The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-04-12
First of all international Justice

allke-justice to all nations, whether
hostile or friendly during the late
war. ''Nationalities don't die said
Pope Benedict XIV in one of his first
public statements after his accession
tempt to crush nation can only leave
a legacy of hate which will be the
! fruitful seed Of future wars Just
national aspirations must be respect
ed said he again when addressing
the heads of states regarding the
terms of peace. Finally, in his mes
sage to the American people last New
Years Eve he made use of these sol
emn words: Con the eve of the New
Year, in which humanity is at last to
enjoy the blessings of peace, we are
glad to send cordial greetings to the
American people as the champions of
those same principles which have
been proclaimed by President Wilson
and the Holy See, insuring for the
world justice, peace and Christian
love-
I'm this solemn moment, when a
new era in the history of the world is
about to begin, we pray that the AL
mighty may shed His light upon the
delegates who are meeting in Paris
to settle the fate of mankind, and es-
pecially upon President Wilson as the
head of the noble nation which has
written such glorious pages in the an
mails Of human progress.
May the conference be of such a
nature as to remove any resentment,
abolish forever wars among brothers,
establish harmony and concord and
promote useful labor. Out of the peace
conference may there be born the
league of nations which, by abolish
ing CONSUMPTION, will reduce arma-
ments; which by establishing interna-
tional tribunals will guarantee to
everyone independence and equality
Of rights
If these admonitions are needed, if
this remedy of the Holy Father is ac-
cepted by the members of the Peace
Conference-and there is every indi-
cation that they will-then will there
be lasting peace among the new de-
mocracies of the world, because it will
be founded on the solid rock of inter-
national justice.
Social Jus e.
Secondly, If Bolshevism and anar-
chy would be banished from the new
democracies the Catholic Church
teaches there must be social justice
within the nations affected.
The great charter of social Justice
is the decalogue-the ten command
ments, which cur Lord reduced to the
love of God and the love of neighbor.
Bolshevism and anarchy, which are
only socialism carried to it's logical
conclusions, would eliminate all love,
all authority, whether it find express
sion in God, the family, the Church,
or the state, and make selfishness the
law of life. Thus, the first four com
mandments lose their binding force
Greed and pleasure then become the
norm of existence. Private ownership
of the means and instruments of pro-
duction and distribution and even of
land itself is condemned, and all prop
erty is transferred to the state for
the use Of the multitude For this
end direct action is advocated, and
life and limb and reputation must not
stand in the way. The command
ments Thou shalt not KILL Thou,
shalt not steal" Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbours goods" Thou shalt not
bear false witness against thy neigh
Dor" are thus declared to be obsolete.
Woman, likewise, becomes common
property, family obligations cease and
children are charge on the state.
Thus the sixth and ninth command
ments are stricken from the deca-
logue. Authority, property, family
gone, what is there to keep men from
becoming herd of brutes and red
revolution from devastating the earth /?
Remedy for BoIshevism.
The prime remedy, therefore, for
BOlshevism and anarchy is the observ-
ance of the ten commandments
Hence, there should be earnest incul-
cation of the love of God and the love
of neighbor, the preaching in season
and out of season of the divine law
of the sacredness of authority, first of
all, in God Who is it's source, then of
authority in the home, the Church and
the state, because it is from God--of
the dignity of woman and the unity,
sanctity and indissolubilty of Chris
tan marriage-of the inviolability OF
private property. The Church preach
ed these doctrines to the Barbarians
who destroyed the Roman Empire, and
thus laid the foundations of Christian
civilization throughout the length and
breadth Of Europe. BY using all the
energies of her great world organiza-
ton to bring these doctrines home to
the minds and hearts of the newly lib
Grated peoples she will stay the tide
of Bolshevism and anarchy and direct
| the forces Of democracy into the chan
nels of true liberty, order and peace
Capital Must Obey.
But while the Church breaches the
commandments to the proletariat, she
| does not intend that capital shall be
exempt from their observance. In
! fact, she feels that Bolshevism and
| anarchy, while often due to the envy
and cupidity of the workers which I'M.
! scrupulous agitators have famed into
| a flame, are nevertheless not infre.