Letters to French Social Weeks, 1959-62.


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National Catholic Welfare Conference

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Translations provided by NCWC News Service



Following is a translation of a letter sent on behalf
of His Holiness, Pope John XXIII, by AmletoCardi-
nal Cicognani, Papal Secretary of State, to Alain
Barrere, president of the French Social Week held
at Strasbourg in July, 1962.

The Social Weeks of France are preparing to devote their
next session to a problem of great current interest: “The
Europe of persons and peoples.” And they have judiciously
chosen for this meeting the city of Strasbourg, a point of attrac-
tion as well as a focus for exchanges of a spiritual, cultural,
political and economic nature, making it a privileged crossroads
of Europe.

It is very pleasant for me to express to you the satisfaction
of the Holy Father at seeing the Social Week- -whose teaching is
“so useful and appreciated,” as Pope Pius XI of venerated
memory deigned to recognize(l)- -dealing with this important
subject in the light of Christian principles.

An Achievement Which is Being Built Up Every Day

In fact, despite the difficulties and controversies caused by
the legitimate debates on the institutions to be promoted and the
structures to be constituted, Europe is a reality which is being
built up every day.

As Pope Pius XII said: “Why continue to hesitate? The
purpose is clear. The requirements of the nations are before
everyone’s eyes. One must reply to whoever asks for a guarantee
in advance that there is certainly a risk, but a necessary one;
a risk adapted to present capabilities, a reasonable risk.”(2)

The risk was run and the audacity has had its reward. The
European Coal and Steel Community has already long enjoyed
a positive existence. Not only has it been able to replace old
destructive rivalries with a fruitful friendship between neighbors
who are legitimately proud of their past, but it has carried out,
in an area which extends beyond national boundaries, a social

(1) Quadragesima Anno, A.A.S. XXIII, 1931, p. 183.
(2) Radio Message at Christmas, 1953, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, XLVI 1954, p. 14.

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program which gives employment to the unemployed, brings the
[social and economic] levels of life closer to each other, facili-
tates economic improvement and contributes to peace.

Following it, and in its spirit, a European economic com-
munity has been worked out which is widely open to new partners,
so that Europe is now at the threshold of a new edifice to be
built. Its political organization is a problem which obviously
concerns, above all, those responsible for the temporal order,
but which interests Christians and the Church also.

It is, in fact, a just duty for the former to play their part in
its true solution, for the latter can have important consequences
with respect to the propagation of the Faith. It is therefore in-
cumbent upon the Church, whose nature and mission place it
above the choices and involvements of the temporal world, to
contribute here as elsewhere the moral principles which en-
lighten the action of the responsible men and direct the research
of competent institutions.

Therefore, it is quite proper for the Social Week to judge
that the time has come to reflect upon the objectives to be pur-
sued, upon the attitudes to be adopted and upon the means to be
used by the various communities, and upon the responsibilities
to be assumed by individuals in building Europe.

The Welfare of Europe

What objective is to be followed? Would a unified Europe
have a common interest as is the case in each nation? A common
interest which is not a specific one, shared by such-and-such a
group or such-and-such a social category, but which is defined
by its relation with the ultimate objective of the persons who are
members of the community, of all and of each one?

Beyond any doubt, this European common interest exists; it
must be affirmed and an effort must be made to bring about its
realization. One and universal by its very definition, it must not
bring greater advantage to one country or to one social group to
the detriment of the others. It includes economic elements:
prosperity to be developed harmoniously; social elements:
equilibrium to be maintained, indeed to be restored between the
various categories of citizens; finally, political elements:

a juridical order to be established, promulgated and defended.
But the essence of this common interest is deeper. The

element which constitutes a people, over and above the peculi-
arities of race, language, culture, tradition and religion which

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delimit it, is found and its “collective will to live,” which ex-
presses itself in common ways of thinking, feeling and living.
Is this not the case of Europe, whose economic, social and po-
litical components draw their unifying force from what may be
called the European spirit, based upon the perception of common
spiritual values?

There exists, in fact, a European patrimony which is
humanist and universalist, whose elements appear in each
national culture. Bringing it into play should bring more peace
and fraternity.

One finds there Greek humanism, with its feeling of bal-
ance, of measure and of beauty; the Roman juridical spirit,
giving to each individual his place and his rights in a solidly
constructed political community.

But above all, what has shaped the European soul over
nearly two millennia is Christianity, which has outlined the
traits of the human person, a free being, independent and re-
sponsible. This personalism, which respects the calling of each
individual and insists upon the complementariness of the social
body, is the keystone of the European patrimony and makes all
of its elements intelligible: intellectual and moral, cultural and
artistic wealth, and even technical and scientific progress.

The Work of the Peoples

Therefore, the Europe which is being built will indeed be,
as the Strasbourg Social Week proposes, a “Europe of persons
and peoples,” a living and original reality which is being worked
out of national characteristics. For each of the historical com-
munities which composes Europe is rich in traditions, within
whose framework the political activity of men has developed.

