Evil ,,s —Says Cardinal Lienart.
BUT A FALSE REMEDY AGAINST THEM
From various parts of the world come reports of the Church's increasing fight against Communism.
Particularly notable was the letter addressed by Cardinal. Lienart to French Communists in which he denied having said that Communism is responsible for all the evils of modern society.
Two fundamental errors are responsible, " Atheistic Materialism " and " Economic Liberalism." The Church does not support the abuses of Capitalism, precisely because it has condemned the economic liberalism which has caused those abuses.
In an important article contributed to an Italian paper, Fr. Francis Gemelli, Rector of the Catholic University of Milan, has eloquently explained why it is that religion alone provides the one effective bulwark against the spread of Communism.
FALSE PROMISES OF COMMUNISM
Cardinal Lienart, Bishop of " Lille, has replied in an open letter to an attack made upon himself from Communist sources, which was printed in the French Communist paper, L'Humanne.
He denies that he tried to make Communism responsible for all the evils from which humanity suffers. He writes: " When 1 looked for those who are responsible, I did not incriminate your party, but two doctrinal errors; atheistic materialism, which is easily anterior to Communism, and whose logical effects only are manifested in your views, and economic liberalism, which has vitiated capitalism, and brought on its abuses."
The Cardinal complained especially, in view of the fact that he agreed with the Communists about economic liberalism, condemned long ago by the Popes, that he should now be attacked for failing to recall to employers their duties as Christians.
Duties as Christians
" To recall to all, employers and workers, their duties as Christians, that is precisely my mission," he says. " I have fulfilled it in many circumstances, since I have warned workers against the atheistic materialism which you profess, and employers against economic liberalism."
The Cardinal then went on to explain why he denounced Communism as a danger; because, he said, it was offered as a remedy to the evils of the world, even to Catholic workers who were the sons of the Church, whose father in God he was.
The Soviet Facts
After quoting all the ideals which French Communists, according to their programme, would realise in their country, especially " an economic and social rdgime in accordance with the Gospel and the teaching of St. Paul "; the Cardinal went on:
" After reading the programme, let us look at experience as it has been proved to be in Russia. I see the words of St. Paul very brutally interpreted. Under the formula ' if he work not, neither should he cat,' is ranged the priest, whose spiritual mission is unrecognised, the employer, and even the intellectual who does not agree with the 'all-powerful • masters of the regime."
The method of their . exclusion was described by the Cardinal; imprisonment, confiscation of goods, dispersion of fami
lies, refusal of the right to work, death of misery and cold on the Steppes of Siberia_
More Human Remedy
Concluding his letter, Cardinal Lienart showed that a remedy infinitely more human and more efficacious was neededtthe Christian remedy.
The Christian had the highest idea of the dignity of man, since he was a true son of God, of fraternity, since he excluded no races or classes, of peace, since, instead of appealing to hate, he appealed for the construction of a new social order in 'justice and-charity.
Father Gemelli's pronouncements on page 9.