends on the following moral problem: Is it licit for Catholics to
accept harmonious Communist regime?
1^
relations
with a
III
-
li.iniMiiOJ'Ti'1
St. Casimir Church in Vilnius, Lithuania, has been converted to a museum of atheism. Persecution of the Church in Lithu
ania has increased in recent years, smashing priests and laymen who refuse to collaborate.
complex tactical problem which is posed at this mo ment for the consciences of a great number of Cath olics.
We say "for the consciences" because the deci sion at this crossroad depends on the solution one
gives to the following moral problem: Is it licit for Catholics to accept a "modus vivendi" with a Com munist regime? It is this problem which as we said,
the present article intends to take up.
3. The Importance of This Problem in the Present Concrete Situation Before weighing all the arguments pro and con, let us say something about the concrete importance of this problem. The importance of this problem for the nations under Communist regimes is obvious. It seems necessary for us to say something about its importance for the Western countries, particular ly with regard to Communist plans for penetrating these countries with ideological imperialism — plans
which aim at an ultimate worldwide victory of the Communists.
The fear that, in the case of such a Communist
victory, the Church will become subject everywhere to the horrors it suffered in Mexico, Spain, Russia, Hungary, and China, constitutes the principal reason for the decision of 500 million Catholics scattered
the world over — bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and laymen — to resist Communism to the death. More over, this same consideration, applied to the other
religions, is the principal reason for the anti-Commu nist stand taken by the hundreds of millions o sons professing these creeds. In the order of psychological factors, this heroic decision represents the greatest obstacle — or perhaps even the only significant one — against the establish ment and permanent endurance of Communism throughout the world. How, then, we may ask has this heroic decision
been affected by the aforementioned change in atti tude of some Communist governments toward the various religions? The fact is that, regardless of the tactical reasons that may have determined this change in attitude, the religious tolerance which some Communist governments practice at present, and which their propaganda proclaims with great CRUSADE
21
exaggeration to the whole world, provides them al ready with an immense profit which may be stated as follows: In view of the alternatives which this
change in attitude opens up, opinions in religious circles are divided over which policy to adopt, there
by resulting in a breaking down of the ramparts of solid and intransigent opposition to Communism
previously maintained unanimously by those who believe in God and worship Him. In fact Catholics and those belonging to other
confessions are having trouble fixing an attitude toward Communism in the face of the new religious policy of certain Communist governments, a condi tion which is giving rise to perplexities, divisions, and even polemics. Many Catholics — according to their degree of fervor, optimism, or suspicion — continue to believe that the only sensible and con sistent attitude is one of absolute opposition toward Communism, but others believe that accepting im
mediately without further resistance a situation such as the one prevailing in Poland would be better than fighting to the end against Communist penetration only to fall into a much more oppressive situation such as the one prevailing in Hungary. Besides this it appears to these latter that ac ceptation by the people still free of a Communist or quasi-Communist regime, could prevent the cosmic tragedy of an atomic war. There is only one reason
which would lead them to accept resignedly the risk of such a hecatomb: the duty to fight to pre vent a worldwide persecution of unprecedented proportions aimed at the radical extermination of the Church. But they see a possibility that this danger may not materialize, since in certain Com munist countries the Church is allowed to survive,
even though reduced to a minimum of liberty; therefore, their determination to face the danger of an atomic war becomes very much weakened. And the idea of establishing everywhere on an almost
Cardinal Sllva Henriquez, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile has no Inhibitions about coexistence, as he demonstrated by his faithful collaboration with the late Marxist president of Chile, Salvador Allende. In the photo above, he is shown, enjoying the company of Fidel Castro, Communist dictator of Cuba.
worldwide scale a "modus vivendi" between the
Church and Communism — along the same lines as the one in Poland — gains ground among these Catholics, even though accepted as an evil, but nevertheless a lesser evil.
Between these two points of view, an immense majority has begun to form, a majority which is disoriented and indecisive and, for this same reason,
psychologically less prepared for the struggle than it was until recently. If this phenomenon of a weakening in the antiCommunist attitude can be found in persons "-^rly opposed to Marxism, how natural it is for ii be more intense among the so-called leftist Catholics, who are becoming more and more numerous and who, without professing materialism and atheism,
are in sympathy with the economic and social aspects of Communism!
This change of tactics toward Religion has been immensely beneficial for the Com munist cause: Opinion in Catholic circles which formerly constituted an impassable wall for Communist propaganda became divided over which orientation to follow.
Thus the greatest dike of ideological op position to Communism was broken. That breach was the direct work of
tlie so-called Catholics of the left, or progressives.
In synthesis, then, in all or in nearly all of the countries not yet subject to the Communist yoke, millions of Catholics who only yesterday would have gladly died in regular armies or guerrilla units to prevent the establishment of Communism in their native countries or to overthrow any such regime that managed to gain power, today no longer have the same disposition. Moreover, in the event of a crisis of panic, such as the situation arising in the
face of an imminent nuclear war, this phenomenon may be intensified further, probably leading entire nations to catastrophic capitulations to the Commu nist powers.
All of this reminds us that the relative religious tolerance of some Communist governments has placed the consciences of millions and millions of men in our day at a crossroad, and brings into re lief the importance of studying as soon as possible the various aspects of the moral questions inherent to that crossroad.
It is perfectly reasonable to state that a consider able part of the world's future depends upon the solution of this problem.
4 This relaxation
of tensions (detente)
inaugurated by Communism can only be the fruit of political designs; that is, to reduce the growing tensions behind the Iron Curtain or to achieve the psycho logical demobilization of the West, or to accomplish both of these ends. These are the very results which have been gradually and implacably achieved by intemadond Communism.
Therefore, it has become indispensable for Catholics to resolve the moral and
4. There Is No Way to Avoid This Problem The usefulness of such an investigation may per haps appear questionable to some hasty spirits, who will try to avoid this complex problem by means of preliminary allegations which seem to us altogether questionable. To illustrate this point, we present some of these allegations now, followed, in each case, by the an swers that can be made to them:
a) It is evident that relative religious tolerance is merely a Communist maneuver and, therefore, the prospect of a "modus vivendi" between the Church and a Communist regime cannot be taken seriously. In response to this we may answer that nothing prevents us from supposing that manifesta tions in many different forms of certain internal tensions may make it necessary for some Communist governments to adopt a more relaxed attitude in religious matters. This relaxation may perhaps have
a certain durability and consistency, thereby open ing up new prospects for the Church. b) Any agreement with people who, like the Communists, deny God and morality, offers no guarantee of being fulfilled. Thus, even though one admits the Communists to be really disposed today to tolerate religion up to a certain point, one still knows that tomorrow, if it suits them, they will un leash against it the most brutal and complete per secution. We recognize this to be so in principle. We also recognize, however, that the Communist State may not take such an action for a time because of
political reasons. The religious tolerance of the Communist State is certainly not based on respect for promises, but on the essentially political interest of preventing or reducing internal difficul-
tactical problem created for them by this fact
The potential of this study is evident in that an earlier edidon penetrated the Iron Curtain and had great repercussions among Catholics there.
ties. Since this is so, an attitude of relative religious tolerance can endure as long as those difficulties continue. Moreover, it is conceivable that it could
eventually last for no short time. Therefore the Communist authority might possibly fulfill for a long time the conditions of an accord proposed to some religion by it, doing this not for considerations of honor but out of political interest. c) This study will be of no use to the peoples behind the Iron Curtain, since it will not be able to
circulate freely among them. In addition, it is of no interest to the peoples on this side of the Iron Cur tain. For them the problem of the legitimacy of a possible coexistence of the Church with the Com munist regime is not posed, since that reginu dors not exist in the non-Communist Occidental na.
The problem which interests the Occidental peoples is not how one can coexist with such a regime, but what can be done to prevent its being implanted. Consequently, this study does not interest anyone. It is not true that this study cannot come to the knowledge of the peoples on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The fact is, it has. The weekly Kierunki of Warsaw, edited by the association "Pax," an in fluential "Catholic" Polish movement of the extreme
left, published, March 1, 1964, on its first page and with great emphasis, an "Open Letter to Dr. Plinio Correa de Oliveira," which was an extensive and
indignant protest against this essay by Mr. Zbigniew Czajkowski, an outstanding member of the "Pax" CRUSADE
23
The Hungarian bishops take an oath of fidelity to the Communist govern ment. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Early in 1974, the international press pub lished
rumors
that
the
Hungarian government was putting pressure on the Vatican to depose Cardinal
Mindszenty, who was the Bishop of Esztergom. On February 5 (the sad 25th anniversary of his ominous condemnation by the Com munists), Cardinal Minds zenty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; against his will â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was
removed
from
his
charge by the Holy See.
movement. Moreover, we have reason to see an
of everything that an atomic war can touch.
answer to the present study in an article published
As is evident, all of these preliminary allegations
in the weekly Wiez by authors Mr.Tadeuz Mazowie-
tending to avoid the study of the question under consideration are inconsistent. The problem of the
cky, senior editor of that review and representative in the Polish Diet of the Catholic group Znak, and Mr. A. Wielowieyski, his collaborator. ("Otwarcie na Wschod," Wiez, Nos. 11-12, Nov.-Dec. 1963). If it was necessary to refute our article, it is because it has in some way penetrated the Iron Curtain and has had reprecussions in areas under Communist domi nation. Now, to answer the assertion above about
the interest this essay has for Occidental peoples, we say that really, it is better to prevent an evil than to remedy it. Furthermore, it may well happen that an Occidental nation, or several Occidental nations at the same time, could be forced to choose between
two evils, that is, the acceptation of a Communist regime or modern warfare with all of its horrors, in ternal and external,conventional and thermo-nuclear.
In such an event, it would be necessary to choose
the lesser evil. And the problem will inevitably arise; if the Church can accept coexistence with a Commu nist government and regime, perhaps the lesser evil consists in avoiding the hecatomb of war, admitting the victory of Marxism as a "fait accompli." Only if coexistence is considered to be impossible and the
implantation of Communism to represent a grave risk of complete or almost complete extirpation of the faith in a certain people, only then would the acceptance of the struggle be the lesser evil. For the loss of the faith is a greater evil than the destruction 24
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legitimacy of coexistence between the Communist regime and the Church must be considered head-on and can be resolved satisfactorily for all Catholics onlyby analyzing it in all of the profundity of its doctrinal aspects.
5. Facing the Problem At first glance,and considered in itself, the prob lem of coexistence between the Church and a "toler
ant" Communist regime might be stated as follows: if, in a given country living under a Com <t government and regime, the holders of power. Jar from forbidding worship and preaching, permitted one and the other, could the Church accept this liherty of action in order to distribute the sacraments and the bread of the word of God unfettered?
When the question is presented purely and sim ply in these terms, the answer is necessarily affirma tive: The Church could, and even would be obliged to accept that freedom. In this sense She could, and would be obliged to coexist with Communism. For,
under no pretext whatsoever may She refuse to car ry out her mission. We must note, however, that this formulation of
the problem is oversimplified. It makes one suppose
If a Communist regime were to offer freedom of worship to the Church on the condition that She keep silent about certain errors of Marxism — especially the denial of private property or of the family — could the Church accept such a proposal? As a condition for obtaining this freedom of worship, could the Church at least agree to recommend to Catholics that they desist from every effort to restore private property and the family, holding the abolition of these
institutions to be censurable only in thesis but placidly acceptable in practice by virtue of the conditions imposed by the regime?
implicitly that the Communist government would not impose the least restriction on the liberty of the Church in carrying out her doctrinal mission. But there is no reason to believe that such a government would give the Church full freedom to teach her doctrine, since this would imply allowing her to preach all the doctrines of the Popes concerning morals, the law, and particularly concerning the family and private property, which in turn would re sult in making every Catholic a born enemy of the regime, so that to the degree the Church extended her action She would be killing the regime. This means that the regime would be practicing suicide to the extent that it tolerated the freedom of the
Church. And this would be so, above all, in coun tries where the influence of the Church over the
population is very great.
3rd — or that, without criticizing directly the social and economic system of Marxism, they at least state that the legal existence of the family and private property is an ideal desirable in theory but unattainable in practice as a result of Communist domination, and for this reason they recommend in the present situation that the faithful give up any attempt to abolish the Communist regime and to re establish legally private property and the family in accordance with the principles of the Natural Law. Could such conditions be accepted, in all con science, tacitly or expressly, as a price for a mini mum of legal freedom for the Church under a Com munist regime? In other words, could the Church re nounce her liberty in some of these points in order to preserve it in others for the spiritual benefit of the faithful? This is the heart of the problem.
Thus, we cannot be satisfied with the resolution
of the problem as it is presented in the general formulatipn above. We must see what solution should
be given to this problem in the case of a Communist government which required that Catholic preaching and teaching, in order to be tolerated, conform to the following conditions: 1st — that they convey the Church's doctrine in an affirmative manner, but without making to the faithful any refutations of materialism and other errors inherent to Marxist philosophy;
2nd — that they remain silent as to the Church's thought concerning private property and the family;
6. The Solution 1. With regard to the first condition, it appears to us that the answer must be negative, in view of the persuasive force which metaphysics and morals have when they are concretized in a regime, a cul ture, and an environment. The doctrinal mission of the Church consists not
only in teaching the truth but also in condemning error. No teaching of the truth is sufficient unless it includes the enunciation and refutation of the obCRUSADE
25
jections which may be brought against that truth. As Pius XII said, "The Church, ever overflowing with charity and kindness toward those who go astray, but faithful to the word of her Divine Founder, who
said: 'He that is not with me is against me'(Matt.12: 30) could not fail in her duty of denouncing error
and unmasking the sowers of lies. . (Christmas Radio Message of 1947, "Discorsi e Radiomessagi," Vol. IX, p.393). Pius XI expressed the same thought as follows: "The first gift of love of the priest to his milieu, and which is incumbent upon him in the most evident manner, is the gift of serving truth, the whole truth, and to unmask and refute error under all the forms, masks, and disguises in which it is
presented." (Encyclical "Mit Brennender Sorge" of March 14, 1937. AAS, Vol. XXIX, p. 163). The false maxim that teaching the truth does not require at
tacking or refuting error is of the essence of religious
liberalism. There is no adequate Christian formation without apologetics. It is particularly important to note this, since the majority of men tend to accept as normal the political and social regime under which they are born and live and since the regime as a consequence of this fact exerts a profound influ ence upon the development of their souls. In order to measure the power of this formative action in its full extension, let us examine it in its
"reason for being" and in its manner of action. Every political, economic, and social regime is based in the final analysis upon a metaphysics and a morality. The institutions, laws, culture, and cus toms of which a particular regime is formed, as well as those which are correlated with it, reflect in prac tice the principles of this metaphysics and this mor ality. A regime by the very fact of its existence, by the natural prestige of the constituted authorities, as well as by the enormous force of environment and habit, leads the population to accept as good, normal and even indisputable, the existing culture and tem poral order, which are consequences ofthe dominant metaphysical and moral principles. And, by accept ing all of this, the spirit of the people ends up by go ing farther,letting itself be permeated,as by osmosis, by those same principles, habitually perceived in a vague, subconscious, but very vivid way by the ma jority of the people. Accordingly, it is easy to see that the temporal order exerts a profound formative or destructive in fluence over the souls of peoples and individuals. There are epochs in which the temporal order is based upon contradictory principles coexisting be cause of one kind of skepticism or another;however, whatever the kind of skepticism may be, it almost always has shades of pragmatism. This pragmatic skepticism generally passes on to the mentality of the multitudes.
In other epochs, the metaphysical and - . aal principles that serve as the soul of the temporal or der are coherent and monolithic â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in truth and good ness as in the Europe of the XIII Century, or in error and evil as in the Russia or the China of our
wr^ 'ICi! A comparison between an elegant style of dining and revolu
tionary assembly-line eating in a cafeteria shows the influence of the temporal order on the formation of man.
26
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These principles can profoundly mark the peo ples who live in a temporal society inspired by them. To live in an order of things coherent in error and evil is already of itself a tremendous invitation to apostasy.
The Communist State, sectarian and committed
to an official philosophy, carries out the doctrinal impregnation of the masses with intransigence, am-
plitude, and method. And this is complemented by an untiring and explicit indoctrination repeated at every opportunity.
The whole course of history provides no exam ple of pressure more complete in its doctrinal con tent, more subde and multiform in its methods, more brutal in its moments of violent action than
that exercised by the Communist regimes over the peoples who are under their yoke. In a Communist State, the regime is so totally anti-Christian that there is no way to .avoid its in
2. As for the second condition, that the Church remain silent as to its thought concerning private
property and the family, it also appears to us to be unacceptable, in view not only of the total incom patibility between Communism and Catholic doc trine but also — and especially — of the right of property in its relation to the love of God, the vir tue ofjustice, and the sanctification ofsouls. This second condition is rejected first of all on the basis of a reason of a general kind. The Commu
fluence except by instructing the faithful about the
nist doctrine, atheistic, materialistic, relativistic, and
evils that it contains.
evolutionist, collides in the most radical way with the Catholic concept of a personal God, who pro mulgated for mankind a Law which contains all the principles of morality fixed,immutable,and in agree
In the face of such an adversary, even more than in the face of any other, the Church cannot, then, accept a freedom which implies the sincere and ef fective renunciation of the frank and efficient ex
ment with the natural order. Communist "culture,"
ercise of her apologetic function.
considered in all its aspects and in each one of them, leads to the denial of morality and of law. The colli sion of Communism with the Church does not occur
then merely in the matter of the family and proper ty. And so it is that the Church would have to be silent about all morality and about all notion oflaw.
6
Therefore, we do not see what tactical result
would be achieved by such an "ideological armistice" Under such conditions, Catholics must
between Catholics and Communists, that is, one cir
reject a peaceful coexistence of the
cumscribed to these two points, if the ideological struggle continued in respect to all the other points.
Church witii Communism:
1st argument —The temporal order exerts a profound formative — or deformative — action over the mentalities of
peoples and the souls of individuals. The Church cannot, therefore, accept a freedom which would involve Her being silent about the errors of the Communist
regime, thus creating the impression among the people that She does not condemn tiiem.
2nd argument — By renouncing the
teaching of the precepts of the Decdogue which are the basis of private property (7th
and
10th Conunandments), the
Church would present a disfigured image of God Himself. Such a condition would
be gravely prejudicial to the love of God, the practice ofjustice, and the full develop ment of the faculties of man, and, as a
consequence, to his sanctiticatioii. 3rd argument — The Church cannot accept Communism as a "fait accompli" and a lesser evil.
Let us consider, however, for the sake of argu ment the hypothesis of the Church remaining silent in regard only to the family and private property. It is so absurd to admit that the Church accept restrictions in her preaching in matters concerning the family that we shall not even detain ourselves in an analysis of this hypothesis. But let us imagine that a Communist State were to give the Church complete liberty to preach about the family but not about private property. In <;iich a case, what should our response be? At first ^ance, one would say that the mission of the Church consists essentially in promoting the knowledge and love ofGod,rather than in advocating or maintaining a political,social, or economic regime. And that souls can know and love God without be
ing instructed about the principle ofprivate property. It would seem then that the Church should be
able to agree as a lesser evil to a compromise in which
She would keep silent about the right of property in order to receive in exchange the freedom to in
struct and sanctify souls, spej^ing to them of God and the eternal destiny of man, and administering to them the sacraments.
CRUSADE
27
This way of looking at the teaching and sancti fying mission of the Church collides with a prelimi
there correspond naturally obligations. In other
nary objection. If any given earthly government de
found in the very foundation of the concept ofjus
manded, as a condition for the Church's liberty, that
tice.
She renounce the preaching of any one of the pre cepts of the Law, She could not accept this liberty, which would only be a sham. We affirm that this liberty would be a sham be cause the teaching mission of the Church has as its objective the teaching of a doctrine which is an in divisible whole. Either She is free to fulfill the man
date of Our Lord Jesus Christ, teaching-that whole, or She must consider herself oppressed and perse cuted. If her complete liberty is not recognized, She must — due to her militant nature — fight against the oppressor. The Church cannot accept a partial silencing of her teaching function nor a partial op pression in order to obtain a partial liberty. It would be a complete betrayal of her mission. * * *
Besides this preliminary objection, based on the teaching mission of the Church, it is necessary to raise another one, concerning her function as the educator of the human will for the attainment of
sanctity.
This objection is based on the fact that a clear knowledge of the principle of private property and respect for this principle in practice are absolutely necessary for a truly Christian formation of souls: a) FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE
LOVE OF GOD: The knowledge and love of the Law are inseparable from the knowledge and love of God. For the Law is in a certain way the mirror of the Divine Sanctity. And this, which one can say of each of its precepts, is principally true when it is considered as a whole. To renounce the teaching of the two precepts of the Decalogue which form the foundation of private property would be the same as
to present a disfigured image ofthis whole and,there-, of God Himself. Now, where souls have a disfigured idea of God, they are formed according to an erro neous model, which is incompatible with true sanctification.
b) FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE CARDINAL VIRTUE OF JUSTICE: The cardinal
virtues are, as the name says, the hinges upon which all sanctity is supported. For a soul to sanctify itself, it must know them rightly, love them sincerely, and practice them genuinely. It happens that the whole notion of justice is founded upon the principle that every man, his neighbor individually considered, and human soci ety are the holders respectively of rights, to which 28
CRUSADE
words, the notions of "mine" and "thine" are to be
Now it is precisely the notion of "mine" and "thine" which in economic matters leads directly and ineluctably to the principle of private property. Hence it is that, without the right knowledge of
the legitimacy and of the extension of private prop erty, and moreover of its limitation, there is no right knowledge of the cardinal virtue of justice. And without that knowledge, a true love and a true prac tice of justice are impossible; in short, sanctification is impossible. c) FROM A MORE GENERAL POINT OF VIEW - THAT OF THE FULL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE FACULTIES OF THE SOUL, AND OF
ITS SANCTIFICATION: The explanation of this argument presupposes as given that the right forma tion of the intelligence and the will is, under various aspects, favorable to sanctification and, under other aspects, even identified with it. And it presupposes that, on the contrary, everything prejudicial to the right formation of the intellect and will is, under various aspects, incompatible with sanctification. We are going to show that a society in which private property does not exist is gravely opposed to the right development of the faculties of the soul, especially of the will. And for this reason it is in itself incompatible with the sanctification of men. In passing, we shall also refer, for analogous rea sons, to other consequences of the community of goods, those that are prejudicial to the culture of the people and its development. We shall do this because the true development of culture is not only a factor favorable to the sanctification of the people but also a fruit of that sanctification. Accordingly, a proper cultural life is intimately connected with our theme.
Let us approach the question by makin ^^ar an essential point frequently forgotten by those .10 treat the institution of private property, that is, it is necessary to the equilibrium and to the sanctification of men.
To justify this thesis, we should recall first that the pontifical documents,when they treat of capital, labor, and the social problem, leave not the least doubt about the fact that private property is not only legitimate but also indispensable to the individ ual as well as to the common good — indispensable for both the material interests of man and for those of his soul.
It is indeed certain that these same papal docu ments have vehemently risen up against the numer-
ter of private property. But the fact that the abuses men make of an institution are very reprehensible and pernicious does not mean absolutely that the in stitution is not intrinsically excellent. Rather, one
tion of the State, is to deprive his mind of some of the basic conditions for its normal functioning; it is to cause the atrophy of the faculties of the soul through lack of exercise; it is, in short, to deform it profoundly. Whence arises, to a great extent, the sadness that characterizes the populations subjected
should tend in most instances to think the contrary:
to Communism, as well as the tedium, the neurosis,
"corruptio optimi pessima" — the worst is perhaps almost always the corruption of what is in itself the
and the suicides which are becoming more and more frequent in certain highly socialized countries of the
best. Nothing is so sacred and holy, in itself, and from every point of view, as the priesthood. Nothing is worse than its corruption. And for this same rea son one understands why the Holy See, so severely
Occident.
ous excesses and abuses that beginning, in the main, in the nineteenth century, have occurred in the mat
opposed to the abuses of private property, is even more severe when curbing the abuses of the priest hood.
There are many reasons why the institution of private property is indispensable to individuals, families, and peoples. A complete exposition ofthese reasons would exceed the scope of this work. Let us limit ourselves to the explanation of that which is most directly important to our theme: As we af firmed recently, this institution is necessary to the equilibrium and sanctification of man. Being naturally endowed with intelligence and with will, man tends, by his own spiritual faculties to provide everything necessary for his welfare;from whence comes a certain number of rights. Accord ingly, he has the right to seek for himself the things that he needs and to appropriate them when they have no owner. He also has the right of providing, in a stable way, for the necessities of tomorrow by tak ing possession of the ground, cultivating it, and pro ducing for this cultivation his instruments of labor. In short, it is because he has a soul that man irrefragably tends to be an owner. And it is in this, say Leo XIII and St. Pius X, that this position in relation to material goods distinguishes him from irrational ani mals: "Man has not only the simple use of earthly goods, as do the brutes, but also the right of stable ownership, in respect to both those goods which use consumes and those which use does not consume."
(Encyclical Rerum Novarum). (St.Pius X, "Motu Propio" on Catholic Popular Action, Dec» 18, 1903 - ASS, Vol. XXXVI, pp.341-343). Now,since, in the case of man, directing his own destiny and providing his own subsistence is the proximate, necessary, and constant object of the exercise of the intelligence and the will, and owning property is the normal means for him to be sure and
It is indeed well known that the unexercised
faculties of the soul tend to atrophy. It is also known, however, that adequate exercise can develop these faculties, at times even prodigiously. Upon this fact are founded a great number of didactic and as cetic practices approved by the greatest masters and consecrated by experience.
Since sanctity is the perfection of the soul, it is easy to understand how important the foregoing conclusions are to the salvation and sanctification of
men. The condition of proprietorship, of itself, creates circumstances highly propitious for the right and virtuous exercise of the faculties of the soul.
Without accepting the Utopian ideal of a society in which each individual, without exception, is a pro prietor, or in which there are not unequal fortunes, great, medium, and small, it behooves us to affirm that the greatest possible diffusion of property favors the spiritual welfare, and obviously the cul tural as well, not only of individuals and families but also of society. On the other hand, proletarization creates conditions highly unfavorable to the salva tion, sanctification, and cultural formation of peo ples, families, and individuals.
For greater facility of exposition, let us consider now some objections to the argument expounded under this letter "c":
■■'l l fj' Do those who are not proprietors go w<;ane in a society where there is private property? t impossible for them to sanctify themselves? In responding to this objection, it is reasonable for us to consider the fact that private property is an institution which favors nonproprietors indirect ly, but in a very genuine way. For when a great number of persons take adequate advantage of the moral and cultural benefits which the condition of
ownership confers upon them, there results there
from an elevated social environment, which by the natural communication of souls favors even the non-
and to feel that he is his own master, it follows that
owners. Accordingly, the situation in which the nonowners find themselves in such a society is not iden
to abolish private property, and as a consequence deliver the individual like a helpless ant to the direc
no private property exists.
to feel sure of his future and to be his own master
tical with that of individuals living in a regime where CRUSADE
29
Is private property then the cause of the moral and cultural elevation of the peoples?
We say that property is a most important condi tion for the spiritual and cultural good of individuals, families, and peoples. We do not say it is the cause of sanctification. It is like the freedom ofthe Church,
which is a condition for her development. But the Church, persecuted, flourished admirably in the cat
acombs. It would be exaggerated to say, for example, that it necessarily follows that the more diffused the institution of property,the more virtuous and cul tured the people will be. This would' amount to making that which is supernatural depend on matter and that which is cultural depend on the economy. However, it is certain that it is not licit for any people to contravene the designs of Providence by abolishing an institution, such as private property, which has been imposed by the natural order of things, and institution constituting a very important condition for the good of souls both in the religious and the cultural planes. And any people proceeding in this way prepares the factors for its moral and cultural degradation and, therefore, for its complete rum.
If this is so, how was it possible for so much culture to exist in Imperial Rome where the majority of the population consisted of proletarians and slaves? And how was it possible for several slaves, both in Rome and in Greece, to attain an elevated moral and cultural level?
The difference between a brighdy lighted room
and one with only a flickering light is not as great as the difference between a room with only a flick ering light and one in total darkness. This is so be cause the evil produced by the total lack of an im
portant good — in this case, the light — is always incomparably greater than that produced by the in sufficiency of this good. The Roman society had, though to a lesser degree than was desirable, a vast and cultured propertied class: whence the existence in the Empire, at least in a certain proportion, of the cultural benefits ofproperty.The situation would be very different in a country entirely deprived of a propertied class; from this point of view, it would be in complete darkness. Some person may perhaps object that experience contradicts this theoretical conclusion, since among
the Russian people there is an undeniable cultural and technical progress in spite of the community of goods imposed by the Marxist regime. Even here the response is not difficult. It is obvious that the resources drained from the
four cardinal points of the compass of this vast em pire are subject to the will of the Soviet government. It disposes arbitrarily of the talents, the work, and ofthe production of hundreds of millions of persons. Accordingly, we see that the Sovi*:t government was by no means lacking in the resources needed to construct a certain number of artificial environments
which would represent for it a great technical or cultural development (an anti-cultural development, we should more properly say). Without denying the volume of the results obtained in this way, we never-
IF A MAN POLISHED A STONE
If a man polished a stone until he gave it a sharp edge, the new ust
jss
of that stone would be the fruit of his work. This new usefulness will enable him
to increase his production and to accumulate — in the light of his reoccurring necessities — more than he needs for his mere day-to-day existence. To make such an accumulation by increasing production and the practice of economy is in accord with his spiritual nature, which, understanding the danger of an un stable provision, desires to have stability. Thus it is that the right of private property has its foundation in the ra tional and free nature of man.
Every man, as he exists in relation to other men, is naturally the owner of himself, and as a consequence, the owner of his work, and, therefore, of the fruit
of his work. If man were not entitled to the fruit of his work, he would not be the owner of his work, and, therefore, he would not be the owner of himself.
Now, then, he who is not the owner of himself is not free. That is why Leo XIII affirms that socialism, because it abolishes private property, leads to a "harsh and hateful slavery of the citizens." 30
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theless can legitimately express some surprise that they are not much greater, since a totally antinatural Moloch State that does not produce Moloch results in the artificial order is not really effectual. Moreover, this hot-house intellectual flowering is entirely cut off from the population. It does not constitute a product of the society. It does not re sult from a germination in the womb of the society. Rather it is obtained outside of it and with the
blood extracted therefrom. It grows and manifests itself outside of society and, in a certain sense, against it.
Such production is not the index of the culture of a nation, just as the products of a hot-house on an abandoned rural property are not a valid proof of the suitable cultivation of that property. Returning now to the objection concerning Im
for this silence, the sanctification of souls through freedom ofworship and a relative freedom of preach ing.
Moreover, even though this monstrous pact were
accepted,not even by these means would the dreamed of coexistence be practical. Indeed, in a society with out private property, the upright souls would always tend, by the very dynamism of their virtue, to create conditions favorable for themselves. For everything that exists tends to fight for its own survival by des troying adverse circumstances and by implanting propitious ones. On the other hand, anything ceas ing to fight against circumstances gravely unfavor able to itself is destroyed by them.
true, who attained surprising moral and intellectual levels: marvels of grace in die moral plane, and of
Whence it is that virtue would be in a perpetual struggle against the Communist society where it flourished, and would tend perpetually to eliminate the community of goods. And the Communist so ciety would be in a perpetual struggle against virtue and would tend to asphyxiate it. All this is just
nature, which even now fill us with wonder. These
exactly the opposite of the dreamed of coexistence.
perial Rome, we note that there were slaves, it is
glorious exceptions, however, are not sufficient to deny the obvious truth that the servile condition is, in itself, oppressive and harmful for the soul of the slave from both the religious and the cultural point of view. And they are not sufficient to deny another obvious truth: that slavery, already in itself morally and culturally noxious, would have been incompara bly more so for the slaves of antiquity if there had
been no patricians and freemen and society had been composed only of men with neither autonomy nor property,such as occurs in a Communist regime. But someone will finally ask is the religious state, then, not intrinsically harmful to souls, in view of the vows of obedience and poverty which constitute it? Don't these vows hamper man's tend ency to provide for himself? The answer is easy. This state is highly benefi
cial to souls which grace attracts to exceptional ways. If this state were to be lived by a whole socie ty, it would be harmful, for that which is suitable for exceptions is not suitable for all. For this reason, the community of goods among the faithful was never generalized in the primitive Church and ended up, being eliminated. It is notable also that the Com munist-Protestant experiences of certain collective bodies in the 16th century resulted in spectacular
3. In regard to the third condition, it seems to us to he equally unacceptable, for the necessity of tolerating a lesser evil cannot lead to the renouncing ofits total destruction. When the Church resolves to tolerate a lesser evil.