And the states have as their function to guarantee the patri-
mony which composes the wealth of each nation and the capital
of personal and social energies which each fatherland repre-
sents. It is the very basis for a European community, whose
participants will have to define, little by little, the joint institu-
tions which, while insuring the welfare of each community, will
be able to promote the welfare of Europe.

Far from being the exclusive adjunct of governments, the
organization of Europe will thus be the work of the peoples.
Everyone will play his part therein by opening up the broader
ideas and by helping to create an alert public opinion within the
different natural groups. Among these human communities, one

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must emphasize in particular the importance of the intermediate
bodies and of the family.

It is the responsibility of the intermediate bodies of each
nation to form bonds among themselves, in their respective
areas, which make their solidarity genuine. Therefore, the
capability should be reserved for them to make their voices
heard on questions of general interest, as the consultative pro-
cedures of the various European institutions already allow.

That is true for trade union organizations as for the others
of economic and cultural nature, whose sphere of activity must
be recognized. While the task of the public powers is to aid,
coordinate, and also to stimulate, the intermediate bodies have
an irreplaceable role to play, for they constitute the basic
structure of relations among peoples.

The Families: Vital Center

As for the families, it is quite clear that they form the vital
center of the Europe of persons and peoples and that they can-
not be sacrificed for the organization of the European countries.
Therefore, economists will take care first of all to insure the
workers of a guarantee of employment and of an equitable salary,
of adequate social facilities, of appropriate lodgings and of con-
ditions of life which permit everyone to bear his responsibilities
properly as head of a family. And necessary measures must be
taken to help families to preserve their stability amidst con-
stantly more extensive population movements.

The Holy Father recently mentioned this again with force
on the subject of migration problems; “For the migrant, the
family remains an intangible refuge, where he regains strength,
finds himself again and takes energy for a new effort. It is also,
according to the prevailing opinion, his best chance for entry
into the human community. “(3) This primary and irreplaceable
role of the family cannot be neglected by those who are working
to build Europe.

This is to say that the progressive realization of European
unity requires emergence from isolation and narrow nationalism.
This is the only way to constitute a genuine community, the
authentic expression of personal solidarity, not shut in by a

widened circle of egoistic interests, but open to the universal
and higher interests of humanity.

(3) Address to the Supreme Council on Emigration, Oct. 20, 1961, A.A.S., LIII, p. 718.

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So a double movement will infuse this building, according to
the teaching given with precision by His Holiness Pope John
XXlll in the Encyclical Mater ei Magiaira. The European com-
munities will have to remedy progressively the inequalities in
development of their geographic areas and of their sectors of
activity, both agricultural and industrial, not forgetting, however,
the other continents, in whose harmonious growth they will have
an interest.

A Supranational Community

Only the union of minds and hearts in the same faith and
same love will make it possible to realize this supranational
community which is European first of all, but with a worldwide
calling. Therefore Catholics must be in the first rank in this
eminently pacific undertaking.

Doubtless, they will be called upon to take an active part
in the institutions in which God is not explicitly recognized as
the Author and Legislator of the universe.

They will often “meet men who do not have the same con-
cept of life. Let them then take great care to remain true to
themselves and not to accept any compromise which is harmful
to the integrity of religion and morality. But let them also
study with benevolence and equity the positions of others and
let them not think only of their own interests, but collaborate
faithfully in any matter which is good in itself or which can lead
to good. “(4)

They must always remember the statement of Pope Pius
XII which is still so valid. When he was speaking to the Council
of Europe on June 13, 1957, he underscored the close relation-
ships between the Christian message and Europe:

“If it be true," said Pius XII, “that the Christian message
was for [Europe] the yeast deposited in the dough, which worked
it and caused the mass to rise, it is none the less true that this
same message, today as yesterday, remains the most precious
of the values placed in her care; it is capable of preserving
integrity and vigor, with the idea and exercise of the basic
liberties of the human person, the function of the family and
national societies, and of guaranteeing, in a supranational com-
munity, respect for cultural differences, a spirit of conciliation

( 4 ) Mater et Magiatra, A.A.S., LIU, 1961, p. 456-457.

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and collaboration, with an acceptance of the sacrifices which it
implies and the devotion which it requires. "(5)

On this basis, the European construction will succeed, safe-
guarded by the collaboration of men of good will. The Stras-
bourg Social Week, under your enlightened chairmanship and
with the teaching of experienced experts, will contribute its part

in orienting minds towards the building of a broad community
of free men which will guarantee prosperity and peace to its
own and spread them across the world, with complete fidelity
to the highest requirements of the human person.

In your work, you will be led by Archbishop Jean-Julien
Weber, Bishop of Strasbourg, and his distinguished Coadjutor,
Bishop Arthur Elchinger. Surely you could not have found better
guides nor a surer leadership.

Therefore, the Holy Father is invoking upon their excellen-
cies, yourself, your co-workers and all those who are participat-
ing in these European meetings, an abundance of divine grace,
as a token of which he is glad to send you a generous and paternal
apostolic blessing.

Happy to send you these valuable words of encouragement,
I give you my best wishes for the complete success of your work
and assure you of my best wishes in Our Lord.

(5) To the Council of Europe, June 13, 1957, XLIX, p. 632.

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THE PLACE OF YOUTH IN THE ADULT WORLD

The following is a translation of a letter sent on
behalf of His Holiness, Pope John XXlll to the 1961
French Social Week held at Rheims, France by the
Vatican Secretary of State, Domenico Cardinal
Tardini.

For the second time in its history which is already so rich
and fruitful, the traveling university of the Social Weeks will
visit the Champagne region, and the zealous shepherd of the
Archdiocese of Rheims, Archbishop Francois Marty, will wel-
come the lecturers and listeners of this session from July 11
to 16.

On this occasion, the Holy Father is pleased to encourage
once again the patient effort of the French Social Weeks to study
thoroughly the Christian social message. He congratulates its
members on the good work accomplished for so many years in
the service of mankind.

The theme you will discuss this year, “The Entrance of
Youth into the Adult World,” has in itself great importance. It
is, in fact, of great importance that the adult generations should
welcome the rising generations with kind and patient understand-
ing and, above all, with affection. These, in their turn, will be
able to bring to society their own contribution of generosity and
enthusiasm, participating thus in the harmonious development of
the great human family.

This welcome and this contribution are taking place in a
world undergoing constant and rapid transformation. Science and
technology have made spectacular progress which does not fail
to have repercussions on the mind and on morals. Moreover,
for several years since, the aging of the French populace has
given way to a demographic awakening full of promise.

One must rejoice in this new dynamism, due without doubt
to the courageous attitude of the hierarchy and also to the happy
social disposition, to the zeal, of family organizations and, above
all, to the generous fruitfulness of the homes. One cannot deny,
however, that the topic suggested by the Rheims social week is
of special interest and urgency now.

This “Rise of Youth” is an established fact which shows the
moral health of your country. It gives rise, nevertheless, to
difficult problems for the present and for the future.

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The new generations are here. They fnust be given a good
welcome; they must be offered first of all a home capable of
receiving them as fast as the family circle expands; they must
be given also a framework of life which is physically sound and
morally educative. It is hoped that the people responsible for
the “great (social and civic) groups” have thought of this!

Schools must be built, teachers must be recruited and
trained. Every child must be given, along with instruction
proportionate with his capabilities, a complete education which
will arm him for life. This requires the collaboration of all
men of good will and the establishment of a real and lasting
“scholastic peace,” which respects the rights of the Church
and the demands of healthy freedom.

Moreover, every year provisions will have to be made for
the creation of new jobs in great numbers. These steps will not
fail to stimulate the national economy advantageously, to spur
different responsible groups to be bold in investments, in the
discovery of new solutions, in the conquest and expansion of
markets in a Europe with open frontiers.

Happy is the country which is compelled by the laws of life
to renew itself and to make new efforts!

But the principal difficulty does not reside in demographic
and economic questions. It is found, above all, in the juxta-
position of the generations. To tell the truth, there has always
been an inevitable tension between generations. Youth looks
toward the future whereas adults often remain attached to the
past. It is not surprising, therefore, that this phenomenon should
occur more acutely in our times, when children grow in a very
different world from that in which their fathers were trained.

Though the youth of today may seem to be independent, im-
patient, restless, ready to criticize everything and everyone, it
nonetheless nourishes deep within itself a strong desire to act
properly, and it aspires towards a just renewal. It is animated
by a generous urge to work and make sacrifices.

Though experience has matured the wisdom and prudence
of adults, on the one hand, is there not reason to wonder some-
times whether the setbacks and disappointments of life have not
impaired their courage or weakened their enthusiasm for action?

The family home is indeed the first place for this dialogue.
Because of the profound bonds that unite the members of a
family, it is easier for parents than for other people to under-

stand their children, to prepare them also to develop sound
judgment and to make personal decisions. Is it not, in fact, the

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whole art of the educator to help the adolescent to reach the age
of manhood and to form his personality by a progressive control
of himself?

It is sufficient to say that the Christian education given in
the home will strive to make the children develop and to permit
them to live in a way suitable to the spiritual demands of their
times and will invite them to apply to a new way of life the wise
principles they have received with piety.

