TRADE UNIONISM, A FOURTH ESTATE, THREATENS LIBERTY

Points from the Recent Paris Social Study Week
From Our Correspondent in Paris
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A group of Anglo-Catholics from Britain, as well as a Y.C.W. delegation, attended the 34th annual Catholic Social Week in Paris, which brought some 3,000 priests, seminarists and journalists from many countries of Western Europe, apart from France. Mgr. Gsell, Bishop of Port Darwin, Australia, and Mgr. Cooray, Archbishop of Colombo, were two distinguished visitors who had crossed half the TO THIS world to be present.
The political and economic unrest which has overhung France in recent months clearly dominated the thoughts of several speakers, whose Catholic treatment of the great social problems of the post-war era was marked by forthright and clear utterance.
" Trade Unionism to-day," he continued, " represents a fourth estate of the nation—one unknown in the Constitution and vet one perilous to the authority of that
Constitution. The State has now set aside its role of mediator and has inherited the difficulties of the employer . . . The unity of the State is in question."
M. Flory concluded: " Trade Unionism threatens our basic liberties to-day, just as these liberties were threatened yesterday by the forces of Capitalism."
SOCIALISM ENDANGERS PRIMARY RIGHTS
Fr. Bigo, S.I., also referred to the unprecedented problems created by progress from political to social democracy : " Socialisation can open the road to liberty or thrust us into the dead-end of slavery," he said. " While it frees man from want and from money control, it endangers the primary rights of producer, consumer, and citizen alike.
"The advance of Socialism must therefore be kept within' bounds by safeguarding the ownership of consumer and producer goods; and the family must become the representative unit in the State."
—YET INDISPENSABLE
The dangers inherent in a Statecontrolled economy was the theme of M. Piettre. who admitted that today such organisation was " indispensable in spite of its faults."
To be successful, it must have a sense of man and of civilisation—and it's here that the support of Catholic Social teaching is necessary." A great ovation was given the eminent 86-year-old philosopher, Maurice Blonde]. whose paper wet read out to the meeting by his son, Charles.
" The Catholic's role," said Blonde!, "is not to fight enemies, but to throw light on truths that are misunderstood; to establish an order of peace in the world; and to bring a spirit of understanding. meekness and charity into the collective life of men."
To Canon Cardijn, founder of the Jociste Movement, it was left to outline the part which Christian Youth had to play in the shaping of a new world.
THE FAULT WITH US Canon Thellier de Poncheville turned his attention to the widespread lack of faith and hope•arnong the masses: " It is not the Gospels nor the Church that are indifferent to their needs," he said. " It is we
Catholics. We have built up a. beautiful monument of doctrine, but we have not carried this doc
trine to others. Men of speculation rather than of action, we have preferred the work of the pen and the spoken word to work with pick and shovel."
Canon de Poncheville attacked the " hesitancy and reticence " of Catholics in general end went on to castigate those who " have lost confidence in the voice raised from the Vatican and have turned to other leaders, choosing the way of force."
M. Letourneau, French Minister of Commerce and Reconstruction, who was present among the many Ministers present for the last conference, summed up the prac. tical achievement of the Catholic Social Week in a sentence: "This session gives us additional reasons of hope and action for facing up to the responsibilities of the present hour."
The 34th Semaines Sociales came to a solemn end with an elocution by Cardinal Suhard in Notre Dante Cathedral followed by the giving of Benediction and the singing of the Te Delon.