She does not thereby imply that this evil should not be combated with all efficiency. All the more so when this "lesser" evil is most grave in itself. In other words, the Church must form in the
faithful, and renew in them at every moment, a most vivid regret that it was necessary to accept the lesser evil. And with this regret. She must raise up in them the efficacious resolution to do everything to remove the circumstances that made it necessary to accept the lesser evil. Now, acting thus, the Church would destroy the possibility of coexistence. And moreover, it
to us. She could not act in any other way witl.
lie
imperatives of her sublime mission.
7. Resolving Final Objections
failures. * **
These multiple arguments and objections having been pondered, the thesis holds good that it is vain to keep silent about the immorality of a complete community of goods in order to obtain, in return
In the course of this work, we have resolved sev
eral objections directly connected with the various themes handled. We will now analyze other objec tions which were not necessary to the development of the foregoing exposition and which fit in more conveniently for the reader in this section. CRUSADE
31
1. Defending, thus, the right of property, the Church would abandon the struggle against misery and hunger.
This objection furnishes us with an occasion to consider the catastrophic effects caused, from the point of view of temporal welfare, in a Communist State by the silence of the Church about the matter of property.
Having previously analyzed the principal objec tions that could be made to such silence from the
point of view of the teaching mission of the Church, and from the point of view of her sanctifying mis sion, let us now consider a secondary, but interest
ing, effect of the same silence: It would be for the Church to become an accomplice to the progressive dissemination of misery in a world situation marked by the progress of collectivization. Every man tries by an instinctive movement which is continuous, powerful, and fecund to pro vide first of all for his personal necessities. When it's a matter of one's own preservation, the human
5 3.
intelligence struggles more sharply against its limi tations and grows in sharpness and agility. The will conquers sloth more easily, and faces obstacles and struggles with greater vigor. This instinct, when held within proper bounds, should not be thwarted but, on the contrary, sup
ported and taken advantage of as a precious factor of enrichment and progress. It should by no means
be pejoratively classified as egoism. It is the love for one's self which, according to the natural order of things, ought to be below the love for the Creator and above the love for one's neighbor. If these truths were denied, the principle of subsidiarity, presented by the Encyclical "Mater et Magistra" as a fundamental element of Catho lic social doctrine, would be destroyed (cf. AAS,
In the uppermost photo, Archbishop Casaroli, Secretary of the Council for Public Affairs of the Vatican, toasting the Secre
tary of the Russian Cult Department, which closed all Catholic Churches in Russia. In the photo immediately below it, Arch bishop Casoroli signing the treaty against the spread of nuclear arms in Moscowwith the Soviet undersecretary of the exterior, V. Kosyrev.
Vol. LIII pp. 414415).
Indeed, it is by virtue of this hierarchy in char
ity that every man should provide for himself to the extent possible from his personal resources, only receiving the help of superior groups — family, corporation. State — to the extent that it is impos
_____—-r
;•- V
sible for him to act for himself. And it is by virtue of the same principles that the family and corpora tion (collective entities of whom also it must be said that "omne ens appetit suum esse") look out, first
of all, directly for themselves, reporting to the State only when it is indispensable. And the same thing holds in connection with the relations between the
State and international society. In conclusion, everything in each man's nature, either by the dictates of his reason or by his own instinct, calls for him to appropriate goods to assure 32
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t.
.
.f"*
Bishop Cagna from the Vatican paying a "most cordial" visit to Communist dictator, Tito, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
his subsistence and to make it full, decorous, and
tranquil. And the desire to have possessions, and to multiply them, is a great stimulus for work, and
therefore an essential factor of abundance in pro duction.
As we see, the institution of private property, which is the necessary corollary of this desire, can not be considered to be merely the basis of person al privileges. It is an indispensable and most effica cious condition for the prosperity ofthe whole social body. Socialism and Communism affirm that the indi
vidual exists primarily for society and that he must produce direcdy, not for his own welfare, but for the welfare of the whole social body. With this, the best encouragement for work ceases, production necessarily falls, and indolence and misery become generalized throughout society. And the only means — obviously insufficient — that the Public Power can use to stimulate production is the whip... We do not deny that in a regime of private prop erty it can happen — and frequently has happened — that the goods produced in abundance circulate defectively in the various parts of the social body, accumulating here, and growing scarce there. This fact leads us to do everything in favor of a propor tional diffusion of riches in the various social classes.
But it is not a reason for us to renounce private
property, and the riches which spring from it, to re sign ourselves to socialist pauperism. 2. The arguments against the coexistence of the Church with a completely collectivized State are not valid for a State which is incompletely collectivized. According to certain reports of the press, some Communist governments have expressed the resolu tion ("pari passu" with the concession of a certain religious liberty) to carry out a partial retreat in So cialism by admitting in fact if not in law, and provi sionally, some forms of private property. It wiU be said that in this case the regime will have a less
7
There is a collateral but tragic effect ofthe silence of the Church about the principle of private property. By not speaking out, She would be consenting to the progres sive spread of misery which would flow from the replacement of private property by collective ownership. — Even in a State which is not com
pletely collectivized, it is an obligation of the Church to make the whole truth shiiie
before the eyes of all. — Even though the sense of property
be impossible to extirpate in certain regions of Europe because it is so deeply rooted, the Church cannot maintain
silence about the right of property with out prejudice to the moral formation of the faithful.
— The institution of private property must exist because it belongs to the very natural order of things. Accordingly, even
if the proprietors were to renounce their rights of property under the pressure of a Communist state, the Church would not
be able to accept a peaceful coexist ence with that state.
— Nor could the Church accept a Communist regime inr a passing way, hoping that it would collapse from its own corruption or attenuate itself. — The diplomatic relations of the Holy See with the Conununist countries are on a different plane from the matter considered in this study. The traditional official and semi-official teaching of the Vatican affirms the impossibility of any ideological truce, of any peaceful coexist ence between die Chur^ and Commu nism. There is no lack of declarations firom Communist sources to the same effect.
— Finally, the Church could not accept coexistence with a Communist
state as a pious fraud ("pia frau'^"> It would be naive to think that the Co.
lu-
nist would not immediately become aware of violations of the pact.
noxious influence over souls. Could the Church not
agree then that Catholic preaching and teaching would pass over in sdence, not precisely the principle of private property, but the whole extension of diis principle in Catholic morality? To this it can be answered that it is not always the most brutally antinatural regimes — or the most flagrant or declared errors — which succeed in de forming souls the most profoundly. Declared error and brutal injustice, for example, cause revolt and horror, while partial injustices and partial errors are more easily accepted as normal so that both the one
and the other corrupt mentalities more rapidly. It was much easier to combat Arianism than semi-
Arianism, Pelagianism than semi-Pelagianism,Protestism than Jansenism, the brutal Revolution than
Liberalism, Communism than a mitigated Socialism. Besides this, the Church's mission does not consist
only in combating brutally radical and flagrant error, but in eliminating from the minds of the faithful each and every error, however tenuous it may be, to CRUSADE
33
make shine before the eyes of all the whole and spot less truth taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. The sense of property is so deeply rooted in
the peasants of certain regions ofEurope that it can he transmitted from generation to generation, as if with the mother's milk, by the simple teaching of the Catechism within the family. As a result, the Church could be silent about the right ofproperty for decades without prejudice to the moral forma tion of the faithful. We do not deny that the sense of property is
very lively in some regions of Europe. It is a notori ous fact that for this very reason the Communists had to beat a retreat in their policy of confiscation and restore lands to small proprietors in Poland for example. However, these strategic retreats, so frequent in the history of Communism, are no more than tem
porary policies to which the partisans of Communism resign themselves at times in order to gain a more complete victory later. As soon as circumstances be come favorable, they return to the charge with re doubled energy and astuteness. Then will be the moment of greatest danger. Ex posed to a most astute and refined propaganda, the peasants will have to suffer indefinitely the Marxist ideological offensive. Who does not tremble at the thought of seeing
the younger generation of any part of the earth ex posed to this risk? To suppose that the mere routine and natural sense of personal property would nor mally provide an adequate shield against such a great peril is to expect too much from a human factor. Really, without the direct and supernatural action of the Church preparing its children well in advance and aiding them in their struggle, the chance is very small that the faithful of any country or of any so cial condition will endure the trial.
Besides, as we have pointed out before, it does not seem licit to us, in any case, that the Church should suspend for years on end the exercise of her mission which consists in teaching the Law of God in all its plenitude. 4. The coexistence of the Church with a Com munist State would be possible if all owners re nounced their rights. In the hypothesis of a Communist inspired tyr anny, prepared to exercise every type of violence to
impose, the regime of the community of goods, and of owners who persist in affirming their rights against the State (which neither created them nor can validly suppress them), what is the solution for the ten sion resulting therefrom? 34
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Offhand we do notsee any other except fighting. This would not be just any fight, however, but a
fight to the death of all Catholics faithful to the principle of private property, Catholics placed in an attitude of legitimate defense against the extermina ting action of a tyrannical power whose bestial brutality in the face of the refusal of the Church can reach inconceivable extremes. In short, it would be a
revolt, a revolution with all of the atrocious episodes
inherent to it, accompanied by the general impover ishment and the inevitable uncertainties regarding the outcome of the tragedy.
This being established, one might ask if the owners would not have in conscience, then, the duty of renouncing their ri^ts in favor of the common welfare, thus allowing the establishment of a com munity of goods upon a morally legitimate founda tion, according to which a Catholic could accept, without problems of conscience, the Communist regime.
This proposition is inconsistent. It confuses the institution of private property, as such, with the property rights of persons concretely existing at a given historical moment. Let us admit as valid the renunciation by these persons of their patrimony, imposed under the effects of a brutal menace to the common welfare; their rights in such a case would cease: From thence, however, there would not fol
low in any way the elimination of private property as an institution. It would continue to exist, so to
speak, "in radice," in the very natural order of things, as immutably indispensable to the spiritual and material welfare of men and of nations, and as
an unshakeable imperative of the Law of God. And because it continues to exist thus "in ra
dice," that is, in its root, it would spring up again at every moment. Every time, for example, that a fisherman or a hunter took something, from the sea or from the air, necessary to maintain himself and to
accumulate a saving, and every time that an in tual or a manual laborer produced more than the indispensable to live from day to day, and reserved for himself the surplus, there would be constituted again small private properties, generated in the depths of the natural order of things. And, as is normal, these properties would tend to increase ... To avoid the anti-Communist revolution yet again, it would be necessary to be repeating the renuncia tions at every moment, which, as is evident, leads to the absurd.
Besides, in numerous cases, the individual could
not perform such a renunciation without sinning against charity towards himself. In addition, such a renunciation would frequently clash with the rights
in all morality, in the position of a thief. And those persons who receive the confiscated goods from the State are in principle, in relation to the owner who has been despoiled, like those who enrich themselves with stolen goods. Starting from this point, any moralist will easily foresee the immense train of difficulties that the col jgfiSStei'"'
5Sv^.H
lectivization of goods will bring to the practice of the virtue of justice. These difficulties will be such that, above all in police States, they will demand frequently, perhaps at each moment, heroic acts on the part of every Catholic. This is another proof of the impossibility of coexistence between the Church and the Communist State.
5. Since Communism is so antinatural, its ex
iLj~l^l
.. '! iH I
istence is necessarily ephemeral. Thus, the Church could accept a "modus vivendi" ivith it, only for a time, until it falls from rottenness, or at least attenuates itself To this, various answers can be given:
a) This "ephemeral" character is, to say the least, very relative. For more than half a century Com
i m T!Oii
IH H
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â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;
II m ffI Behind the Iron Curtain, people pay admission to enter churches converted into museums, including some Western tourists who tragically do not listen to their silence.
of anotlier institution having a profound affinity with property, and even more sacred than it; that is, the family. Indeed, many would be the cases in which a member of a family could not practice such a renunciation without failing in justice or charity to his own. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE PRACTICE
OF JUSTICE: Now, after having described and jus tified this continuous revival of the right of property, we shall, make a few comments that could not have
been offered before with the necessary clarity. These comments concern the virtue ofjustice in its relations with private property. In section VI, no. 2, letter b of this work, we spoke of the role of
property in the knowledge of, and the love of, the virtue of justice. Now we will consider the role of property in the practice ofjustice. Granted that the rights of property are springing up at every moment in Communist countries as in others, then it follows that the collectivist State
that confiscates the goods of individuals places itself,
munism has been dominant in Russia. Except God, who knows the future, who can say with certainty when Communism will fall?
b) By the very fact of attenuating itself, such a regime would become milder and would, as a con sequence, prolong itself, since it would be less antinatural. This attenuation then would not be a march
toward ruin but a factor of stability. c) There are regimes which are profoundly con trary to the fundamental demands of human nature but which subsist by themselves indefinitely. Such is the case with the barbarism of certain aboriginal peo ples of America or Africa, which lasted for centuries, and which would have lasted still longer by their intrinsic vitality if extrinsic factors had not elimi nated them. And even so, how costly is this process of replacing an antinatural order by another one which is more natural!
6. At first sight, it may seem that certain ges tures of "detente" of the late lamented Pope John XXIII in relation to Soi'iet Russia are intended to
guide the spirit in a sense different from the con clusions of this work.
One must think quite the contrary. These said gestures of John XXIII are restricted entirely to the field of international relations. As far as the plane in which we place this study
is concerned, the Pontiff himself, reaffirming in the Encyclical "Mater et Magistra" the condemnations fulminated by his predecessors against Communism, made it quite clear that there can be no demobiliCRUSADE
3S
zation of Catholics in the face of this error which
there has been no lack of affirmations about the im
the pontifical documents repudiate with supreme
possibility of an ideological truce or of a peaceful
rigor.