On the other hand, if there are, alas, young people who hold
aloof from social life, if there are adolescents who become “so-
cial misfits,” is it not because they have, almost in every case,
grown up without a home or in a home where there was no real
love? “The city,” said Pope Pius XI, “is what families and men
who live in it make it, as the body is made up of limbs. ”(1)

Begun in the family, the climb of youth continues outside the
family circle. Here again the initiative rests principally with
adults. Overcoming spontaneous attitudes of defense before the
vigorous thrust of youth, men of position must become con-
sciously aware of their solidarity with the entire human com-
munity.

Far from hoarding jealously a heritage of riches, of tech-
nology, of science, of civilization and wisdom, acquired over the
centuries, they must strive to impart it widely. In this manner,
society will not be content to confine youth to positions of carry-
ing out orders, but will initiate them without delay into responsi-
bilities, entrusting to them progressively a part in the working
out of decisions.

To create posts of employment in sufficient numbers is one
of the first necessities. To make the efforts of imagination, of
research, of prospecting, as is commonly said, to foresee what
the world of the future will be and what functions it will require,
is another, and no less urgent, necessity.

This anticipation will not be based only on present-day local
needs, but will also be inspired by a Christian concept of the
common good which embraces all places and looks toward the
future. Man is, in fact, a part of the different communities to
which he belongs; a mother lives for her children as one genera-
tion lives for the following one. This fact creates choices, re-
quires sacrifices, involves the agreement of a whole community
and particularly the enthusiastic agreement of youth. This is
why youth must be associated with the new orientings of economy
and of institutions.

(1) Encyclical, Caati Connubii, AA..S,, v. 22, p. 664.

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In the same way as there is an apprenticeship to learn a
trade, there is also a preparation for the duties awaiting the
citizens of the future. This follows in great part from personal
observation and reflection. One of the elements, which make
many Catholic youth movements in France woithwhile is pre-
cisely that they know how to bring method to self-education.

Before youth throws itself into action, these movements
teach them to observe, to appreciate behavior, institutions and
situations in terms of the evangelical message. They accustom
youth also to estimate its undertakings in terms of the possibili-
ties of the moment.

The growing generation would not be equipped for life were
it not careful to acquire, in addition to the indispensible apti-

tudes and technical knowledge, a system of thought which lights
its steps and directs its undertakings. Soon it will have to take
part in the conduct of affairs, in the cultural, social, economic
and political activities of the country; in a word, to assume its
responsibilities.

How could it do this without recklessness if it were not
certain of possessing that body of defined truths, offered by the
social doctrine of the Church, which will permit it, when the
time comes, to participate successfully in civic life and even
to solve new problems which will not fail to arise?

Youth will, moreover, strive to develop in itself the valuable
qualities which will facilitate greatly its successful insertion into
the adult world; to learn docility and patience, while at the same
time forming its character, so as to progress beyond the in-
stinctive and sterile opposition of adolescence; to cultivate the
gifts of the mind andofthe heart, to acquire competence, a broad
outlook, perseverance and tenacity, respect for oneself and for
men in the sight of God.

Such is the program which awaits the youth of today and
which will make of them the adults whom the world of the future
will need. “The nation,’* recalled Pope Pius XU, of venerable
memory, “thrives on the fullness of the life of the men who form
it and in which each one,, in his own place and manner, is a per-
son conscious of his own responsibilities and of his own con-
victions. “(2)

On the ^sis of these reflections, how could one fail to state
again that the Church, always faithful to its mission, devotes
immense interest to the development of the history of men and

(2) V. 37, p. 13

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to the variety of their communities? Not only does the Church
rejoice in the rise of youth, but exercises toward them maternal
solicitude, full of understanding and love. In contact with the
changing world and under the pressing action of the Holy Ghost,
the Church overflows with supernatural life. Eternally young
and conquering, the Church contemplates in the light of the di-
vine Word the vocation given to all generations to gather around
Jesus Christ.

She well knows that the divine design entails for men the
duty to form only one Mystical Body in which young and adults,
children and old people, have their place. In this way the whole
of humanity moves through the ages toward God until the end of
the world.

To men who are tempted to forget or to deny human values,
the Church recalls and affirms the true dignity of the person,
intelligent and free, as well as the great importance of social
life, based on truth, on justice and on the brotherly union of all.
But she knows also that there are limits to these values. Lived
by sinful and redeemed men, they must be transformed by the
grace of the Lord so that men may enter one day into the glory
of the Father.

Society expects a great deal, and with good reason, from the
rising generations. For its part, the Church can discern already
among the young those who will be in the future the ministers
or helpers of its apostolate and it rejoices in this.

Speaking, on the feast of Pentecost, after the consecration
of the new Bishops which he performed, the Holy Father re-
called thus this expectation of the Church: “The generations
endowed with rich experience and those which follow them . . .
offer a happy expectation for the good success of the future.

