II-NEW FACE EMERGES IN PARIS

...Father Mario Oliveira...

...ten contenders in the first ballot were sought by the two It is the Portuguese clergy and laity, however, who remaining candidates, in between the two ballots, with have become increasingly critical of the regime...

...And his leaders...

...consider that their religious faith has no bearing on their One of the most striking things about the recent cam- professional or political life...

...Certain details have the wicked (the wicked obviously being the others...

...It is certain that the votes cast for the other allowed to be published or circulated...

...Two priests from Oporto, heirs of de Gaulle...

...Many such eagerness that not only were promises showered were content with the subservient but well-rewarded role on all social classes and categories, but we learned, with offered by Salazar, and then Caetano, to the Church, some surprise, that Giscard had always dreamed of but a growing minority have found the Concordat helping the workers, the aged, the sick, widows, the regime more and more intolerable: in Father Hastings' physically disabled (in spite of the fact that during the words, "privileged bondage...

...based on the executive, participation, etc.-are by no 1972 saw the creation of a number of "Revolutionary means dead...

...We "We call upon all Portuguese Catholics and other must invent a means (which certainly exists in other men of good will to support the new military lead- countries) of allowing everyone to work together...

...In Portugal, the junta has paid from 1962-1967 under de Gaulle and from 1969-1974 lip-service to the ideals of freedom and democracy, but under Pompidou, Giscard d'Estaing is an exceptionally their words have yet to be proved by deeds...

...The Council recommends that d'Estaing at 50.7 percent and Mr...

...As a chaplains to serve those fighting in the colonies...

...and have often been accused of adopting Christians could make to the social and political life of a left-wing stand...

...One exception was an organization of Catholic schoolBut the "joint program of government" elaborated by teachers which voted its concern over the proposed takethe Socialists and Communists, and signed by Marchais over of private schools by the State, contained in the and Mitterand, put the fear into many uncommitted vot- Socialo-Communist "joint program...

...In the recent French elections, it is certain that ChrisOne reason for this silence is that the bishops have tians were actively militant in both camps, and there is been explicit enough in recent months when they have a danger that the bi-polarization which seems endemic intervened in favor of peace and social justice (against to French politics will become yet another factor of divinuclear tests, in favor of conscientious objection, against sion within the Church, whose unity is already straining real-estate speculation, in favor of the strikers in the Lip at the seams...

...he must govern for the good of all...

...Since his return in 1969, Bishop Gomes has been France (font...

...of the faithful...

...And I am reminded of so "Might I suggest that we create in France an authentic many others, all sharing in the Passion of Christ to statute for the opposition, so that it will not be excluded the extent that their suffering was a result of their from its right to speak and act...

...An a Communist prime minister, that he is as patriotic as article published after the first ballot reveals that in the next man and wouldn't dream of receiving orders twenty departements regarded as traditionally Catholic from Moscow, that he believes in individual liberty (he (mainly in the West and East of the country), the left even promised to promulgate a charter of civil freedom, had progressed by 3 percent...

...a Christian should look for in a political program...

...last 11 years he has repeatedly refused such social Since 1963, there appeared the first clandestine groups measures, put forward by the opposition) and that the of and publications by Catholics, denouncing the re- Socialists, and especially the Communists, are the true gime and the colonial wars...

...And a survey carried out as soon as he was elected), that he has no intention of by the Catholic weekly La Vie Catholique among young doing away with private property, etc., Frangois Mitter- practicing Catholics under voting age (from 18 to 21 and was still regarded with suspicion and considered by years) shows that 36 percent of them would have voted many to be the hostage, albeit unwittingly, of Georges for Mitterand on the second ballot...

...Apart from the Indeed, it would seem that it is more and more meanarticle by Bishop Huyghe quoted above, which was of a ingless to study Christians as a class apart...

...Perhaps the best contribution French factory, etc...

...It is also widely known that he was It should be added that the French electoral system sympathetic to the document drawn up in 1972 by the tends to encourage this bi-polarization, with its two suc"Justice and Peace" commission in his diocese (although cessive ballots...

...robbed of their humanity...

...What has disintegrated, however, is the Brigades," which carried out attacks on military ob- coalition inspired and held together by de Gaulle, and jectives, with limited success...

...In spite of vote for the left, the remaining 91 percent voting right his repeated claims to autonomy: that he wouldn't name or center...

...He was violently attacked in a pamphlet inspired by Salazar himself, and exiled shortly after...

...Gaulling de Gaulle, it looked as though Gaullism, as a Faced with this recurring scenario: minorities trying political movement, was at an end...

...Minister of Finance ing to independence...

...to arouse public opinion, the political police arresting Gaullism is a notoriously vague concept, however, and and imprisoning them and the bishops (except for the it is evident that de Gaulle's great ideals-national indetwo honorable exceptions already mentioned) remaining pendence, a strong personal method of government silent, certain Christians opted for revolutionary action...

...I-THE CHURCH TURNS ITS COAT 11 NEW FRCS EMERGES 1N PARIS ALAIN WOODROW Two reports from a Commonweal correspondent PORTUGAL FRANCE "The Passion of Christ, which I have listened to so "In every election, throughout the world, there are often, recounted as a historical event, has taken on a winners and losers...

...And this election is a particularly striking exof a social order founded on truth, justice, free- ample of it...

...Added to which, a recent pian by many after the oil crisis and inflation running survey showed that 31 percent of practicing Catholics at 15-18 percent a year...

...Huyghe, in his diocesan bulletin before the guese nation...

...In France, there are the good and new meaning for me this year...

...Workers) came out publicly in favor of Mitterand, most On the whole, the old visceral fear of a Communist Catholic organizations and newspapers remained either takeover is waning and, except for the final stages of the very discreet about their sympathies or strictly impartial...