And, in the same sense, there is, among others,
this expressive pronouncement by Pope Paul VI: "Do not believe, moreover, that this pastoral solici tude, today assumed by the Church as a primordial program absorbing her attention and polarizing her concerns, signifies a modification of the judgment expressed about the errors disseminated in our so
ciety, and already condemned by the Church, as, for example, atheistic materialism. Trying to apply salutory and urgent remedies to a contagious and mortal disease does not mean changing one's opin ion in respect to this disease, but on the contrary, it means trying to combat it not only in theory but practically; it signifies that after the diagnosis, one wishes to apply therapeutics, that is, after the doc trinal condemnation, to apply a salutary charity." (Address of September 6, 1963 to the participants of the 13th Italian Week of Pastoral Adaptation, of Orvieto - AAS, Vol. LV, p. 752). The Osservatore Romano, semiofficial organ of the Vatican, has repeatedly taken an analogous posi tion in the course of the present pontificate. One
may read, for example, in the issue of March 20, 1964 of the French edition the following: "Leaving aside the more or less fictitious distinctions, it is
certain that no Catholic can collaborate, directly or
indirectly, with the Communists, for the ideological incompatibility between religion and materialism (dialectical and historical) corresponds to an in compatibility of methods and ends, a practical
incompatibility, that is, a moral one." (Article "Le rapport Ilitchev," by F.A.). And there appears in another article in the same issue: "For Catholicism
and Communism to be reconciled, it would be
necessary for Communism to cease to be Commu nism. Now even in the multiple aspects of its dialec tics, Communism concedes nothing in respect to its political ends and its doctrinal intransigence. And thus Communism, by its materialistic conception of Histoty, its negation of the rights of the person, its abolition of freedom, its State despotism, and even its unhappy economic experience, is placed in
opposition to the spiritual and personalist concep tion of society as it proceeds from the social doc trine of Catholicism (...)." (Article "A propos de solution de remplacement"). Still in the same sense, it is appropriate to men tion a collective Letter of the Venerable Italian
Episcopate against atheistic Communism, dated November 1, 1963. Furthermore, from Communist sources also 36 CRUSADE
coexistence between the Church and Communism:
"Those who propose the idea ofpeaceful coexistence in matters of ideology fall, in fact, into the antiCommunist position." (Khrushchev, cf. telegram of March 11, 1963 of the AFP and ANSA in O Estado de Sao Paulo of March 12, 1963)."My impression is
that never, in any field whatsoever, (...) will it be possible to reach a coexistence of Communism with other ideologies and therefore with religion." (Adjubei, cf. telegram of March 15, 1963 of the ANSA, UPI, and DPA in O Estado de Sao Paulo of March 16, 1963)."There is no conciliation possible between Catholicism and Marxism." (Palmiro Tagliatti, cf. telegram of March 21, 1963 of the AFP in O Estado de Sao Paulo of March 22, 1963). "A peaceful co existence of the Communist and bourgeois ideas constitutes a betrayal of the working class (.. .). There has never been any peaceful coexistence of
ideologies; it has never existed, nor will it ever exist." (Leonid Ilitchev, Secretary of the Central Commis sion and President of the Ideological Commission of the CPSU, cf. telegram of June 18, 1963 of the AFP, ANSA, AP, DPA, and UPI, in O Estado de Sao Paulo
of June 19, 1963). "The Soviets reject the accusa tion that Moscow applies the principle of peaceful
coexistence to the class struggle, and they say that they do not admit it in the ideological plane either." (Open letter of CC of the CPSU, cf. telegram of the agencies cited, of July 15, 1963, in O Estado de Sao Paulo ofJuly 17, 1963). In view of this, it is quite evident that the mili tant Church has not renounced, and could not re
nounce, the essential freedom to fight against her terrible adversary. 7. Coexistence could he accepted as a pious fraud, that is, if the Church wished to accept co existence with some Communist regime. She could do so with the concealed idea ofcheating as th is possible on the pact established with it. In considering the hypothesis of an explicit pact, one must answer that no one is permitted to con tract to do something illicit. Thus, if the acceptance of the conditions we have been talking about is illi cit, a pact of which they formed a part could not be made.
In respect to the hypothesis of an implicit pact, it should be said â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to consider only one aspect of it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that it is naive to imagine that the Communist authorities, constituted as eminently a police organ ization and served by the powerful resources of modern technology, would not become immediately aware of systematic violations of such a pact.
8. Fruits of the Agreement:
Skin-deep Catholics A pact made under the conditions stated above in section V would bring immense benefits to Com munism, if it were to be fulfilled exactly, for new
generations of ill-prepared and lukewarm Catholics would arise, perhaps reciting the Credo with their lips, but with their minds and their hearts saturated with all the errors of Communism. In short, they would be Catholics only in appearance and on the surface, and Communists in the most profound and
authentic layers of their mentality. After two or three generations formed in such a coexistence, what would be left of Catholicism in the peoples? May we make a comment on this subject which confirms these assertions. It concerns the very grave
pastoral and practical risks which result sometimes from the unavoidable acceptance of the hypothesis even when the thesis is faithfully adhered to. While enjoying full liberty in the present-day
laicist regime born of the French Revolution, the Church has seen millions and millions of men fall
away from her fold. As His Excellency the Most Reverend Monsignor Angelo Dell' Acqua, Substitute Secretary of State, said, "as a consequence of the religious agnosticism of the States, the sense of the Church" (has become) "weakened or almost lost in modern society." (Letter to His Eminence Cardinal D.Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcellos Motta, then
Archbishop of Sao Paulo, on the occasion of Thanks giving Day of 1956). What is the ultimate reason for this fact? Public institutions, as we said before (cf.
section VI, no.l), exert a profound influence over the majority of men. They accept these institutions habitually, and even without perceiving it, as a model and source of inspiration for their whole way of thinking, of being, and of behaving. And laicism, in being adopted by the States, entirely led astray an immense number of souls. This certainly would not have happened if Catholics had been much more
zealous in taking advantage of the unrestricted liber ty of word and action which they enjoy in the liberal regime in order to spread and defend all of the teachings of the Church against the lay State. How ever, they did not take advantage of this liberty as much as they should have, because in very many cases, by being in a laicist atmosphere, they lost the living notion of the tremendous evil that laicism is. They continued to affirm rarely, and merely with their lips, the antilaicist however, they ended up by considering the hypothesis normal. Now, in a Communist regime, in which the errors are inculcated by the State with much more insist ence than in the laicist, liberal regime, either souls will allow themselves to be swept along in an even much greater profusion or they will act against these errors much more than they did against the influence of laicism from the French Revolution until the
present day. Anyone who believes that this would be tolerated by any Communist regime has not the slightest idea of what Communism is.
A pact of the Church with a Communist regime, under the conditions desired by the Communists, would have as its effect
the formation of new generations of Catholics who would perhaps recite the Creed with their lips but whose minds and hearts would be completely saturated with all of the errors of Communism.
Brandishing their clenched fists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is the Communist salute â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 40,000 members of the JOC (Catholic Workers Youths), who gathered in Paris from June 29 to July 1, 1974, sing the "International." Per haps they intoned the Creed a little before or a little afterwards... CRUSADE
37
is
9 It is important and urgent to show the intrinsically and necessarily fraudulent character of the "freedom" offered to
Religion by Communism.
10. Where the True Peril of a Hecatomb Is 1-
9. Practical Conclusions To nullify the advantages which Communism is already gaining in the Occident with its hints at greater freedom in religious and social matters, it is important and urgent to inform public opinion about the intrinsically and necessarily fraudulent character of the "freedom" it concedes to Religion,
and about the impossibility of the peaceful coexist ence of a Communist regime â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even though a moderate one ~ with the Catholic Church.
As he comes to the end of the present study,
many a reader will ask himself: How then can we avoid a nuclear hecatomb? It is very clear that if Catholics become firm about the principle of pri vate property, the Communist powers, losing all hope of imposing their system on tlie world by
peaceful means, will resort to war. In view of this, regardless of what might be said from a doctrinal angle, would it not be preferable to yield to them? Oh, men of little faith! We would like to answer,
why are you fearful, (cf. Matt. 8:26). Wars have as their principal cause the sins of nations. For, as Saint Augustine says, the sins com
mitted by nations cannot be recompensed or casti gated in the other life, and, therefore, receive in this world the reward for their good actions and the penalty for their crimes. Thus, to avoid wars and hecatombs, let us corn-
While in the Sierra Maestra, Fidel Castro and his henchmen (see upper left) used rosaries, medals, and other religious symbols to
attract Catholics. Once in power, he unleashed the religious persecution known to everyone. Nevertheless, he still managed to obtain an invitation to the Nunciature in Havana at a reception in 1967, as shown below, where Msgr. Cesar Zacchi (at that time
charge d'affairs of the Holy See in Cuba and now Apostolic Nuncio) appears at Castro's right arm and Msgr. Clarizio, Apostolic Delegate in Canada (in the white cassock), at his left arm. Other Cuban bishops were also present.
bat them in their causes: the corruption of ideas and morals, the official impiety of the laicist States, and
the increasingly frequent opposition of the positive law to the Law of God. This, yes, is what exposes us to the wrath and chastisement of the Creator and
which leads us more than anything else to war. If, to avoid war, the Western nations committed a sin greater than the present ones by agreeing to live under the Communist yoke in conditions re
n
proved by Catholic morality, they would in this way defy God's wrath and call down upon-themselves the effects of His anger. And this holds all the more so, since concessions
made today in reference to the abolition of private property would have to be repeated tomorrow in relation to the abolition of the family, and so on.
For, in this way, international Communism, with inexorable intransigence, proceeds by the tactic of successive impositions, a tactic inherent to its spirit.
By capitulating to this tactic, into what ignominy, into what abyss, into what apostasy would we not fall?
Human existence, without necessary institutions
such as property and the family, is not worth living. Would not the sacrificing of the one or the other amount to losing, for the sake of life, the very rea son for living? Why live in a world transformed into an immense population of slaves hurled into an animal promiscuity? In face of the dramatic option of the present hour, which this article tries to make evident, let us not reason like atheists who ponder pros and cons as if God did not exist.
A supreme and heroic act of fidelity in this hour could cover a multitude of sins before God, inclining Him to turn away from us the cataclysm which approaches. An act of heroic fidelity. . . an act of entire and heroic confidence in the Heart of Him who said:
"Learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls." (Matt. 11:29).
Yes, let us trust in God. Let us trust in His
10
The sins of nations constitute the princi pal cause of wars. If in order to avoid a nuclear hecatomb, the nations of the West were to commit the enormous sin of
accepting Communism, they would call upon themselves the effects of the divine anger. At Fatima, Our Lady sait' ' t wars are warded off by prayer, pena. c, and the amendment of our lives. May She give us the courage to exclaim in the face of Communism: "non possumus."
Mercy, whose channel is the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
What the Mother of Mercy said to the world in the Message of Fatima, is that wars are turned away
by prayer, penance, and the amendment of our lives. And not by hasty, shortsighted, and fearful conces sions. ..
In the face of the insidious suggestions of inter national Communism, may Our Lady of Fatima ob tain for all of us who have the duty to fight the courage to exclaim "non possumus." (Acts 4:20). CRUSADE
39
IN RED CHINA: »TH£
KINGDOM OF GOD''
By Luiz Sergio Solimeo On the occasion of the death ofChou
whom were invited on the basis of their
En-lai, the Marxist Bishop of Cuernava-
experience in relation to Communist China and their knowledge of theology and Marxism, according to the informa tion we received from Marlene Tuininga,
ca, Msgr. Sergio Mendez Arceo, declared that he would not be surprised if the Chinese Communist leader were canon ized.
At first sight (for one who does not know the prelate, who for years has been preaching — without being bothered — the Marxist revolution, not only in his own area but to some extent all over the
world), it could appear that he had not expressed himself well. In fact, the Red
a reporter of Informaciones Catholiques Internationales who was present at the colloquia. Two notorious figures of world progressivism, Cardinal Suenens, Archbishop of Brussels, and Msgr.Angclo Fernandez, Archbishop of New Delhi, gave prestige
to the assembly by their presence. Also
Mexican Bishop only expressed that
participating in the colloquium were
which adepts of the new progressive Church really think in respect to Chinese
Msgr.Bernard Jacqueline, vice secretary
Communism (or the Russian brand).
This is made quite clear by the state ments made during the ecumenical colloquia carried out in Louvain toward
of
the
Secretariat for
Non-believers
(atheists) of the Vatican and the Bishops Charles Joseph von Melckebeke, aposto lic administrator for the Chinese outside
the end of 1974 about the "Christian
of the Bamboo Curtain, and Msgr.Paul Tep-im Sotha Samath, a prelate in
faith and the Chinese experience." In
Cambodia.
that meeting. Bishops, priests, nuns, and
According to the organizers of the meeting, its purpose was "to explore the significance of the Chinese experience for Christian theology in the light of
Protestant ministers recognized in Mao Tse-tung a new Moses, who took his country out of the oppression offeudal
ism and capitalism, as formerly the chosen people were taken out of the captivity of Egypt. .. This meeting was promoted by the Catholic International Center of Re
search and Information, "Pro Mundi
the Church"(es. Christian Faith and the
Chinese Experience, Papers and Reports from an Ecumenical Colloquium held in Louvain, Belgium,September9-14,1974, Lutheran World Federation, "Pro Mundi Vita," Geneva and Brussels, 1974).
Vita," of Brussels and by the Depart
Although they were all united in
ment of Studies of the World Lutheran
their same faith in Marx and in the same
Federation, which has its headquaners
enthusiasm for Mao's China, the partici
in Geneva. It had the support of the Accion Populaire, a Jesuit organization in Paris, and the National Council of
pants in the colloquium did not want to commit themselves with a precise text and they preferred not to vote on the
Christian Churches, a Protestant organi
final motion. For this reason, we based
zation in the United States.
our commentaries on
Ninety-seven persons participated, of which
half of them
were Catholics.
Among them were theologians, sociolo gists, sinologists, former missionaries, prelates, priests, nuns, Protestant mini sters, historians, journalists, "Marxist Christians," and leftist activists, all of 40 CRUSADE
Bishop Mendez Arceo who foresees the canonization of Chou En-Lai.
the
If Reality Is Different, All the Worse for It A phrase more or less like the follow
ing is usually attributed to Lenin: "If the facts don't correspond to the theory, all the worse for the facts."{TW\s state
texts that
ment, even if Lenin didn't utter it, de
were submitted for the evaluation of the
fines quite well the Communist mental
people of the Congress and on the re ports of the working commissions, which are gathered together in the volume that we just cited.
ity.)
The progressivists also usually have a complete scorn for reality. They live with a continuous abstract reasoning which
almost never conforms to the
concrete facts. On the contrary, they
try to adapt reality totheirpreconceived theories.
It is not only the everyday reality that suffers this cerebral deformation,
YET THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NO T VISIBLE IN RED CHINA
but also there are other aspects which undergo it. Thus the natural significa tion of the Sacred Scriptures is altered
according to the whims of the progres sives, and history itself is rewritten
"ad usum delphini." Accordingly, the interconfessional theologians of the colloquium of Louvain entirely deformed the present and recent history of China to adapt it to their ends. Minimizing the massacres,
"The
Catholic
Church
which
ir
pressed the visitors of 25 years ago with its sanctuaries, has disappeared. The
the "sessions of reeducation," and the brutal collectivization, which have led
that country to misery, oppression, and
Church edifices — it is true — still exist,
the infamous State control that has
'although some of them have been de stroyed or are in ruins,' but they have
reached the point of controlling the number of children a couple may have, these "experts" present the Chinese Revolution as an admirable model for
Catholics to copy — a revolution, during which, in the words of Father Joachim
been put to other uses: atheist schools, museums, stores, reading rooms, and observatories, such as in the case of the
Birr.
famous Basilica of Zo-se, near Shanghai.
.sy
"There are two exceptions. One is the church in South Peking, which is open on Sundays for the functionaries
Pillai, Mao Tse-tung "like a new Moses freed his people from slavery, from ar chaism, from imperialism, from feudal one of the working commissions went
of foreign embassies. The other is a tiny chapel in Canton. These are probably open to show foreigners that religious
so far as to say "the political and social
freedom is guaranteed by the regime.
transformation carried out in China by the application of the thinking of Mao
Catholic priests who have been there as tourists have reported that they found
Tse-tung, unified and consolidated a quarter of the population of the world
hotel rooms.
i-'i-
ism, and from Capitalism" (p.82). And
no place to say .Mass, except for their
in a form of society, in a style of life
"The twenty legitimate Bishops that
immediately related to some of the characteristics of the Kingdom of God, even though it consciously rejected God
were there in 1949 have disappeared
without a trace. Are they alive or dead? Bishop Ignatius Kiong, for example,
as the source of real hope and strength
was taken prisoner in 1955 and con
in wflM."(annex, p. 20).
demned to life imprisonment. The 45 bishops favorable to the regime who
These "specialists" explain the perse cution of the missionaries and the de
were consecrated in 1957-1958, have
struction of the flourishing Chinese Church in a singular way: these mission aries, taken as a whole, were not self-
been swept away by the Cultural Revo lution and nobody can tell where they are or where they live.
denying religious men and women who abandoned everything — family, coun try, comforts — moved only by zeal for
known that there are priests in the forced labor camps; others are employed
"Priests are not visible either. It is
w
souls and the glory of God;instead they
were persons who went to China to practice a cultural aggression against the natives and to impose on them "capital ist domination." This lack of tact was the fruit of an erroneous model of Chris
tianity, which supposedly led the mis sionaries to identify with Chiang Kaishek in his fight against the Communists of Mao. It was from this that the perse
in agricultural communes; others work in factories."
v
"In the wake of these events, the 'i'A.