“At the sight of so many young people brimming over with
life, fervor and courage, trained in good morals and in the re-
spect of traditions, a thought comes to Our mind: Why should
there not be kindledinmany of themthe fire which will lead them
to forsake everything so as to dedicate themselves to the priest-
hood, to religious life, to the accomplishment of the works of
mercy, to the immense pastures of the missionary apostolate?
. . . It is Our duty to encourage and to pray, today as yesterday
and always . . . Deus dahit incrementum** (God will give in-
crease). (3)

(3) L’Oaaervatore Romano, May 22-23, 1961.

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It is permitted to hope that the Social Week of Rheims, by
preparing a Christian solution to the problems of the “rise of
youth,” will contribute as its part to assure future society of
the structures and atmosphere in which will be possible the har-
monious development and flourishing of the most noble aspira-
tions of the growing generation for the satisfaction of the Holy
Church and for the great benefit of the national community.

Formulating this wish, the Holy Father grants with all his
heart, to you who are about to discharge for the second time
with zeal and competence your functions as president, to the
members of the hierarchy present and to all the participants in
the Social Week of Rheims, an abundant apostolic blessing as
token of the finest grace.

Accept, Mr. President, together with my personal good
wishes for the success of these important meetings, the assur-
ances of my devoted sentiments in Our Lord.

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ON EXCESSIVE SOCIALIZATION

The following is a translation of a letter sent by
the Vatican Secretary of State, Domenico Cardinal
Tardini, on behalf of His Holiness Pope John XXllI,
to the President of the French Social Weeks. The
letter was read on July 12, 1960 at the opening
session of the 1960 French Social Week, held in
Grenoble, France.

Continuing the tradition of your predecessors, you submitted
a respectful communication to His Holiness following your elec-
tion to the presidency of the Social Weeks of France, together
with the program of your coming Sessions to be held at Grenoble
on the theme “Socialization and the Human Person.”

The Holy Father was touched by this gesture, which bears
witness to the continuity of this institution he has known well
and long.

From the time of his nunciature at Paris, he nourished
cordial relations with Charles Flory, whom you have just suc-
ceeded. In particular, he appreciated the courageous clarity
with which, following the last World War, the Social Weeks han-
dled, under his direction- -with good results and an ever-larger
audience- -a series of especially urgent and delicate problems.

His Holiness takes pleasure in recognizing this and sin-
cerely hopes that the large movement of which you are hence-
forth assuming the chairmanship may pursue its beautiful mission
with growing success.

At Grenoble, where a bishop who is following attentively
the course of social problems is preparing to receive you, sur-
rounded by a select and wideawake group, you are going to discuss
a subject that falls within the

,
framework of a basic aim of the

Social Weeks.
As early as 1937, they were thinking of the “human person

in danger,” and at the close of the second world conflict (1945)
they began to study “social changes and freedom of the indi-
vidual.” The similarity of these titles shows that you know,
when the right time appears, how to direct your research to
analogous problems when they take on a new light.

Your desire to safeguard under all circumstances the dignity
and the welfare of the human person, and to form social struc-
tures based upon it, echoes nicely the teaching of the Sovereign
Pontiff himself.

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“The troubles which are shaking the inner peace of na-
tions," he said in his last Christmas message, “have their
primary origin in the fact that man has been treated almost
exclusively like an instrument, like an article of merchandise,
like a poor gear in a great machine, like a simple unit of pro-
duction. It will only be when the personal dignity of man is
taken as a basis for appreciating him and his activity, that
social conflicts may be allayed, as well as the divergencies,
often deep-rooted, which exist, for example, between employers
and workers. “(1)

This basic principle adapts itself to the changing conditions
of society. In 1937, as we have just recalled, when the Social
Week of Clermont-Ferrand considered the “human person in
danger,” the threat came from the totalitarian governments and
still more from their erroneous philosophy.

State, party, race or people--symbolized by their leader-

-

came to assume prerogatives that belong only to God. In 1945
the perspectives were different: the ruins accumulated by the
war required more urgent rebuilding, and seemed to postpone
to a more distant time the eventual threats of new tyrannies.
People sought the possibilities of new development in trans-
formed structures, and these “social transformations” seemed
to promise a “liberation of the person.” In dealing with this
theme, the Social Week of Toulouse was therefore following
closely the line of your traditions.

The changes that have occurred since mark a development
in the direction ol an ever-wider, ever-deeper socialization.
Not only economic and political structures, but also a whole
network of customs, of ways of life, of spontaneous or legal
institutions envelop the individual, sustain and guide him.

The advantages implicit in this state of affairs, both in the
economic and social order as well as in the cultural domain are
undeniable. Besides developing a sense of cooperation and
solidarity, it permits the concrete satisfaction of social needs
of first importance: for example, the need for housing, medical
care, social security; the need for education, work, leisure.

On the other hand, socialization overemphasizes the bureau-
cratic mechanism, making the legal regulation of human rela-
tionships ever more detailed in all sectors of life in society, and
it uses methods that incur a serious risk of what is characterized
today in one word: “dehumanization.” Modern man sees that

(1) Acta Apoatolicae Sedia, LII, I960; p. 29.

