The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-06-06
Right Or Left?
French Catholics AS Divided
In Politics AS COuntrymen
by Erik v. Kvehnelf-L eddihn

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Well instructed American Catholics today know
what religious life in France is like and that,
although not too rosy, it does not at all conform to
the picture of "a goddess nation"
The majority of those baptized as Catholics re-
ceive the Sacrament at least once a year, almost
half of them go. to Mass with a certain regularity,
another quarter occasionally, and more than 80 per-
cent are buried in sacred ground.
The French Catholics thus form a most lmpOr-
tant part of French life and in the last 20-30 years
they have developed a taste for political and social
organization and religious action.
In the field of secular activities, however, they
are as divided as the rest of their co-nationalS. A
p~racticing French Catholic can, in our opinion, be
suspiciouSly near to Communism, but he could also
be a liberal, a democrat, a middle-of-the-ro re-
publican, a conservative republican, a liberal mon
archlSt, a "legitimiSt, !" a reactionary or a person
dangerously close to fascist thinking.
Only genuine communists, racialists and an
archiSts cannot be found within the French branch
of the Church.
Now that France is going through one of the
most critical episodes in her history, the political
outlook of French Catholics merits some scrutiny.
First it must be taken into consideration that
the various political views of educated French Ca
tholics stem directly or indirectly from the Faith or,
at least, have been brought into connection with
their creed.
This shows that one can start from identical
premises and yet arrive at different results.
No wonder, since our dogmas whatever secular
lists may think are few and far between and those
field of our faith, where the most learned theolo-
6A0ho M IL WaN anu L0hASl Onos
AS a result there are, in France, scores of schools
of Catholic political thought fighting each other.
America is religiously divided but the adher-
entS of the various denominations arrive practically
all at basically identical political convictions repub-
lcan democracy or democratic republicanism. Ninety
percent of the protested, actively religious French
men are Catholic but they come to very different
political conclusions.
France is politically a pluralist nation; American
plurallSm is merely religious.
There are Catholics on the extreme Left who
often vote the Socialist ticket. They are motivated
in their political thinking by two things: the fear ever
to take a political position which might appear hos
tile toward labor, and the fear of seeing the Church
mixed up with either anti-Semitic racialism, colonial
ism, or any form of autOcracy.
They honestly think that Leftism is profoundly
Christian. In the remote past The Church in France.
desperately engaged in trying to gain back the mid
die class. was not TOO deeply interested in social pro-
biens; and many socially leading Catholics unfortun-
ateIy tried 70. eqvate their faith with monarehism or
later, with Pefainism.
To this must be added the Dreyfvs-seandaI Of
so years ago, when again too many Catholics teeeIe-
sissfie and lay insisted on the condemnation Of Cap
tain Dreyfus for treason even at a time when it had
become evident that he-was innocent. $3.50
The motive for this campaign of hatred was
nothing but Dreyfus' Jewish faith and the fact that
his defenders were mostly leftists.
Then there are the Catholic middle-of-the-road-
es who, instead of cleaving to the older assumption
that every Catholic ought to be a monarchist throne
and-altar-complex') assert that every Catholic ought
to be a democrat, a republican, and a wholehearted
supporter of the somewhat watered-down principles
of the French Revolution.
This type frequently. votes for the MRP, the
Popular Republican Movement, which counts among
its more prominent politicians MN. Bidault, Maui
rice Schumann, Robert Schumann father Of the
Schuman-Plan), and Premier Pflimlin.
Unofficially this party figures as a Catholic
Party" All its leaders are ~practicing Catholics. These
middle-of-the-roade usually join the Catholic trade
unions and have been fairly Influential in the poll
tics of postwar France.
Catholics slightly right of center can be found in
de 'Gaulle's d~windling party, the Social Republicans"
in the very small Popular Liberal Party" with some
what conservative tendencies, and, above all, among
the numerous independents"
There can be no doubt that among French Ca
tholics intellectuals most of the leaders are left, II
not very left; some of the best Catholic French per-
iodicals are left, but those with very large editions
are middle -of- the road. To study the French Catho-
lies world from books and periodicals might convey,
politically, a very wrong impression: the heads are
left, but the masses are more conservative. And a
minority of intellectuals I am thinking of Thibon.
Marcel, and the late G. Bernanos are decidedly
rightist. Well talk about these Catholic rightists and
their stand toward de Gaulle next week.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES