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PUBLISHED WEEKLY.
ADDRESS: BOX J633, G.P.O.
PHONE BL447
A CATHOLIC WEEKLY CIRCULATING THROUGH OUT THE STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ESTABLISHED 1874. Registered at the G.P.O., Perth, for Transmission by Post as a Newspaper. PRICE THREEPENCE
No. 2,822
PERTH, SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1934
Vol. LX.
CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP His Lordship the Bishop of Lan gres Right Rev. Dr. Fillon), in an address to leaders of Catholic Action, has defined the qualities of leadership as follows:— The leader of Catholic Action must not be a partisan.
picion and scorn which, after twelve to fourteen years, has done nothing to allay the evil ambitions of mankind. To combat the secularism that destroys the soul is the primary duty of ll apostolate; to repudiate the errors ef economic liberalism, the offspring of materialistic individualism, is most necessary at the present time. To fight against immorality in every form has been the constant care of the Church, but to assert that no act in politics or in business can be good unless it is good also in morals, to teach our dislocated world that moral considerations must be given pride of place over all interests, whetl:er collective or national, needs a doctrinal courage that is far more persuasive than peevish recrimination. Nevertheless, for Catholics doctrine must mean life, not speculative thought. Hence a leader must not be an intellectua, l juggling with ideas, or a logican spinning arguments, but a vital soul, practising what he has learned, realising what he teaches and uniting thought to example.
guide them towards right solutions, must be well-grounded himself in Catholic doctrine. As a citizen he is free to join what Moreover, ever political party he pleases; as an tion confers a strong doctrinal posiapostle he should neither be a member a defensive great practical advantages: attitude is purely negative, of a committee that would commit him whe reas doctrine is a positive teaching to its specific interests, nor the servant of a sect that would dictate its r ich in results. The following examples will illusdecisions, nor yet the agent of a political party that would impose its opin- t..ate my meaning. ions. He must stand only for the To defend Order is a duty, and this policy of Christ, whose kingdom is not can never be fully accomplished save of this world: Adveniat regnutn tuum; by the affirmation of the Christian sohis one thought is of the kingdom of cial order. God. To defend Catholicism against SoIs this to say that the Catholic lead- cialism and Communism is an obligaer must be non-political? Far from tion; but events have proved that it. A Catholic must have solid convic- such defence is very futile without tions and a clearly defined programme first conceding the necessity .for proof social, family and universal applica- fessional and labour organisation. tion. In this sense tile leader must To defend the rights of property above party, not because he is non- against an out-worn Marxism is at once political, but because he refuses to wisdom and common sense, but the accord to any one party the exclusive teaching of the duties of property, r ight to support his programme, and without undue emphasis on one point A further consideration arises at because he is willing to treat with all of view more than on another, is also this point: the Catholic leader must men of good will who are favourable to A matter of Christian exigency. be inspired by Christian charity and c atholic principles. To defend as legitimate the capital- here I mean far less the giving of alms Moreover, the leader must not cam- ist regime is to follow Papal teaching: than the spirit of loving kindness. In ouflage the truth: he must be proud to at the same time, as disciples of Leo the popular mind religion and kindness XIII. and Pius XL, to denounce the proclaim his faith, his Christian social abuses of rapacious usury and reck- go hand in hand, a touching belief sense, his loyalty to Rome. tie must less speculation on which present day which enshrines a deep truth and one r emember that the present generation , capitalism is largely based, is a loyal that the leader will do well to bear in deluded and mind. He must, of course, tight vigdisappointed, is eager for attitude which goes far to allay definite pronouncements, senorously against falsehood and calumny, and a laeder timents of envy and hatred. but he must remember that he is atwill only capture clear speaking andtheir attention by tacking ideas and he must not misTo affirm that the accumulati writing. ons of He is a ware that the heads At times, inof our contem- w ealth in the hands of the few, the represent individuals. poraries are filled with ideas some of position of the workers as mere instru- deed, he must go farther and be ready which are mis-applied Christian ideas. ments of production, the dispersion of to give full credit to those he regards and that these can only be modified by t he family in factory and workshop and as adversaries for their ideas and for e xciting the curiosity and, rousing the the enforced absence of the mother an" useful reforms they may advocate, spiritual aspirations of minds that are from her home, are the results of de- thus showing that he has no mere pardistressed but hone the tess loyal. He plorable social conditions, is a doc- tisan spirit. will realise trinal position more likely to win over that In this same spirit victory, for the such curiosity among some at least opponents than a mere defence of the leader, must appear less reflects the the outprofound needs of the come of a struggle than in the guise that the first soul of the people, and 'existing social order. To defend one's country is the natu- of a successful policy of penetration. step is to bririg