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the sphere in which he can think for himself, act on his own
initiative, exercise his responsibilities, and affirm andenrichen
his personality is in many cases restricted to an excessive
degree.

Does it follow that the process of socialization is impossible
to control and that, increasing constantly in breadth arid depth,
it will one day surely reduce men to the role of automatons?
Certainly not. For socialization is not the result of forces of
nature acting according to a determinism that cannot be changed.
It is the work of man, of a free being, conscious of, and responsi-
ble for, his acts. Therefore, on the one hand, one ought to be
able to profit from its advantages, but on the other, one ought to
know how to defend the person against the serious threats that
its excessive and disorderly development could bring to weigh
upon him.

An important principle quite familiar to the regular mem-
bers of the Social Weeks is that which gives to the state, in this
area, a function we have agreed to call “supplemental” or “sub-
sidiary.” Pius XI, in the encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, stated
it in these terms:

“Just as one cannot take away from individuals and transfer
to the community the tasks they are capable of accomplishing by
themselves, thus it would also be an injustice- -and at the same
time a harmful disturbance of the social order- -if one were to
remove from groups of lower rank functions they can exercise
themselves and entrust them to a wider collectivity of higher
rank. The natural objective of any intervention in social matters
is to assist the members of the social body and not to destroy or
absorb them.” (2)

One sees the role that can be played in this perspective, for
the purpose of safeguarding the frightful autonomy of the (human)
person and the family, by the “intermediate bodies,” as they are
often called, i.e., those forms of free and spontaneous associa-
tions, well ordered and well oriented, so often advised by the
sovereign pontiffs and so constantly invoked by the Social Weeks.

By taking charge of tasks too weighty or too complex for the
individual and the family to handle alone, these groups liberate

new individual or collective capabilities.
But this is to be done on the condition that each of these

institutions remains within its own sphere of responsibility, that
it be offered to, not imposed upon, the free choice of mankind.

(2) A.A.S., XXIII, 1931, p. 203.

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They must under no circumstances look upon themselves as an
end, making their members an instrument of their activity.

Speaking of the trade unions- -which one may consider as
“intermediate bodies” --Pius XI expressed this wise warning:
“If the union as such, through political and economic develop-
ment were one day to exercise a kind of ownership or right by
virtue of which it freely controlled the worker [. • ] , the very
idea of a union, which is to unite for the purpose of mutual aid
and defense, would be changed and destroyed thereby. ”(3)

These remarks apply to all forms of usurped collective
domination. They apply also to the domain of thought. The
means for instructing the public, for counseling it and guiding it,
have made considerable progress, and without a doubt it is a
most valuable acquisition for man to be able to educate himself,
to know or to learn and to be able to form a justifiable opinion
for himself.

Your meeting at Nancy, devoted to “Communication Tech-
niques in Contemporary Civilization,” rightfully emphasized this
in 1955. But it would be a manifest abuse, were this same infor-
mation- -written, auditory or visual- -to become what one calls a
“psychological action,” with the purpose of imposing ready-
made judgments upon the masses. In that case, the “people”
would really become “masses,” according to the vivid distinction
made by Pius Xll in his 1944 Christmas message.

“The people,” said the late Pontiff, “lives from the fullness
of the life of the men who make it up, each of whom, in his place
and in the manner proper to him, is a person conscious of his
own responsibilities and of his own convictions. The mass, on
the other hand, awaits an impulsion from without, an easy play-
thing in the hands of anyone who exploits its instincts and im-
pressions, quick to follow now this flag, now that one.” (4)

These disorders are, alas, too often aided by the fact that
the individual abandons through inertia part of his essential pre-
rogative, that of judging freely after having informed himself
without bias; and this abdication of oneself is at the same time an
error against society and one of the greatest dangers of our time.

Therefore, your next session will render outstanding serv-
ices to its listeners by inviting them to meditate as Christians
upon the multiple aspects of the phenomenon of socialization.
Let them gauge before God the value of these institutions that

(3) A.A.S., XXXVII, 1946, p. 70.
(4) A.A.S.. XXXVII, 1946, p. 13.

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are offered to them, of these pressures that they accept and
suffer.

Indeed, as we have said above, they make living easier, for
they reduce individual effort and increase the well-being of the
collectivity; but for a Christian, the humanism which they bring
cannot suffice; he knows that, according to the words of St.
Paul, man regenerated by grace ought to . .use this world,
as though not using it,”(5)and that he will find true freedom in
proportion as he becomes cognizant of the sublime dignity with
which he has been endowed, as man and as Christian.

It is only then that he will know how to assume the re-
sponsibility for his soul, his thought and his actions, to judge
the facilities and opinions presented to him by collective life by
comparing them with the only necessity, from whose function all
things receive their true value.