Vatican Radio eulogized Chou En-lai, emphasizing his role as a defender of dialogue with the Western world. The radio station said: 'To his tenacity and daring as a revolutionary, he added a sense of prudence and diplomacy."
cution arose after the Communists took
And it continued: 'Chou was a con
power, because the intransigence of the
vinced defender of dialogue between the
missionaries "forced the hand" of the
Chinese reality and the capitalist world,
regime, making it necessary for it to op-
and one of the most renowned men of
contemporary China." - CRUSADE (Mar.-April, 1976)
Himself .. It would appear that China . .. accepted the spirit of Christ from
to have a sense of responsibility for the community. But isn't this exactly what
another source. .. that is, from Marx
the Second Vatican Council has asked
ism... If the Chinese have, in fact, created a society with more faith, more
so insistently of the People of God?" (pp. 29-30).
hope, and more love than the 'Christian' West, they merit not only attention, but fidelity. Like the Apostles of Christ, we must follow where the spirit blows." "The Chinese Society today. .. is I believe farther along than our own on the way to the true human society, the
Learning from the China of Mao
Kingdom of God if you will. I believe
the Church has to adapt itself to Chinese
China is the only truly Christian nation in the world in our days, in spite of its absolute rejection of all religion. . .
Communism and learn from it
Where shall we look forChrist?... Where
— Mark 16:15) and ignoring His injunc tion ("He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
China ofour days."
shall be condemned." — Mark 16:16),
and
Msgr. Angelo
press the Christians. This was all the
Father Dargan considers that for three-
is nothing more logical than to look in
fourth of humanity salvation does not
to the China of Mao for the leaven for
require baptism or belonging to the Church. On the contrary, the Church must always be composed of a tiny minority, of a "little flock."
purpose, the report of Pro Mundi Vita cites a passage from a discourse of Paul Suenens
Going against the Commandment of Our Lord ("Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature."
things are done... that is to say, by looking at what is happening in the
the renovation of Christianity. To this
Fernandez at the colloquia at Louvain.
Asia, also came to the conclusion that
the good people are, and where good
If we grant these assumptions, there
Cardinal
Using another approach, Father Her bert Dargan, S.J., assistant to the Gen eral of the Company of Jesus for East
VI, pronounced in 1967 during the time
Let us consider his words;
of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and
"The Second Vatican Council sowed
a dispatch of the agency Fides of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples, formerly known as Congre
the seeds of a rich idea which can ex tricate us from the apparent impasse caused by the presence of a totalitarian
gation De Propaganda Fide. Here are
government in China. It has presented
the words of Paul VI:
the Church as a universal Sacrament of
"The Church recognizes and favors the just expression of the actual histori cal phase of China and the transforma tion of ancient forms ofesthetic culture
Salvation, an idea which I believe has
not yet been deciphered to its ultimate consequences. It is an idea which brings the discussion of the limits of"filiation"
more necessary, since "under the pres sure of the cold war — affirms the work of "Pro Mundi Vita" — Christianity
into inevitable new forms that rise out
to the Roman Catholic Church up to
had every appearance of having crystal
of the social and industrial structures of
the more arriple area of the role of the
lized itself into an ideology seeking, at least temporarily, defense in the camp
the modern world. . . We would like to
Church in universal salvation. We must
enter into contact once again with
begin to accept the fact that the Roman
of capitalists and imperialists." (p.23).
China in order to show with how much
Catholic Church will probably always be a minority, a "little flock," and that perhaps for three-fourth of the human race, the gift of grace does not involve a call to make explicit the Christ! litli
Destroying a Pseudo-Christianity in Order to Build the
"Kingdom of God" The destruction of the work of the
interest and sympathy we look on at their present and enthusiastic efforts for the ideals ofa diligent, full, and peacefid life. The dispatch of the Fides Agency (April 4, 1973)is as follows;
or to become members of the
ch
by baptism. This idea is without doubt a
missionaries is not considered to be an
"Through Marxism, the Christian
evil by the "theological" technocrats of
ideas have reached China, ideas which
fruitful idea. Probably many of us, educated in the
"Pro Mundi Vita." On the contrary,
were new to her. .. a mystique of dis interested work and service for others;
theology of Vatican I, are basing our apostolate on a conviction that what
an aspiration for justice; exaltation of a
simple and frugal life; the elevation of
God most desiresfor the Chinese people is the existence of a hierarchical insti
the peasant masses and the disappear
tution active in its midst; that He wants
they take the position that, in destroy ing that which they consider to be pseudo-Christianity, China constructed the true Kingdom of God! This is made explicit in two citations, endorsed by the report presented in the colloquium
ance of social classes — these are the ideals toward which the China of today
Nuncios, Bishops, Sunday Masses, Cath olic marriages, etc.; and that He wants dioceses, parishes, and everything well
at Louvain. The first is that of a young
is oriented. But are not these the ideals
Australian Catholic, a professor for a
that have been incomparably expressed in the encyclicals Pacem in Terris and Populorum Progressio and in the
organized along that line. If this is in fact the salvific will of God, then the
Synodal document Justice in the World?
jority of the great nations of Asia — is bathed in the darkness of the Styx"
year in Communist China, and the sec ond is that of a historian.
"The rejection ofa pseudo-Christian ity is not necessarily a rejection of Christ 42 CRUSADE
Today Chinese children are being taught
perspective for China — as for the ma
(p. 128 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; emphasis ours). (The Styx is, according to Greek mythology, a river
flowing through Hades, or Hell.) This being the case, the Church has no other alternative than to adapt itself to Communism and to learn from it:
"Pemiit me then to suggest that we
formulate the qxiestion in a different way. Instead of asking when the Church will return to China, we must say: when will the contemporary Church, with a
renewed knowledge of Herself, come to meet contemporary China? Do they have some aspirations in common? What are they? What keeps them separated? What can they learn from each odier? Is there some possibility of coexistence, even of mutual respect? Has there been any sitccess in overcoming the existing alienation?"(p. 129 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; emphasis ours). The Heart of the Matter
We ask our readers to permit us, be fore we go on to other considerations, to make a slight digression in order to make explicit the theological error con
stituting the explanation of this last view of the facts.
At the beginning of the century, St.Pius X, in the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, condemned the mod
ernist heresy, presenting as its principal error, from which the others are derived,
a false conception of God. Instead of acknowledging the personal and trans cendent God who is infinitely superior
to every creature of which Catholic theology and philosophy teach us, it
presents, on the contrary, a pantheistic
if
n
"god" which lives confounded with the world, immanent and imprisoned in his torical terms, and which gradually re
veals itself through the facts. This "god" is continually "revealing itself," because
it gradually transforms itself in a con tinuous way. From this assumption, the modernists deduce that there is no fixed
truth, that dogma must evolve, and that the
Church
must
transform
Herself
always.
As we know, on the contrary. Divine Revelation was communicated by God to
s
the Patriarchs (from Adam to Abraham)
and to the Jewish people, culminating with Our Lord Jesus Christ and ending with the death of the Apostles. The thesis that official Revelation was closed with
the Apostles is a part of the traditional teaching of the Church; it was confirmed in a particular way with the condemna tion of Modernism in the encyclical
Pascendi Dominici Gregis. Among the adversaries of this thesis are the Modern-
Is this the "Kingdom of God"of the "new Moses.' CRUSADE
43
of the history of the Jewish people, the whole of the history of the Christian
ists, who admit a "development" of
biblical revelation and historical revela
revelation.
tion, and what sense does it make to
Father Dargan affirms that "God reveals Himself in history," and poses a
call the Jews a chosen people, with the
world, and, closer to our own efforts,
special privilege of the revelation of
question which, once this false premise
God. .. Good sense makes it difficult
the emphasis placed by the pastoral con stitution Gaudium et Spes (Vatican II) on the 'signs of the times' teach us that,
has been admitted, could not fail to be
to accept that God was absent in non-
raised, a question which brings us to the very heart of the explanation of the "so cialist option" chosenby the new clergy,
Judeo-Christian history and that He was
and which is as follows; If God reveals
Himself in the history of mankind in
general, what sense does it make to dis tinguish between the history of the Chosen People (the Jews in the Old Testament) and the history of Commu
not acting. .. in China, an example of an extraordinary transition during the last century from a closed system, 'un equal, corrupt, feudalistic,' to which a dynamic effort to transform man in society bears testimony, a transforma tion creating what Mao calls 'the new
socialist man.' A phenomenon of this
nist China? If this revelation is continu
order seems to call upon the Church for
ous, why does it not also take place in
some criteria by which we may be able
the midst of the people who live under Communism, or that is, why is it not
done by means of Communism? The answer of the progressives is that it is done in this way. Behold that is why they call Marx a "prophet" and Mao a "new Moses." Let us permit the new Jesuit to speak: "God â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he says â&#x20AC;&#x201D; reveals Himself in history. This leads iis into deeper theological waters, since it obliges us to ask. what is the distinction between
in accordance with the tradition of the Church, God reveals Himself in history
to see if the hand of God is here and how."(p. 131). Let us end our analysis of the progres-
sivist thinking presented in the collo quium of Louvain with a citation, though it be somewhat long, from Fa ther Jan Kcrkhofs, S.J., who sums up
what we have just examined: "And in spite of the fact of being Christian, one cannotflee from the obli
gation of seeing God in history, because the only revelation is history. The whole
Fr. Herbert Dargan, S.J.
Young Chinese women In military exercises on the shore. Are they perhaps being taught a sense of responsibility toward the "Chinese experience"? 44
CRUSADE
and that the facts of history, when they are read hy human beings, constitute
the only place where God appears, speaks, and challenges... What we are seeking in this colloqui um is... in some way or another there fore 'to read'the Gesta Dei per Sinenses, the works of God carried out by means of the Chinese people. We are seeking, even though it be in a provisional way, to reach the Christian significance and the theological implications of the Chi nese happening, and we admit quite
THE CHURCH IN CHINA IN 1948 Total number of faithful
3,469,452
Bishops
146 Chinese
35
Foreigners
Ill
Priests
4,788
Chinese
2,698
Foreigners
2,090
Chinese
5,112
Foreigners
2,351
Women religious
explicitly that our Christian faith is real ly being challenged by the Chinese ex perience not only in its commitment but also in its content." (p. 165 — emphasis ours). "Gesta Dei per Sinenses" — the deeds, the epopee of God, are carried out by the Chinese Communists! This is the ap plication which Father Kerkhofs makes of the famous historical phrase "Gesta
7,463
Major seminarians
924
Universities
3
(4596 students)
Schools
4,437 (567,732 students)
Dei per Francos" (The deeds of God through the Franks), which authors
Orphanages
254
have used to designate the important role played by the Franks in the Christianization of Europe. In short, the hys teric declaimers of the thought of Mao
Hospitals
216
Dispensaries
781
Leper colonies
6
are considered to be new Franks, cham
pions and defenders of the Faith! What shall we think of this unimaginable conception? Father
Newspapers
55
Magazines
29
Kerkhofs does not shrink
from the consequences of his progressivist thinking. If revelation is a "con
tinuous fact," something incomplete,
VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM IN CHINA
1.
The First Civil War(1927-1936)
2.
During the Sino-Japanese War: Combats between Communist
termined immutable truths. For this
3.
The Second Civil War(1945-1949)
1,250,000
reason, Christianity is nothing more
4.
Agrarian Reform (before 1949)
1,000,000
— says he — of the history of the Old
5.
The political campaigns of liquidation (1949-1958)
and New Testament and for this reason
6.
The Korean War
all of History, taking as its point of de parture the historical phenomenon of
7.
The "Great Leap Forward"(Campaign of forced increase in
then it is not possible to have a body of doctrine, a dogmatic Church that obli ges the faithful to believe in certain de
500,000
and Anti-Communist Chinese (1937-1945) .
50,000
than "a hermeneutics, an interpretation
Jesus, seen in the light offaith in the Resurrection." Now, the Jesuit reasons, "just as there is a Judaic interpretation, a non-Christian reading of this continu ous happening and above all of the phenomenon (sic) of Jesus, there is also a Marxist reading of the same hap pening..." Therefore, "in order to be
which for the progressivist replaces Dog ma) must be constantly maintained as well as the dialogue with the other inter pretations... Since it is hermeneutics,
1,232,000
production and collectivization)
2,00t
8.
Struggles against ethnic minorities(including Tibet)
1,000,000
9.
"Cultural Revolution" and its sequel (1965-1970)
10.
500,000
Dead in forced labor camps and on the frontier
25.000.000
Total number of dead
62,532,000
INDEX OF COMPARABLE PRODUCTION OF FOODSTUFFS
human and honest, this Christian read
ing (the interpretation of the facts
30,000,000
(1952 - 1956 = 100)
Year
Communist
Formosa
China
South
Philippines
Korea
Latin America
1952
93
100
115
100
87
1971
148
193
196
193
165
Christianity is not a 'gnosis'(knowledge), a theoretical doctrine of salvation; the (Continued on page 59)
Source: EstOf Quest
CRUSADE 45
TWO WATS OF DYING THE AGONY AND DEATH OF ST. THERESE
One of the sisters of St.Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face gives this description of the Saint's last hours: "At about five, I was alone beside her. Her face suddenly changed: the agony was
beginning. When the community of Sisters entered the infirmary, she welcomed all of the Religious with a sweet smile. She held her Crucifix,and gazed at it continually. During more than two hours, a terrible rattle tormented her chest. Her face was flushed, her hands livid, her feet cold, and all of her limbs were trembling. An abundant per
spiration came out in big.drops as if they were enormous pearls, and slipped down her face. From time to time, the ever growing oppression obliged her to emit some weak shouts in order to be able to breathe.
Her mouth seemed so dry that Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face put a small cloth with gall to her lips, thinking it would relieve her a little. No one will ever forget the celestial look and smile that our little Saint then gave Celine. These gestures revealed a sublime desire to console her, they were like a supreme adieu. At six, when the bells were ringing for the Angelus, she raised her supplicating eyes toward the statue of the Most Holy Virgin. A little after seven, the Mother Prioress, believing that her condition was stable, dis missed the community. She sighed: 'Oh my Mother, isn't this the agony yet? Am I not going to die? .. .' 'Yes, my daughter, this is the agony, but maybe God wants to prolong it for a few hours.'
To this, she valiantly replied: 'All right! Ahead ... Ahead!...0,1 wouldn't want to suffer less! O ... I love you! My God ... I love you!' iic
*
*
She had just pronounced these words when, suddenly, she gently fell on her back, her head inclined toward the right. We believed that it was all over, and our Mother hurried us to ring the bell of the infirmary in order to call the community: Open all doors, she said (there are three doors in the room). These words, pronounced at that hour, had some solem nity, and I thought that the Lord was repeating them in heaven to the Angels. Having the occasion then to kneel down around her bed, the Sisters were able to witness the ecstasy of her last moment. They saw the face of our Saint recover the color of white lily that she had when she enjoyed full health. Her eyes were fixed on high, they were radiant and expressed a happiness surpassing all of her hopes. Her head moved slightly, as though someone were trespassing her divinely and repeatedly with an arrow of love. Subsequently, after this ecstasy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which lasted for the duration of a Credo â&#x20AC;&#x201D; s. closed her eyes and breathed her last. It was about seven twenty in the evening. After her death, our holy little Sister kept an ineffable smile and had an enchanting beauty. She held her Crucifix so tightly that they had to pull it out of her hands in order to enshroud her.
Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart and I took care of this task, together with Sister Amada of Jesus, who was an old nurse, and we all noticed that Therese looked young enough to be considered no more than 12 or 13 years old. Later, however, when she was exposed in the choir, her face acquired an expres sion of imposing majesty. Her limbs kept their flexibility until her interment, which took place on October 4, 1887"
("Ultimas Conversaciones," by Sor Ines de Jesus, in Obras Completas de Santa Teresita del Nino Jesus, Ed. Archive Silveriano, pp. 1192-3). m 0RUSAQiE
St.Therese during her last illness: the Crucifix in her hand, her gaze reflecting a serene contemplation and acceptance of death.
