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PERTH, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1942.
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130(000f000 Catholics Are Range Against "A" the Axis . . By JOHNveJ. O'CONNOR, in the
Ma ria
Journalist Alleges Their Influence is Almost Negligible Catholic Life Has Been Purified and Deepened . . . But is Still Remote From Vital Socio-Economic Problems The religious divisions of the British Ministry of Information recently published a report to the effect that, with the signing at Washington of the joint pact between the twenty-six United Nations, more than one hundred and thirty million Catholics were ranged against the "Axis" Powers. Of this number, fifty-six millions belong to the British Empire and the United States and her possessions. The figures did not include the millions of Catholics in France or her colonies. When I first read the report, two questions flashed into my mind. What influence did these one hundred and thirty million Catholics exert in the modern world during the past twentyfive years? What is their influence to -day? If we study these questions with the utmost realism, we must conclude that the influence of these one hundred and thirty million Catholics was practically negligible in the past and is almost negligible to -day, A great deal has been written in our time about the alleged failure of Christianity. This is highly inaccurate. Christianity has not failed and What is beyond argucannot fail. ment, however, is that far too many Catholics have not followed the teachings and precepts of Christianity. The present war emphasises this failure in rather brutal fashion. If the individual and collective influence of Catholics in every country had been strong, this war would not have occurred, Let us not make the stupid mistake of blaming everything on Hitler, Mussolini and the Mikado. This war is a judgment upon the majority of Catholics everywhere, a judgment upon our smugness and supineness, a judgment
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upon our indifference to the Papal appeal for Catholic Action, a judgment upon our whole attitude towards the lost sheep of Christendom. This war is being fought to -day without much regard for Christian principles because both Britain and the United States, to say nothing of Soviet Russia, are very largely materialistic in outlook. WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
What of the future? The crisis that lies behind all other crises is this: Can Christians inspire and reorder our civilisation once again or will Christians be so persecuted and outlawed that they will be compelled to seek refuge a second time in the catacombs? The supremely important question is whether Christians, even at this late hour, can still save the world? It is obvious that winning the war will not automatically prepare the way for the re-establishment of Christian values. Something more is needed. A Christian apostolate is badly needednow. Every effort must be made to convince the modern world that it must either take Christianity seriously or perish. At the very beginning of this vast movement of renewal and regeneration, however, Christians must first explain why they failed to exercise much influence in the past, examine their own shortcomings, and point out what steps they are taking to -day to improve upon their previous performance. Until this is done, the modern world will remain cold and sceptical about Christianity-the one last, great hope of mankind. There are two basic reasons why millions of Christians in all parts of
p
s.
The late Cardinal Verdier was not the product of decadence.
Catholics have been content to remain only a potential force in the political order . the world have failed notably to affect the suicidal direction the world has taken. First of all, Christianity has been the victim of a gigantic conspiracy. During the past four or five hundred years, and continuing even up to the present hour, a ruthless campaign was carried on to sabotage and destroy Christian influences wherever found --in government, in education, in the press, in industry and agriculture, in the various trades and professions, in the arts and sciences, in public as well as private life. We are now reaping the whirlwind, That much is obvious. But we should not overlook the failures and shortcomings of Christians themselves. It is with this latter and more baffling phase of the problem that I am principally concerned.
HEART OF THE MYSTERY. We must somehow account for the contrast between the extraordinary revival that has taken place within the Church in recent times and the parallel disintegration of western civilisation. We must go to the heart of the mystery of how the Church manifested renewed life and vigour at the precise time that western civilisation passed from one grave crisis to an ever more
serious crisis until to -day it is in peril of death, Ever since the reign of Pius IX, as Michael de la Bedoyere has pointed out in his "Christian Crisis," the Church has grown both in numbers and fervour. The standard of private morality and of ecclesiastical observance, both among the clergy and the laity, has probably never been higher. Moreover, doctrine has been purified and deepened, while teaching has regained much of that breadth and universality, particularly in regard to socio-economic problems, which it tended to lose after the wounds of the Reformation. We would naturally expect world conditions to improve. Far from improving, they grew steadily worse.
OPPOSING FORCES. The Catholic revival in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while accomplishing a tremendous amount of good, was not strong or powerful enough to change the swift direction of events. Within the short space of a quarter of a century the modern world drifted from one titanic war into another and even more terrible and devastating world conflict. The only reasonable explanation for the failure (Continued on Back Cover.)
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