Fully conscious of what is at stake, moved by his apostolic
zeal, he then makes a personal engagement with these communi-
ties that surround him, the result of a free and justified choice
of careful thought about himself, his destiny and that of the
world: that is for him- -it must be stated without fear- -a very
useful and up-to-date manner to bear witness in the eyes of men
to the Christian ideal that impels him.

Calling now for the most abundant light upon your work of
the Social Week at Grenoble, where these important themes will
be developed by qualified specialists, the Holy Father sends with
all sincerity to His Excellency Bishop Fougerat, to yourself, to
Alfred Michelin, your zealous vice president, to the faithful
organizers of your Grenoble session and to all members of the
Weeks a full, paternal apostolic benediction.

Please receive, Mr. President, with my cordial best wishes,
the assurance of my religious esteem.

( 5 ) 1 . Cor. 7 , 31 .

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THE RESPONStBILITIES OF CATHOLICS

IN REGARD TO THE PEOPLES OF

UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES

The following is a translation of a letter sent in the
name of His Holiness Pope John XXlll by His
Eminence Domenico Cardinal Tardini, Vatican
Secretary of State on the occasion of the 46th
Social Week held in Angers, France in 1959.

The French Social Weeks have had a tradition for more than
half a century of making a major collective contribution each
year to one of the great human problems which, in the lives of
nations, control social stability, economic progress and civil or
international peace.

This tradition, often encouraged by the Sovereign Pontiffs,
has again this year inspired your choice of topic. Since world
conditions are forcing on everyone’s attention “the advance of
(underdeveloped) peoples in the human community,’’ you have not
been afraid to tackle this broad and delicate question.

Your plan, however, is not to engage in debates of a purely
political character. That is not the province of the Social Weeks.
Yours is a more basic task; to examine lucidly and weigh ac-
curately the responsibilities being created for Catholics today
by insirfficient living standards and too few possibilities for de-
velopment throughout great areas of the world.

To receive your itinerant university and guide its work, you
called on a great bishop whose experience and authority guaran-
teed in advance the integrity and prestige of your discussions.
It was in the exercise of his charity for overseas peoples that
Bishop Henri Chappoulie was called to God. His sacrifice will
surely not have been in vain, and his memory as well as his
example will live in the hearts of those taking part in the Social
Weeks.

To succeed him. His Holiness chose one of his most valued
collaborators. Bishop Henri Veuillot, whose experience during
most of the past 10 years of working closely with the Sovereign
Pontiff and in his immediate service has providentially prepared
him to confront the serious problems that concern you. You
will undoubtedly find in him an enlightened and competent guide,
quite capable of giving a useful direction to your work.

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Finally, I am happy to assure you, Mr. President, of the
most pateiiial encouragement of the Sovereign Pontiff. After
having frequently honored the Social Weeks of France with his
presence as Apostolic Nuncio- -especially the one held in 1948
in Lyons on a topic similar to this year’s theme- -the Holy
Father today is nappy to ask for an abundance of divine bless-
ings for the important institution whose presidency you are
assuming with so much competence and devotion.

In the tradition of his predecessors, he expects his sons who
are meeting in Angers to inform themselves carefully of the
social teachings of the Church as well as of its directives re-
garding action. He expects them to find in their Christian con-
victions the courage to work toward achievements that are in
conformity with natural law and the lofty precepts of Divine
Revelation.

According to custom, the first discussions of the Social
Weeks will deal with an objective examination of facts. These
will provide a picture of the living conditions of the too many
people who, faced by the advances of other regions of the world,
“become conscious- -sometimes, alas, in revolt--of the scan-
dalous contrast between the well-being of some and the vital
needs of others. “(1)

The tension that results from such a difference in living
standards is often amplified and exploited by treacherous propa-
ganda. Who, then, can oppose the legitimate hopes of millions of
men to be saved, at last, from the permanent threats of famine
and endemic diseases? Who can contest their aspiration to bene-
fit also from better social conditions and the just advancement
of their people in the great family of nations?

Today it is an unquestionable duty of justice and charity
toward men to do everything possible to make sure that these
undernourished people have food, to promote everywhere a more
rational exploitation of the riches of the soil and subsoil for the

benefit of a rapidly growing world population and, at the same
time, to safeguard the social stability of the regions affected by

this economic development.
Simultaneously, it is right to facilitate access to knowledge

and culture for the elites of all countries and races, no less

than to the responsibilities of civic life and, where the need
arises, to the exercise of legitimate political liberties.

(1) Radio message of His Holiness, Feb. 18, 1959, A.A.S., vol. 51, p. 148.

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What man, informed about world affairs and conscious of his
duty, will not see in these truly important tasks a grave obliga-
tion for our generation for which it must be willing to make the
necessary sacrifices?

To be sure, immense efforts have already been made by
official organizations and private initiative, and it is with satis-
faction that we see the men of Christian countries realize their
responsibilities in this regard. But the results that have been
achieved remain out of proportion to the vastness of the needs
and the quickened march of events.