And the other sister of St. Therese, Celine, adds:
"Many times afterwards I have tried to analyze this ectasy, to understand the intensity of this gaze which was more expressive than a
The sweet expression on the face of St.
gaze of happiness, for one could see in it a great awe, and, in her attitude,
Therese after her death.
a self-assurance full of nobility. I thought that we had attended herjudgment. On the one hand, as in the words of the Holy Gospel, she had been
found 'worthy to stand before the Son of Man'(Luke 21:36), and, on the other hand, she saw that the magnanimities with which she would be re plenished infinitely surpassed her immense desires. Because, to this expres sion of unspeakable awe, another one had been added: it was a vibration of all of her being: she seemed not to be able to bear the vision of so much love, like someone who repeatedly suffered an attack, wanted to fight,
^^^
and, in her weakness, fell happily defeated. That was too much: she closed her eyes and breathed her last." i,Consejosy reciierdos, Sor Genoveva de la Santa Faz, op. cit. pp. 1356-7).
THE AGONY AND DEATH OF STALIN
"His breathing was becoming more and more asphyxiating. In the last twelve hours, it became evident that his thirst for oxygen was
growing. His face became darker and more agitated; gradually, his traits be came irrecognizable, and his lips turned black. In his last hour or in the last two hours, he simply suffocated more and more. His agony was fright ening. A man was being strangled under the gaze of all. In a certain mo ment — I don't know if it was really this way, or if it seemed to me to be
so — evidently already in his last minute, he suddenly opened his eyes and turned them toward all those around him. It was a terrible look, perhaps insane, perhaps furious and full of terror at death and the unknown faces of the doctors inclining over him. His gaze moved over all during a fraction
of a minute; at this point — it was a terrible and incomprehensible thing which even today 1 don't understand but which I cannot forget — at this point unexpectedly he raised his left arm (which was not paralyzed) to the height and with it he pointed upward or perhaps he threatened all of
us. His gesture remained incomprehensible, but was full of menace and one does not know at whom it was aimed ... In the following moment, after making a last effort, his soul was detached from his body." {Letters to a Friend, Svetlana Alleluyewna, daughter of Stalin.)
The
fierce
and
treacherous look
of
Stalin. Facing death, he feared the hor rendous perspectives opening up for him, after a life full of crimes and frightening rebellions against God.
INDOCHINESE REFUGEES, PERSECUTED FOR
JUSTICE'S SAKE, NOW OFTEN REBUFFED BY PASSING SHIPS AND BY NATIONS
By Gerald Campbell Thousands of Vietnamese continue to brave the ocean waters in order to
flee from the brutal Communist regime imposed on South Vietnam. Character istic of these efforts is that of eleven
Vietnamese, including a woman and three children, who
traveled across
justice's sake in the fight against Com munism, are facing an even greater dif ficulty than that posed by hostile sharkinfested waters. According to a recent account by the Associated Press (Sept. 16), the fleeing Indochinese are often rebuffed by passing ships. The AP arti
fugees may well mean a great deal of time and money lost in trying to dis charge them at one inhospitable port after another.
A
Panamanian-registry
freighter
picked up 31 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea more than two
12,000 miles of open sea to moor at
cle is as follows:
months ago. The refugees, refused entry
Brunei Island. Between the choices of
into Singapore and Yemen, are reported still aboard the freighter on their way to Japan after a journey of 16,000 miles. A group of 3 3 Cambodians, after hav ing fled to Vietnam in 1975, escaped
being enslaved by a Marxist regime or
"Ships on the high seas are tending to pass up boatloads of refugees fleeing
facing the sea, the South Vietnamese
Indochina as nations in the area become
had no doubt.
more reluctant to grant them a haven. Over the last few months, ship cap tains have discovered that taking on re
But now the valiant Vietnamese, who
have been persecuted and have died for
recently aboard a fishing smack only to
VfETlVAMESE JESUIT SEES COMMl/lVfST PERSECUTION OF CATHOLICS IN VIETNAH AS "AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE'' In
a
recent
article
in
America
(Sept. 18, 1976), Sesto Quercetti, S.J.,
formerly superior of the Jesuits in Vietnam and presently residing in Rome, has commented at length on the plight of Catholics in Vietnam. While admitting the bitterness of the persecution that is taking place, he sees this as a "blessing in disguise" ior
ing experience.
than ever now that the Communists
other nations of the West, so that Cath
have taken over. We have already
olics will have an opportunity to be persecuted and "give shining witness."
could never provide a moral justifica
the Church in Vietnam. The reason:
the persecution by the Communists gives Catholics an opportunity for "purification through trials." Father Quercetti finds that the"real strength"
good light, from any standpoint, so as to have the effect of weakening men's resistance against it.
Given such assumptions as these about the Catholics who are being re educated to accept Communism in the churches In Vietnam, we see this as a subtle Invitation to bring Communism to the United States, Italy, and the
Father Quercetti tries to back
his arguments by saying that Cathoi. in Vietnam are attending church more
pointed out that such a circumstance tion for the introduction of Commu
This whole argumentation of the Vietnamese Jesuit is based on the im
nism. Now we would like to show that
the data Is misleading because It makes
plicit heretical assumption: the end
no distinction between Catholics who
justifies the means to that end, a prop
are refusing to deny their faith and
those who are going to the churches
of the Church "seems to reside more
osition which Is condemned. The fact
and more in its weakness." Finally,
that God draws good out of evil can
under the compulsion of the regime's
he concludes by saying that being
not be used as a justification for intro ducing an evil or for increasing it. Also, It is not permissible to show evil in a
program to reeducate them to think as a Marxist, a process In which the
away from Vietnam, "I feei that / am being deprived of an extremely enrich
Archbishop of Saigon is collaborating.
find Thai and Malaysian officials push ing them out to sea. The boat is now in Thai waters for the second time, its voy
agers hoping for a change of heart on the part of the authorities.
Giving help to foundering vessels is required by international law, and refu gee sources said some cases of ignoring refugee appeals on the high seas had led to violations of seafaring traditions and laws.
Twenty-two
Vietnamese, cramped
aboard a 20-footer, said they had been passed up by five vessels while limping toward Thailand in August. The refugees said that one of the ships stopped and towered over them, its crew staring down but ignoring their pleas. Another refugee boat from Vietnam,
later rescued, was waved away from an oil rig in the South China Sea. The rig's rope ladder was reportedly pulled up as the boat approached.
Explaining some seemingly callous acts, Western refugee officials said captains â&#x20AC;&#x201D; under pressure from their companies to speed along the sea lanes and not delay in ports of call â&#x20AC;&#x201D; must sometimes make a difficult assessment
of just how badly off a refugee boat is. There are indications that some escapees may try to exaggerate their distress to get a safe trip to a distant port.
Sea escapes are increasing after a year and a half of Communist govern ment in Indochina. Almost 2000 refu
gees have been reported in various cor ners of Asia this year, with a sharp increase noted after the United States
announced last May that it would ac cept 11,000 more Indochinese.
Singapore has taken the toughest stand and refuses entry to refugees un less a foreign government guarantees it will take them.
Except for refugees with relatives, Hong Kong does not allow Indochinese to come in and settle. The Government
says the colony is already overpopulated.
Malaysia, the Philippines and Indone sia take amore flexible attitude, although all three generally will not give perma nent exile to refugees. Malaysia, which
refugee sources said had pushed some boats out of its waters, makes exceptions for Moslems from Indochina.
Japan does not allow refugees perma nent asylum but permits them to stay temporarily and has taken in about 170. Thailand has adopted the most liberal policy and, despite some attempts to (Continued on page 59)
A JUST CHASTISEMENT The case which is narrated below is true. And it occurred in
the Second World War.
A French chaplain was visiting a field hospital, and on ap proaching a soldier, he said to him: "I've heard that you are wounded and suffer very much." "Father, please lift up my blanket" Horrified, the priest saw a robust chest, hut one without any arms.
"Don't be shocked, Father," affirmed the soldier. "Now, lift up the lower part of the blanket." He was missing his legs up to his knees!
"My God!"exclaimed the priest. "Don't be sorry for me; rather congratulate me . .. The fact is that I before the war reduced an image ofJesus crucified to the same state!..." "I will explain to you how it was. One day, I and some com
panions of mine were carrying out a military exercise. When we reached a crossroads, we came upon a great Crucifix, and we covered it with insults and blasphemies. I myself wished to go farther than the othersoldiers in impiety, and so with my bayonet I cut off the arms and the legs of the image. "Some time later on the battlefield, when the first i :s began to hit, I realized the enormity of my crime: I remembered my church, where I had made my first Communion . .. I remem bered my late mother ... I thought of the accounting that I would have to render to God and then . ..I begged God to chas tise me in this life!
And God heard me, as you have just seen. Thus, as I treated the Crucifix, so was I treated. I have repented for the evil which I have done, and I am certain that God has already pardoned me. The greater be my suffering, the greater will he my consolation. Thus, I am certain that God wishes to pardon me in this life. Now, Father, please hear my confession and afterwards
kindly bring me the Blessed Sacrament so that I may go to Communion."
CRUSADE 49
ALBANIA:
Amidst the Tragedy a Hope Survives For the first time in history, a State became officially atheist. Small Albania, presently a victim of the Communist puppets who enslave her, is the only country in the world having a Constitution which ex plicitly prohibits its citizens from practicing religion. The recently promulgated atheist Constitution also imposes on all Albanians the obligation of fighting against what it calls "reaction." In addition, parents must assume the responsi bility of rearing their children according to the Marx ist ideology. Those who resist will become subject to imprisonment, punishment, torture, and death ...
dence, the painting crossed the Adriatic Sea and landed in a church in the village of Genazzano, Italy. There it remains still suspended in the air by means of a continuous miracle which has enthralled pilgrims and visitors down through the centuries until our day.
THE JOY OF A PEOPLE
"MY MOTHER, COME BACK"
UNDER THE SMILE OF OUR LADY
Many years later, the Albanians placed on her altar a plaque containing a moving supplication to the Mother of Good Counsel: "My Mother, Come Back."
A long time ago, when an innocent joy and a
happy smile were still possible, when parents taught catechism lessons to their children in an epoch when the spring winds of Christian Civilization were still blowing, a devotion flourished in that land which was very dear to the Albanian people. It was the devotion to Our lady of Good Coun sel, whose image was painted in fresco on the wall of a church in the city of Scutari. The people thronged for Her great feasts, as flowers and prayers blended and intermingled harmoniously, constituting a most beautiful spectacle raised up to Heaven. WITH THE MOSLEM INVASION, THE ALBANIAN TRAGEDY BEGINS
In the fifteenth century, the Moslem invader struck, bringing an oppression that prefigured the perfidious Communist domination of our day.
Albania lost her independence, and also her smile, and her feasts ... Facing imminent profana tion, the fresco of Our Lady of Good Counsel mirac ulously detached itself from the wall on which it was painted. Miraculously transported by Divine Provi
Yes, come back to Albania. Come back to com
mand personally the reconquest of this humiliated nation. Thou hast promised at Fatima that Thy Im maculate Heart would triumph at last. Make it triumph now in Albania, for the sin of those who
dominate her has reached a zenith. Lady of Good Counsel, in Albania today it is a "crime" to believe in Thy Divine Son, it is a "crime" to praise Thee, it is unlawful not to be an atheist.
Yes, She will come back. Many times th ^mmunists have attempted to destroy the empty ^ .ace left by the painting when it detached itself from the church of Scutari to land in Genazzano. And until
today, in that empty space, a light miraculously shines ... In this light there is a promise; in it, there is a certainty. Have confidence, Albania, Our Lady of Good Counsel will free you.
Photo at the right: The image ofOur Lady ofGood Counsel which was miraculously transported from Albania to Genazzano, Italy.
50
CRUSADE
ilr "i
The Marvelous, the Real, and the Horrendous in the Literature for Children A composition by Wait Disney depicting a medieval castle.
As everyone knows, the tales for
be the center of everything â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but also
children are their first contact with life.
of those stories which serve as a com
By means of them, the intelligence of
mentary, extension, and application of that which is taught by religion. According to good doctrine, it is normal for a child's reading to be ordered in this way. However, it is evident that the principal literary impulses that he
the child crosses the limits of the do
mestic hearth and begins to become acquainted with the basic factors of human society. He becomes aware of the innumerable different things that
society includes, of its attractions and disillusionments,
and
he learns the
duties that it imposes, as his understand ing is deepened in respect to the compli cated play of passions in the ups and downs of the great struggle of existence. "The life of man upon earth is a war fare" (Job 7:1). "Warfare," yes. It is a struggle in which some fight for their legitimate and illegitimate personal in
said that it helps the latter to become
pletely laicist mainstream. Although this predominant current is bad merely be cause it is laicist, there are other aggra
stones of the mountain on which the
vating factors, for laicism is not the only evil in children's literature today. When we speak of children's litera
ture, we include in this generic term the
gerated manner.
notions about this warfare, his deepest
In this essay, our discussion of child ren's literature is limited to an analysis of some of these pictorial compositions.
the first years of his life. Thus it is, first of all, of fundamental
importance for a Catholic civilization to
supply children with a profound and healthy religious literature. We speak here not only of the teaching of Cate chism and Sacred History â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which must 52 CRUSADE
though the depiction above has a certain simplicity that is delicious to the eyes of
different from this; in short, it is a com
glory of God. Man receives his first
of the stand which he must take, during
entirely healthy in its influence. Al
an adult as a delicate interpretation of the imagination of children, it cannot be
illustrations that it legitimately contains as well as those that are used in an exag
impressions of its essential aspects and
whatever is offered to a child must tend
to make him more mature, if it is to be
receives, the very mainstream of modern literature for children is something quite
the flesh, and the devil for the greater
terests, and others combat the world,
But we must qualify our assertion somewhat, by expressing certain reserva tions about this picture. In principle,
more mature. There is something in the
castle is built, something in its very con struction which conveys the â&#x2013; that it was made not only for chilis lut also by children. This is also noticeable, though not as clearly so, in other ele ments of the scene.
But this reservation having been ex pressed, how can we fail to praise the good taste, delicacy, and variety of the composition? The marvelous is an in
dispensable element for developing the artistic sense of children, for raising their spirits, for opening new perspec
Above we may see a composition by Walt Disney, which depicts a panoramic
tives for them, and for stimulating their imagination in a good manner. And it is
view of a dream castle. This is an exam
expressed in the illustration above with
ple of the marvelous in children's litera-
remarkable taste and finesse.
Then comes the pernicious literature. We shall present to you an example
among a thousand depictions of punch-
AGITATION IN MOSCOW?
ings, shots, assaults, aggressions, exag
gerated excitations, blood, death, "su permen" who fly and pass through huge walls and handle lightning bolts, hor all of which makes a sinister and ridicu
It was a terrible winter day. Sud denly, in a deserted plaza in Moscow, a great crowd formed. The people with in it were unnerved and agitated, with everyone pushing the person in front
lous fabric of absurd happenings, of
of him forward.
cruelty, and of gross artifices of sensa
The police immediately arrived, blockading the area, observing the
rendous monsters, and immoral figures,
tionalism. This is not one story only, but a whole type of "literature" filling pages and pages of comic magazines which are avidly read by children. What horizons do these magazines open up for youth? Those of crime. What pleasures? Those of a nervous excitation which in certain cases tends to reach a
Illustration In a tale by Busch.
Let us switch now from the marvelous
to the depiction of a scene from daily life, reflecting its calm, domestic, and friendly aspects. This is another element
delirium. What ideals? Those of brute
ducer of cars — only opens applica tions for automobiles at three month
which are no more than complete illogi cality and nonsense. A man is not formed by this, much
intervals, but without giving advance notice of the date or place where the population will be able to apply for a
less a Christian! The typical product of
car.
this literature is the neo-barbarian of the
twentieth century.