hack to a traditional morality people who lack ral act of a son who loves his mother, The rising generation has snffered less all true hut to support a super-national organi- than its elders from bitter anti-clericalguidance. s-dion that has a due regard for na- ism; hence it has less of the fighting At all costs the leader must keep in. tional rights just as the State must spirit and a more eager desire to 'reach c lose touch with life. In the ebb and have a due regard for family rights, others by persuasive argument. The flow of changing ideas he must be on and to look forward to ihe prudent, de- young people of to-day are less cont he look -out f ar as may for coming events and, as velopment of a world-wide collabora- cerned with the grievances of the past far beyond be, foresee results, a task tion. that too is more beneficial to the than with a constructive programme of him were he not inspired common good than the policy of sus- the future, and to a defeatist attitude Ivith a real love of doctrine. "The w o.r1(1," revolution in the modern wrote Lacordaire, -is a doctrinal resolution." Catholics must take their Is by ideas,stand as men of ideas. It far more than by material means, A' wide that the world is ruled. to theculture is therefore indispensable apostle. A "Universe" correspondent writes: during his pontificate there raged the n°rme, social and In all political. ecoscientific matters .he A Prague paper. "Ceske Slovo," has anti-clerical "laicising" campaign in 1:nust guard against erroneous opm- given prominence to a fantastic story France. 1(ins and hasty conclusions out of har- that Pius. X was poisoned by "a Ger"Ceske Slovo" further states that a cern'i°nY with Catholic teaching, and man prelate named von Gerlach, who tain von Bismarck, -grandson of the such of a prudence can only he the outcome was, in reality a German spy." As Iron Chancellor," was at the head of doctrinal foundation. reason for the alleged murder. "Ceske German espionage in Switzerland at Slovo.' gives Pope Pius's alleged mark- the time of the "murder." But ever. vereimOn Such questions as Peace, the ed partiality for France. so the eldest of Bismarck's grandsons , iv of the State. super-national 2.rga ( who is now Councillor at the Embassy nis.ation, social justice, economic A German paper, the "Prager Tag- in London) had hardly left school in lln,eralism, grl, the li Syndicalism, the common blatt," points out the absurdity of the those days. "Ceske berty of the child, the rights suggestion, since Pius X owed his elec- ous for its canards. Slovo" is notori+the family, the Catholic leader. if he tion to the Austrian veto as the canPope Pius X. died shortly after the "13 enlighten prejudiced minds and didature of Cardinal Rampolla, and outbreak of the World War.
POPE PIUS X. POISONED BY GERMAN SPY Fantastic Story in Prague Newspaper
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they prefer a wise and invincible optimism. In order to succeed it is essential to believe in success. To this reasonable optimism the leader should unite a spirit of collaboration. When it is a question ol saving souls in all directions, the apostle does not entrench himself behind a barricade and fire to right and left. but rather, in imitation of Mgr. Affre, he mounts to the summit in order to plant the Cross of Christ and to give the command: cease fire. Where brothers are fighting, a mother will fling herself between them and implore her -hildren to shake hands. The youne leader must never allow himself to be sc, carried away by furious passions as to be reduced to the role of a mere "anti." When our rights are clearly violated we must protest energetically, but faced with the common good we must proclaim our adhesion with equal readiness. Nothing is gained by an unreasonable and persistent opposition under all circumstances. In the domain of industry the spirit of collaboration will inspire the leader to consider sympathetically measures favourable to the lawful demands of the worker, and to applaud the principle of a protective legislation while reserving the right to condemn, when necessary, any abuses. A certain 1-enevolence in judgment should be the first gesture of a Christian in collaboration with others: it will be in no way detrimental to his spirit of justice. In municipal life a Catholic should seek units` among members rather than the promotion of independent groups and in all cases he should urge Catholics to be united in heart and soul. To sum up: collaboration mean‘ practical charity And it is on this essential noint—the real power of our charity. —that the question will be solved as to whether Catholicism. by its o wn intrinsic virtue, can recapture the souls of the men of to-day. One conclusion seems clear: the Catholic leader. in imitation of his divine Master, must adopt evangelisation as his sole weapon of action. A fter sixty years of experience and discomfitures should we not have a greater confidence in a bold, straightforward apostolate than in ingeniotu• human devices? The great victory of Christ is to be known. and His Church can only triumph by spreading the light which the world so sorely needs. This apostolic method is slower and harder but far more sure than facile electoral successes And if the Catholic leader has to sacrifice the illusion of sweeping immediate triumphs, he will still arrive at appreciable results. Henceforth all Catholics must come out into the open, whether in the factory, on the land, or in the schools whether Catholic professors in the universities. Catholic civil servants. Christian trade-unionists or journalists on a free and independent press. This is a long list, but You will enable it to grow longer just in the measure in y.-hich You believe that truth is mightier than error and the love of God more powerful than hatred
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