The Church, with its moral authority, encourages this
gesture of human solidarity. It has been taking part in it, more-
over, for a long time through the activities of its missionaries,
who are sent to all continents for the service of souls and who
show in those places how devoted they are to the bodies they
care for and the minds they teach.

In addition, the encyclical Fidei Donum (The Gift of
Faith)- -whose message you want to spread widely--issued a
solemn and clear-sighted pronouncement two years ago in re-
gard to Africa that can be rightfully applied to all peoples at
present on the way toward advancement.

At the same time that it upheld and gave direction to such an
advance, the Church clear-sightedly revealed that the main ob-
stacle to it lies in man himself. Let us listen, then, to the great
voice of Pius Xll who denounced “beneath the expanse of un-
questionable political and economic difficulties” what he called
“a still more serious spiritual and moral misery. ”(2) He de-
nounced, that is to say, a forgetfulness of God and scorn for His
laws involving narrowness of mind, hardness of heart, the lure
of gain and the lack of character to oppose public opinion.

These defects of sin aggravate the inibalance that so pro-
foundly disturbs our humanity, for they prevent the establish-

ment among peoples of an organic collaboration adapted to
present conditions. Christians will apply themselves to combat-
ing these defects in themselves and their surroundings, alive in
their faith and ready, in the words of the same Pontiff, “to go
forward steadfastly, guided by the Spirit of God, in the light of
eternal principles and with an unshakable confidence in His
Divine Providence.” (3)

(2) Radio messages of Pius XII, Christmas, 1950, A.A.S., vol. 43, p. 66.
(3) Ibid., p. 56

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This is the command to action, full of supernatural optimism,
that His Holiness today issues to his sons, because it concerns
them all. If the situation brought about by the advance of peoples
can leave no one indifferent. Catholics all the more, from wher-
ever they may come, face it with the will to provide a Christian
solution to this problem, whose breadth might be discouraging
to narrow minds and whose consequences might frighten cowardly
hearts.

It is necessary to make the Catholics of privileged nations
aware of the new and enlarged dimensions assumed by their
permanent duties of respect for the human person and Christian
charity.

For everyone it is a question of informing himself, revising
his judgments when necessary, correcting his opinions and
responding to the appeals made to him.

But from a few even more is demanded. According to the
recommendation made in the name of Pius Xll, they will per-
sonally apply themselves to works of international scope.

“Entire countries have need of the fraternal and dis-
interested aid of experts and technicians. Let Catholics, there-
fore, collaborate willingly in these great works. By means of
their professional competence allied with their Christian spirit,
they will render irreplaceable services to those countries and,
thanks to them, Christian thought and morality will be a leaven
of civilization in this new world. “(4)

A no less important duty devolves on Catholics who belong
to the peoples who are advancing. The same teachings of the
Church that give a basis to the present tasks of human solidarity
require that they combine with love and loyal service of their
country a spirit of peaceful cooperation with nations capable of
aiding their country without subjugating it to blameworthy
doctrines.

In young nations facing formidable problems of growth-

-

which the achievement of political independence alone cannot
solve- -a clear vision of their true present and future welfare
commands Catholics who take part in public life to make effective
social, cultural and economic progress prevail over the sterile
demands of prestige.

And that is why, in particular, we can hope that the offerings
inspired by an economy based on service and not on egoistic

(4) Letter from the Secretariat of State to the president of the Conference of International
Catholic Organizations, April 8, 1957.

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profit may always be accepted with worthy sentiments by gen-
erous hearts, freed from the narrowness of an exacerbated
nationalism.

In truth it is to the whole human development of a people
that these words of the Holy Father apply:

“In helping elite groups that turn toward it to develop the
cultural potentialities of their nation or race,” he said, “the
Church asks them to carry out their task in a spirit of har-
monious cooperation and with a profound sympathy for other
currents (of thought) that stem from authentic civilizations.

“Is it not at this price alone that the conquests of the mind
are increased and that the spiritual bonds of a fraternal com-
munity of men are forged? ”(5)

Such are the reflections suggested by the theme of the Social
Week at Angers. Faced with the advance of peoples. Catholics,
far from remaining indifferent, rejoice at seeing the circle of
the great human family enlarged. They will strive to create in
it a climate of mutual understanding and trusting mutual aid.
And, taking an active part in the common tasks, they will make
the light of the message of unity and true peace of which they are
the trustees, shine everywhere.

As a pledge of divine assistance for the work of this impor-
tant session, the Holy Father grants with all his heart to his
sons of the Social Weeks, to the Bishop and faithful of Angers,
as well as to yourself, his most fatherly apostolic blessing.

(6) Address to the Congress of Negro Writers and Artists, April 1, 1969, A.A.S,, vol. 51,

p. 260.

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