Whoever wishes to have one, let him make haste! Wives, children, and even neighbors switch in the applica tion lines, which last from two to three
weeks...day and night.
mental in attracting them to reality and truth. 1
-•V" t.T,
.W •
of the "seven mischievous deeds" are
"fishing" for the chicken of the widow, Mrs. Bollte. Beside the stove, her faith
ful little dog barks in an expression of
lively concern. Below, committed to her domestic chores, the widow does not
notice anything. The "two ill-bred kids, those two little devils" that "drive every one mad" express in avery lively manner
the purchase of an automobile. The government — which is the only pro
strength and of a life full of adventures
in children's literature which is funda
Here you have a well-known drawing of "Max and Moritz" by Wilhelm Busch. On top of the roof, two of the children
people with a stern smirk. What was it all about? A mutiny? A political up rising? No, nothing like that. The people gathered there are all candidates for
OTASC.V
Russia produces only one car per 250 inhabitants. For every 100 people that want to buy one, 25,000 candi dates show up in the line. According to the German magazine Der Spiegel of June 1976, the Soviet citizen who manages to obtain enough money to buy a car, may acquire a Shiguli or a Saporochez produced by the Italian Fiat Company or a Moskowitich made by the German Opel. But a Volga or a Tchaika, which are
cars of higher quality, may only
the little brawls of domestic life. As a
bought by ministers or other proi. nent personalities of the government,
matter of fact, their escapades are treated in the book with an exemplary severity:
who constitute the upper class of that
pretended classless society. The com
"Read ye this book and you shall see
mon
the fate of the two."
Except for the mischievous deeds — and perhaps not even excepting them — everything calls to mind a happy, calm,
and temperately satisfied condition in the domestic life of the people. Fresh
ness of soul, temperance, largess, and a sensible well-being in the simple daily life of the people, all of this is expressed here.
man
must be satisfied with a
second class automobile, if his meager salary eventually permits him to pur chase one. And
Nervous excitation tending toward delir ium, crime, and completely crazy adven tures: here you have the horizons opened up for children by a certain "literature."
what
about the ones who
missed their turn during the purchase period.'The only thing that these
unfortunate multitudes may do is be gin the race all over again three months later on an unknown date in
some unknown State building ...
CRUSADE
53
THE RISE OF COMMUNISM IN ITALY
ITALIAN COMMUNISTS ALLOW
THEIR SMILING MASK TO FALL
DISGUISED COMMUNIST'S INFLUENCE NEW ITALIAN GOVERNMENT
Parliamentary elections were held in Italy last
Eventually, Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti
June because the Socialist Party brought the centerleft coalition government to an impasse by withdraw ing its support for the Christian Democrats.
constituted the new Italian cabinet made up entirely
After the election, the socialists began demand
ing that the Communists be admitted to the govern ment, again creating the same impasse that they had earlier used as a pretext for forcing the holding of the elections. * * â&#x2122;Ś
In its turn, the Italian Communist Party con
ducted its electoral campaign all wrapped up in labels proclaiming its alleged independence from Moscow. The praises of the Italian Communist Party Chief, Enrico Berlinger, were sung in prose and
poetry by the instruments of leftist propaganda throughout the world. However, after the elections, Berlinger's charm
disappeared. Now, and only now, the same people
of Christian Democrats.
However, before he formed his cabinet, Andreot ti held secret conversations with Enrico Berlinger, the chief of the Communist Party. According to polit ical commentators, Andreotti conceded a share in the economic and social decisions of the Christian Demo
cratic government to the unions run by the Commu nists. In exchange for this, he asked that the Commu nist Party abstain when the proposals of the new
government are put up for a vote. Everything indi cates that things are going this way. In other words, the Christian Democrats will continue to-govern Italy
nominally, but behind the curtain, the Reds will exercise a very considerable influence. They have
already been guaranteed participation in seven parliamentary commissions dealing with economic matters as well as the leadership of the Chamber of
who had proclaimed that Italian Communism had
Deputies. What is the reason for this use of camouflage by
"mellowed" and had actually been "converted" to the extent of raising up a challenge against Moscow
the Communists and the Christian Democrats?
began to say that Berlinger cannot count on the support of the majority of the members of his Party. Such statements were prompted by the recent
appointment of Pietro Ingrao to preside over the Chamber of Deputies. Ingrao is a radical Communist who represents the line obedient to Moscow, and his designation is being interpreted as a sign of the weak ness of Berlinger, who is the flag bearer of the so-called "independent" Eurocommunism. Thus, the mask of smiling Communism is about to fall. Already the Italians are gradually being pre pared to see the same stern smirk and clenched fist armed with a whip characteristic of those who enslave the peoples behind the Iron Curtain. The Christian Democrats are considered to be
the party supported by the Catholic vote. What will they do in such a situation? It would be logical for them to unite themselves with smaller non-Marxist parties, which would be sufficient to form a non-communist majority govern
It is not difficult to explain. The Christian
Democrats must pretend to be anti-communist, be cause they were put into office by this voting sector of public opinion. In addition to this factor, there is another important one. An open alliance between the Christian Democrats and Berlinger and his fol lowers, could bring about reprisals from European anti-communist nations upon whom Italy is ^ om-
ically dependent. In their turn, the Reds fear that the same thing may happen in Italy that happened in Chile, where the people rebelled against the misery generated by the Communist regime and overthrew it. Accordingly, the Italian reds will probably contin ue in this way until the moment when internal and external circumstances permit them to exercise a total role in the country which contains within its borders, the Vatican, the seat of the Papacy. ITALIAN BUSINESSMEN GIVE PRESTIGE TO COMMUNISM
ment.
But the Christian Democrats only think of uniting themselves with whoever is at their left... 54
CRUSADE
Public opinion was perplexed at the participa tion of representatives of the Communist Party at a
meeting ofConfindustria, the Confederation of Italian Industries. This organization brings together the greatest entrepreneurs of Italy, the ones who are most representative of free enterprise in that country. At this meeting, the Communist Luciano Barca sat together with the big businessmen. Barca is the Communist Party's man in charge of economic mat
Guido Carli, ex-president of the Bank of Italy, concluded his speech by quoting Antonio Gramsci, the founder of the Italian Communist Party. Giovanni Agnelli, present president of Confindustria and of the powerful Fiat Company, hastened to please the Reds by declaring that he has confidence
in ^eir "good intentions." Guido Carli went farther and expressed his desire that an economic program for Italy may count on the approval of the Communists and the worker
ters.
Thus it was that the businessmen of Italy invited to their table the mortal enemy of all free enterprise and private property.
NOVEMBER 2: HOW THE CHAI
unions.
ALL SOULS' DAY
ITi OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION IS UNIVERSAL
W&i
Many of the "so&ialYeJo^, liest and poorest members-of cific segments of the poor, igndri
might plead for the alleviM|bh
Bu#
s
ing.a deep concern for the low-
h/
ty'' often embraces only spe-
g^^e&te^^sefy;"A certain liberal reformer ^fei^d,^deyglaped-^' nation, nation, but but at at the the same same i^^^^^^^^ountries, where anti-natural li^^P5i^oor ii^fcoi^^^Sr^untries,
time forget about the Marxist doctrine creates n^jnerel^^lj^^rdf^i^gvef^b^^
nations into misery by
destroying their entire ecQtio.^ies.Wn^aht^pf.way/als|^b&;^^fi^^ of these "reformers" is nar
row, seeing only the matc^i^-^si^ffeynjg^of the miseries afflicting whole p^pmajif the^p^r
In contrast with tilfe^wi and nlrrJf^vtt^Fjiif^^si^die^^ ^1Christian
the far greater spiritual
/
"reformers," the charity of
• ..MZAi -nl... ^ct(,iStSli6wn^ yeVylBfeutifulily / -h , Civilization_ is un^ers^. (This in the life ofr medieval monk, 1'/^ i ' 11 \ / ®^ ^ I"k v) ^L. *.1
St. Odilo, an abbot of the''mdtia's^rv the''rnph;4Stery ry oofiGlun",y c ^^luhiy ^I^Oi,die^dM5^048. WWoidie^M^O^a. St. St. Odilo Odilo came came from from aa noble noble fam fam-
ed"|##^ac^it cah^^b^s^jd mat as the head of the Cluniac
4 i' ' 'Til ily and, therefore, from j^Hpriyjleged" order for half a centur59;%e/dia mucl^ mui to ^throughout hierarchical medieval society, for the Cluniac r^fefm r^fbfirn helped ped td giie giile tkfe tRfe Bapacy<it^ex^lted Bapacysit^ex^lted place mace in medieval Christendom
and St. Odilo himself frequently shared ^ej;ompany*'^f Popes|ii(^Aperors, inspiring directly and
indirectly the formation ofniany k»C thesmb^nobfe mediey^ institutions.
Nevertheless, even
of dycctind tff^ higher cksse's M society, St. Odilo's charity
would never allow him to Wefltiq^ menlDf l^ser brivileg^^^ He^1i4d,^i^Vact, a great reputation for
almsgiving, and for providing the pBor with |iieirln(t^te|ifl necessities. During a famine, he saved
thousands of people from death. HdweverF&ibdSL's charity
not\.st^ with the underprivleged
of this world. According to man|^gp|4f saints and theolc^ains, tlte suTferlngVfanother class ofsouls. the souls in Purgatory, are incon^Wehensibl^ greatenthair any of th^ufferings experienced by men
on this earth. In order to increase'^eCharity of all o|iTis:fnon^s tpward tljes^^uls, St.Odilo estab
lished in all of the monasteries ofyCiiiuy 4;speci^^=^^ay
comrrtem^ora^i^i-^cXall the souls of the
departed. Soon afterwards, this pra^^^^^^^:^op^e^A|J^■^!i&;^^liversal%huPch, tb'^^ving rise to the present feast of All Souls' Day. In this way, we see Iioy^^ch great
charity and zeal for souls were responsible for reminding^^^lip^^^^jimrres of^^^^or, the poor who endure the greatest sufferings, whom many of the farthtil@^^;h^EA^e fof^^^n.
In reward for his love for all of God's poor, the relics of St. Odilo^Sv^i^^urned by the
French revolutionaries in 1793.
THE NEWS IN FOCUS , ,. Rhodesia
The struggle of the anti-communist govemment of Rhodesia against the Commu
nist forces acting from Mozambique, has been made more difficult by the leftist activities of the clergy in that country. Recently, the government has arraigned a Catholic Bishop whose diocese includes the vulner able city of Umtali along the Mozambique border.
Bishop Donal Lamont is charged on four counts, in cluding "failing to report the presence of terrorists to the authorities" and "inciting others to do the same." The position of the Rhodesian Bishop is supported by the U.S. Catholic Conference through its general sec
retary, Bishop James S. Rausch, who wishes to "ex press solidarity with you and support for your posi tion." The policy of the USCC is that the "United States should support efforts to give Rhodesia's black majority fuU participation in the country's
government and that Congress should repeal the Byrd amendment which allows the United States to import Rhodesian chrome." {Long Island Catholic, Aug. 26, 1976). Kissinger's position parallels Âąat of the U.S.C.C. After a meeting with Kissinger, Ian D. Smith, Rhodesia's Prime Minister, announced his
capitulation under pressure. Agreeing to accept black majority rule in two years. Smith said: "It was made abundantly clear to me that as long as the present circumstances in Rhodesia prevailed, we could expect no help or support of any kind from the free world. On the contrary, the pressures on us from the free world would continue to mount." {The New York
Times, Sept. 25, 1976). It is in this way that the anti-communist struggle of the Rhodesian people is being betrayed and under mined by the very ones who should help them.
According to the press, the Communist Party has lost control of public opinion in Poland. The situation is being described as "very
Poland
dangerous," and the Soviets are reported ready to accept any measures to assure stability. After the ma jor strikes last June in which workers of several cities in the North and South took to the streets to mani
fest their rejection of the Warsaw regime, the Catholic hierarchy in that country "appealed to the people to make sacrifices and to have confidence in the Govern
ment's ability to cope with the grave economic troubles." Since that time.Cardinal Wyszynski, having
reached the age of 75, has offered his resignation. The Communist Party in Poland has expressed the hope that it will not be accepted, as he is seen as a stabiliz
ing factor in the present situation. On the other hand, the anti-communism of the
Polish people is more apparent. Several State buildings were the target of reprisals by workers during the S6
CRUSADE
demonstrations of protest last June, including a head quarters of the Communist Party. â&#x20AC;&#x17E; . 1^116610
Communist Party officials in Poland are
saying that Poland cannot expect any
economic help from Russia because economic condi tions in that country are even worse. Indeed, the signs of discontent are growing. We may mention a few: 1. The widespread arson in Soviet-dominated Georgia, directed against the agricultural buildings of the regime. 2. The mutiny of a Russian destroyer including the commanding officer. The ship tried to find haven in a Swedish port, but was refused entry. It departed for the open seas, but was overtaken by Russian planes, which bombed it into helplessness. 3. The pilot who escaped in a Russian plane, and managed to land in Japan. 4. The practice of confining Russian atheletes aboard ship during the Olympic games.
p I j ^
This country has suffered from a drought without precedent in the history of the
country. It has been so severe that the Thames has fallen very low, and its waters have begun to drain into the land. It has become a dead river. There is a
special irony in all of this. The Thames, because of its importance and beauty has been praised by the poets for hundreds of years: "Flow softly sweet Thames until I end my song." And the idea of that verdent island nation (that "jewel shining in the sea") being starved for water truly makes the spirit humble before the power of God. The British lion, former master of commerce on the seas,has now been reduced
to a situation in which she cannot navigate on her
own principal navigational waterway â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the mighty Thames ... Also, it is reported that the British are changing the uniforms of the British Royal Guard. This magnificent and disciplined corp of men in bril liant and aristocratic red uniforms is being 'iced by Indian Gurkhas dressed in drab proletari...i uni form similar to the style of the Red Chinese. The New York Times (August 28, 1976) South reports a whole new set of relations America developing between the Church and State in Latin America. According to that paper, the anticommunist governments in South America in the past feared to repress subversive members of the clergy be cause of the "immunity" of the Church from State interventions. But now -the attitude of a number of
governments is hardening against Marxist clergymen trying to subvert the nations. Recently, according to the report, subversive clergymen have been arrested in a number of Latin American countries (Ecuador,
Argentina, Chile, etc.).
«
j
Bishop Leonidas Proano of Riobamba,
zfiCiiS-Qor
•
•
Ecuador, gathered together various bish ops and clergymen of the Western hemisphere for a meeting in Riobamba. At a certain moment, the Ecuadorian Army entered the meeting and took 36 bishops prisoner. Among them were such notorious figures as Father Comblin and Bishop Mendez Arceo of Mexico, along with Venezuelan, Brazilian, and Chilean bishops, as well as others. The following from the United States were detained: Archbishop Robert Sanchez of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Bishops Patrick Flores, auxiliary of San Antonio, Texas,Juan
Arzube, auxiliary of Los Angeles, and Gilbert Chavez, auxiliary of San Diego, California. Two other Ameri cans detained were Father Edgar Beltran and Paul Sedillo, of the U.S. Catholic Conference.
The government of Ecuador announced on tele vision the capture of subversive documents at the meeting. Among the documents was a plan to pro mote a general strike fifteen days long in Ecuador. It was written in the hand of the same prelates who af
firmed that they treated only pastoral matters. After a brief detention, the "subversive" clergy men were expelled from the country. After his ex pulsion, the Venezuelan bishop declared that Ecuador
PIUS IX
(Continued from page 3)
more arduous and more extraordinary. He forced the Revolution to bow down
before him, not begging pardon, because the Revolution does not beg pardon, but drooling, howling with hatred, hu miliated, and crushed. This is more beau
was governed by "savages and animals" and that the action of the government had been "organized by the C.I.A." Extreme declarations such as these only tend to confirm the supicions raised against them. In addition, CELAM has announced two meet
ings: a) the first to be held in Bogota to study what happened in Riobamba, and b) the second in Lima with 70 bishops to study "Marxism" (! ! !) These meetings were announced with the drumbeat of full publicity. A mighty earthquake devasted a major
China
lieve even now, after all of the indoctrination of the
Reds, that these disasters are a sign of God's displeas ure with the regime. The great earthquake here was followed Italy by another quake in the same area. The people are fleeing from that region of northern Italy, convinced that it is under a malediction. But Italy has suffered another disaster even greater: the entrance of the Communist Party into a direct participatory role in the government.
en lion, the members of the Colombian
Menace — An Appeal to the Silent Bish
TFP have been spreading the book
ops.
through public campaigns in the main
The Red Archbishop, Dom Helder Camara, immediately made public state ments against the book. However, all of
cities of that country. The launching of the book was followed by remarkable repercussions in the major dailies of the capital and throughout the country. Supplies of the best seller ran out rapidly in several
of the best bookstores in Bogota, Medellin, Cali, and Bucaramanga. People of all
tiful than forcing the emperor to beg pardon. It was in this atmosphere of victory that the great Pope Pius IX, a
social levels and of the most diverse oc
prisoner but more of a lord than all of his predecessors, more the lord of Chris
book or reiparking on its timeliness for
cupations visited the TFP to express
their support, asking for copies of the Colombia.
tendom and of the universal Church, gave up his beautiful soul to God.
(Continued from page 4) „. .. Unfortunately, such analoColombia . „ • ^ gies exist also m other coun tries such as Colombia, where the local
TFP published the book under the tide. The Church ofSilence in Chile; A Theme for Meditation by Latin American Cath
this was to no avail, for the caravan of
TFP militants sold over 1000 copies of the book in his diocese in only seven days. In Brazil, over 18,000 copies of the book have been sold.
Spain
In Spain, the Cultural Soci ety of Covadonga has just
launched the first European edition of the book. Over 1000 copies of the have already been sold in Spain.
The Colombian edition of
the book, which is being
Venezuela
REPERCUSSIONS
Peking and damaged Peking
also, taking according to some reports a million persons. It was followed by another great quake. According to the press, the Chinese people be
Venezuela, is also
being distributed in Ecuador by the Ecuadorian TFP, as well as by bookstores. The book has been sell ing very well, and the press has com mented on it.
Brazil
At the same time, the Brazil
The USA'tion of English language edithe book has now been translated, edited, and set into
type, and will soon be going to the print er. It is being published in the United States by Lumen Mariae Publications, P.O. Box 99455, Erieview Station, Cleveland, Ohio 44199.
ian public is having the op portunity of knowing the book through a summary of it published by the Brazil ian TFP as a part of a substantial panor
olics.
amic study by Plinio Correa de Oliveira,
Wearing their well-known red capes and hoisting their standard with a gold
entitled Brazil — 1976; The Church in
the Face of the Rise of the Communist CRUSADE
57
INTERVENTION
(Continued from page 9)
tance to the Vatican "Ostpolitik," and on this occasion we developed all the
We have already spoken about the "calumnies." Now, in closing, we will
say a word about "rebellion." Our procedure in publishing the aforementioned work was inspired by the writings of the saints, as well as by numerous doctors, celebrated canonists,
argumentation necessary to substantiate
and moralists. In order not to extend
this position. For love of brevity, we
ourselves too much, we shall limit this
shall not reproduce it here. That we were right is evident in that
part of our statement to the citing of a prelate in whom Paul VI has such great
our declaration did not receive the least
confidence that he has elevated him to
response from those same ecclesiastical
the cardinalate. When Monsignor Journet received the Roman purple, his book
authorities.
is what it behooves us to affirm before God and men in defense of our own honor and the truth. We do this in fulfillment of an obli
gation, but with the greatest sadness. It is a sadness bom of the ineffable love,
of the veneration beyond all expression, which we profess for the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church and es pecially for the sacred Chair of Peter. Let our last words be, therefore, an af
firmation of our total fidelity to the Church and to the Holy See. It was not
in spite of this fidelity, but in order to
The book The Church of Silence in
L'Eglise du Verbe Incame had already
maintain ourselves within it, that we
Chile: The TFP Proclaims the Whole
been written, and the Vatican therefore had knowledge of it. Read pages 215, 222, 533-539, 547-548, 625-627 of Vol ume 1, and 839, 1063-1065 of Volume
have written everything said above.
Truth does no more than transpose and
put into practice those principles which no one has censured us for professing
during the course of the past two years. Why is it then that they accuse us now and so harshly? ÂŤ
*
ÂŤ
Still alluding to the authors of The Church of Silence in Chile: The TFP Proclaims the Whole Truth, the letter of
The Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property
2 of the aforementioned work (Desclee,
Santiago, June 5, 1976
3rd edition, 1962) and you will see that Cardinal Journet admits in principle the
legitimacy of attitudes which go consi derably farther than those that we have
HELDER CAMARA
(Continued from page 11)
the press, and other media ofcommuni
taken. *
*
*
cation and censor the destructive and
reactionary criticisms... in any case, it will be necessary to organize a system of
Cardinal Villot attacks the "manifest
All of this having been said, it is
blindness of the guilty ones, the very enormity of the calumnies which they
proved that we are far from being the "enormous calumniators" of which Car
dare to weave and the invitation to re
dinal Villot speaks. From this one con
bellion against the legitimate author ity..."
cludes, with all reverence, that we have
repression: new tribunals .to condemn those who oppose the social reforms. The usual proceedings of the tribunals
been enormously calumniated. And that
are too slow."
THE RUSSIAN CAPACITY FOR THE MILITARY CONQUEST OF WESTERN EUROPE
A "blitzkrieg" through Germany and Austria, advancing in the shape of a pair of pincers, would make it possible for the Russians to dominate the ports of the North Sea in a week, in one invasion through the Rhineland to Holland and another through the North to Hamburg.
The Soviet military doctrines stress especially the importance of rapid and massive offensives, emphasizing the factor of surprise and the limited
This is the conclusion arrived at by experts in strategic studies of the Brookings Institute in
ten times more tanks, five times more armored
Washington. They conclude that an eventual attack will be of a German "blitzkrieg" type, because of the kind of armaments amassed near the borders. For
example, all of the Russian infantry stationed in East Germany and Hungary is mechanized, while NATO's infantry is only 55% mechanized. While Russian soldiers are being quickly transported by armored trucks and other vehicles, nearly half of the Western European soldiers will have to travel on foot.
58
CRUSADE
use of nuclear arms.
According to the International Journal of the Soviet Armed Forces, the Russians have produ personnel carriers, and seven times more artillery pieces than the United States. Will this incredible balance of forces really be used to launch a military invasion of Western Europe, or is it only there to exert a psychologi cal effect aimed at eliminating the Europeans' will to resist?
Russia's war production is possible only be cause the west gives it money and food, thus enabling it to dedicate all of its forces to increas ing its military might.
The TFP organization collected over
ments, they have been brought to a
1,600,000 signatures, asking Archbishop
point of fanaticism that has led them
Helder Camara and the Church authori
sometimes even to become urban or
ties to stop the subversive activities of
rural guerrillas. Curiously, it is not the
Father Comblin and the Communist in
teachers who set forth the monstrous
filtration of the Church in general. Dom
doctrines spread in international colloquia, such as the one being analyzed by
Helder Camara responded by giving his full support to his priest, stating that he
us, who suffer the consequences; the
had full confidence in him. Afterwards,
ones who do are the fanatics who prac
Fr.Comblin was expelled by the Brazil
tice these teachings. And
ian Government.
Meanwhile, the Red Archbishop con
the ecclesiastical authorities,
why do they not act? It was necessary
tinues to travel from country to country to speak about his love for the poor. However, we do not know of a single
to reach this state of "autodemolition"
successful project to aid the poor which has been started or developed by him.
have free circulation in the Holy Church
RED CHINA
of the Church — to use the expression of Paul VI — in order for such error to of God. All of this makes one remember
the lamentation of the prophet Jeremias: "The stones of the sanctuary are scat tered. .. that the adversary and enemy
hine of
should enter in by the gates of Jerusa (Contimied from page 45)
lem."(Lamentations 4:1, 12)
creed is no more than a moment of ex*
plicitness in a Christian, a sacramental praxis."(p. 167 — emphasis ours). One sees quite well how progressivism and Communism complete each
other in the false logic of error. From this, one perceives that clerics or Bishops who — like Msgr. Mendez Arceo ~ make
veiled or open propaganda for the Com munist egalitarian revolution, are not merely deceived in the socio-political field, nor as everything seems to indi
cate — have they been taken in by peo ple they trusted sincerely. In fact, it seems to us that having been led into
the modernist heresy by means of a long, surreptitious work carried out in Catho lic seminaries, universities, and move
REFUGEES REBUFFED
(Continued fro7n page 49) discourage refugees, has taken in more than 70,000 fugitives. Almost 600 of them came by boat. The United Nations High Commis
oucn
an
emoargo
wouia
proauce
devastating effects on the economy of our country, resulting in an enormous drop in our Gross National Product and a dizzying increase in unemployment.
This would lead the American people to demand of our leaders a prompt in ternational solution. Richardson affirms
that "some would undoubtedly ask for
sioner for Refugees appealed in July to all first-port-of-call countries to grant refugees temporary entry on the under standing that the United Nations agency
support of Israel. Others would demand
would do its best to resetde them. The
countries. If either of these two lines
agency also appealed to potential coun tries of resetdement, and some, notably the United States, France, Norway,
bring about a fundamental destabiliza-
Australia, and Canada have responded."
the
abandonment
a forceful
of
our traditional
intervention
in
the Arab
prevailed, it would in the final analysis tion
of the international
balance
of
power, threatening ultimately to involve the United States in a great military conflict."
A MIRACLE IN THE DUNGEON
THE CAMBODIANS RESIST THE COMMUNIST REGIME
Not very long ago, the Russian bishop Paul Meletleffe died in Brussels
at the age of 82. At one time, this bishop had made a trip to Fatima to thank Our Lady of the Rosary for a great grace that he had received while living In the Communist dungeons.
More than 135,000 Cambodi have gathered around a movement lo resist the Communist government
Let us consider one of the torments to which he was subjected. One night, the Communists put the unhappy, very much weakened, and ill-
last year.
treated prelate in a tiny cell with 15 rats. It is known that unless these
which imposed itself on that country
rodents are starving, they do not usually attack human beings. But these
The above statement was made by Coronel Souvatthana to the press in
rats were starving.
Paris, where he lives as a refugee.
The bishop had heard that in such a case one should stay on his feet.
Coronel
Souvatthana
wants
his
To the extent that he could he did this, but he was not able to remain
press interview to serve as an appeal
standing very long. Sensing that his strength was failing him, he made the sign of the Cross, asked the mercy of Our Lady, and allowed himself to
to the Red regime in their countrv.
to Cambodians to unite in resistance also
fall to the floor.
When the guards opened the door of his cell the following day, they received a great surprise. Bishop Paul Meletieffe was kneeling and praying. The rats were all quiet and gathered, in a small mound In a corner of the cell ...
affirrr
communists of his country inte
take advantage, among other tl of the continuous divergences a the Communists in order to oust
from p
OUR READERS WRITE CRUSADE
"Dear Sirs, I have just been told of
your wonderful magazine. Now 1 can not wait for my first issue." — Mr.
Jr, Minnesota
"Please post me all the issues for 1976. I will renew the subscription in January next year." — Bro. O.M., West Indies
"I would like a one year subscription
to your nice magazine; this is the second time that I have subscribed to your
magazine." — Mrs. E.A., Phillipines PENTECOSTALISM
me any literature which you have on these aims and objectives." — Mr. B.M., New Zealand
"Dear Friends: Must tell you that the
pictures in the May-June issue will en hance the prestige of the TFP. All reac
derer. I fear for the children being raised
tions are favorable. For instance the
in the not-to-distant future." — Mrs. H.S., Illinois
reaction of a Protestant neighbor upon seeing the front and back of this wonder
by the "State" instead of their parents
ful issue, was a deep sigh as she said:
DONATIONS
"What a sight for sore eyes, why I haven't seen such fine, upstanding, dis ciplined young men in more decades than I like to remember! And with graces to match too, I'll bet!" I agreed, where
upon she spent the rest of the afternoon reading every word printed in this be loved issue. May God bless all of you in your endeavors for the most worthwhile
"Gentlemen: I misplaced your letter, in which you asked for help to cover the
high cost of printing. Enclosed is $25.00. Keep up the good work." — Mr. T.J., Ohio
magazine. It is a brilliant publication for
Cause of all, the saving of our Christian
"Please renew my subscription. En closed is also my contribution of $15.00 to help Crusade maintain the high stan
the Truth and our Holy Faith. The arti
Civilization."
dards which it now has as a Catholic
"Dear Crusade, I just received your
cle on pentecostalism was utterly bril liant in every respect. Thank you and be assured of my prayers for your work." — Mr. J.A., California
"I am anxious over the growth of the "Charismatic movement" in our parish. The pastor, very intelligent but alas! lacking in common sense, has invited them to come. Now they are holding a series of "lectures." Strange how they are selecting goals similar to those of the
— Mrs. H.M., Ohio
— Mr. R.C.P., California CHILD & FAMILY BILL
"Send me 50 copies of your Open Letter. I am 78 years old and had a
cial issue on pentecostalism) at present.
It will be passed around." — Mrs. J.K., Oklahoma
nations to maintain the standards of our
badly affected left side, but thank God I can still write with my right hand. I'm
magazine. Your support is a precious
steeped in medical bills, but at least I
can mail out a few of your letters." — Mrs. P.M., Texas
encouragement for us to continue in this sacred struggle in defense of Chris tian Civilization against Communism. May God bless all of you as well as your families.
"Keep up your good work, please send me ICQ copies of your Open Let ter to the Congressmen of America. Please rush for an early October meet
ing." — Mrs. J.G., Iowa
"Sir, I was talking recently with a vis
"I would also like a copy of Crusade.
itor to our country, and I was impressed
Will this help to explain how we can
with what he told me about the aims
prevent the passage of the Child and Family Services Act mentioned in Sister
and objectives of your Crusade.'I wonder if you could see your way clear to send
Editor's Note: We are very grateful to all of our friends who responded so generously to our recent appeal for do
stroke in March which left me with a
liberal and ultra-liberal establishment. I
can only afford one copy (of your spe
publication."
Rose Marie Larkin's article in The Wan-
OUR PREVIOUS ISSUE "Dear Friends: Thanks for another
fine issue of the magazine. It was very good. May God bless and : '• you always." — Mrs. A.S., Illinois
"The Art & "art" discussed in your latest issue recalled something I had read in a booklet The Cult of the AllSeeing Eye by Robt. Keith. It has an analysis of the mural in the Meditation Room of the U.N. The expert quoted.
Lady Queensborough, had this to say about the purpose of (modern) "art": "Under occult dominion art, music, and
politics all tend to the same end: con fusion, a calculated and induced confu sion: for minds that are confused wUl
obey and bow to the hidden masters.. — Mrs. G.M.G., Canada 60 CRUSADE
THE VERY RICH MORAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SIMPLE HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS
The expressive profile of this man resting in his easy chair discloses remnants of strength preserved from other days. Something imponderable, yet very clear, makes one see that this is a person \A/ho is worn, an old man perhaps or someone on the edge of old age, consumed prematurely by infirmity or by nostalgia and memories. And around him, like the frame of a picture, are peaceful homey objects which speak with a silent voice. How much is said through them in this cozy penumbra made of shadows fraternally harmonized with a splendid stream of morning light! In short, what an ambience may be present in the simple room of an old man!
these noble and friendly penumbras in which familiar objects manifest their unpretentious and affable beauty. On top of the massive, carved wooden table are a piece of bread left from
last night's supper, a picturesque vase, and some big and rather rustic flowers. Everything is decent, agreeable, serious, and at the same time delicate. And when the soul, tired of
i
considerations, looks for distractions, it really has someuniig with which to entertain itself. It has the kitten which repre sents the factor of vivacity, grace, and fantasy in the picture;
it has the floor of stone or brick whose rectangular blocks are so charming In the sunlight; it has the table which evokes so many family dinners in other times; it has the flowers which
From that chair made for a dignified repose, this man looks through the wide open window upon a whole panorama, while he is being inundated with a light that shines without burning. It is a very suitable situation for considering from above and at a distance persons and things as well as the past and the whole of life. These are precisely the grand considera tions which are the distraction of the old, the highest fruit of
their experience, and their best preparation for eternity. Such reflections demand a habit full of quietude, in which the soul may fly to high regions and things serve the body ami ably so that it will not perturb the soul. His eyes rest calmly in
are a note of animation and joy. It has every one of these things, and, much more than that, it has them as a whole, that is to say, it has the ambience.
Nothing is super clean nor super orderly in this scene. In
no way is it trying to appear to be richer than It actually is.
The things are simply what they are. And they make up an atmosphere filled with meanings as good for the soul as the
free air and sunlight, which the old man appears to be drinking in great drafts, are for the body.
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