...resounding defeat in the first ballot marks the end of the General Spinola's coup has opened a new era where governing coalition, if not of the U.D.R, party itself...

...Republic is not the President of only a part of the French people...

...Other Christians, such as then Georges Pompidou, by means of the Gaullist two university professors Cintra and Moura, formed an U.D.R...

...in the name of fraternity and justice, which read more Francois Mitterand, 10 years older than his rival, is like a Socialist or Communist manifesto than a defense an old-timer on the political stage...

...campaign, there was little anti-Communist demagoguery...

...Francois Mitterand at the laity carry out their rightful tasks freely, with- 49.38 percent of the votes cast, one can say that Gaul out passively waiting for the directives of the is no longer divided into three parts, as in Caesar's time, hierarchy...

...anything is possible...

...We are glad that the dictatorship has been This extract from an article written by the Bishop of overthrown, as this is in the interests of the Portu- Arras, Msgr...

...Already a minister of capitalism...

...14 June 1974: 330...

...With over twelve and a half million votes, Mitterand The first of these quotations is taken from a letter achieved the highest score ever made by the left-wing in sent last Easter to a friend by a Portuguese Catholic France (two million more votes than in the second ballot who has long been a victim of the fascist regime, and against General de Gaulle in 1965...

...natural rights...

...And of course Catholics are first of all men or gram, such as a 40-hour week, retirement at 60, a 1,200- women, young or old, city- or country-dwellers, rich or franc minimum monthly wage, etc., were considered uto- poor, worker or bourgeois...

...Catholic press...

...Another reason is that bishops' po- their country at this moment would be to reread and sition on political matters is clear...

...party...

...record turnout (in spite of the glorious weather which (Continued on page 328) (Continued on page 329) Commonweal: 327 the lack of political freedom and the sending of army wagon is not only premature but irresponsible...

...With the final score of Mr...

...under the Fourth Republic, he stood for President against But if the episcopal conference, as a whole, has shown de Gaulle in 1965 and against Pompidou in 1969...

...parish priest (15.10 percent) who the first time round had supported in the diocese of Oporto, was sent to prison twice for Jacques Chaban-Delmas, the official Gaullist candidate, preaching "pacifist"' sermons...

...ers, especially in the industrial and financial sectors...

...But, in 1972 for having organized a "peace vigil" in a church, paradoxically, just when everybody was busy out-de etc...

...And it was also a who was again imprisoned last November and tortured...

...A recent survey shows that only 9 percent Without the five million Communist votes, the Socialists of the seven million Catholic voters (out of twelve milhad no chance of winning, but the alliance with the lion practicing Catholics: 24 percent of the population) Communist party resembled a kiss of death...

...It is often said that in the first ballot one he did not sign it), condemning the Portuguese wars in votes for a candidate, and in the second one votes against Africa in no uncertain terms...

...for example, refused to serve as military chaplains and Indeed, it was above all the almost four million voters were imprisoned...

...For, a President of the love...

...youngest the nation has had this century...

...paign was the silence of the Church...

...The official intelligent economist who has been compared with the Church's unceremonious leap onto the winning band- bright scholar-technicians found in the entourage of PresCommonweal: 329 ident Kennedy...

...They are general nature, the Catholic hierarchy made no statement increasingly indistinguishable from the population at before the elections, not even to remind Christians of large, for a number of reasons, not least of which is the their duty to vote nor to draw attention to the values identity crisis from which the Church itself is suffering...

...The To sum up, one must admit that it is almost impossible most controversial point of this program, and one which to isolate the "Catholic" vote...

...In become all too real: the scourging, the blows and other countries, elections are a contest...

...Other more rosy points of the pro- goers...

...It was this party (forming the governmenopposition party in 1969 called the "Democratic Elec- tal majority, together with a number of "centrist" formatoral Commission," which included members of the tions, such as Giscard d'Estaing's Independent Republiclandestine Communist Party and certain Catholic Action cans) that chose Chaban-Delmas as its candidate...

...His a leftward trend, this is much less evident in the body big problem, of course, was the Communist party...

...The document was not a candidate...

...Marchais, the general secretary of the French Communist If the leunesse Ouvriere Chretienne (Young Christian party...

...But this proportion is slowly changing...

...which explains why cluding priests and university professors, were arrested everyone suddenly discovered that he was Gaullist...

...The new regime has recognized Valerie Giscard d'Estaing centered his campaign on publicly that the solution to the colonial problem is not the slogan of a new enlarged majority, and it will be military but political, but will its leaders be able, and interesting to see, now that he has been elected, how courageous enough, to achieve a peaceful transition lead- "new" and how "large" it will be...

...We share the desires and hopes of the first ballot of the Presidential election on May 5, goes people, at this time, and pledge our collaboration, to the roots of one of the major problems in French insofar as we are competent, for the construction politics...

...but in two equal halves...

...in Lisbon, 14 people, in- who were the most ardently wooed...

...And when the results are known the I have seen men and women crushed and losers are excommunicated from political life until the broken by violence and treachery, disfigured and following crusade...

...After a brilliant academic career, Giscard drawn up by Bishop Matagrin of Grenoble, which frankly became finance minister in 1962 at the age of 36-the admits the legitimacy of pluralism in the political sphere...

...Politically, he "The Gospel is not neutral," stated the bishops, who considers himself a classic conservative of the neo-capi- went on to give a list of "demands" made by the Gospel, talist and free-enterprise school...

...much more discreet, in public, although the first statement he made was to call for the freedom of the press, usually favors abstention), with 87.78 percent of the which he described as "much more important than a voting population participating...

...In 1972, they pub- meditate upon the parable of the house divided against lished a document at their plenary assembly in Lourdes, itself...

...Valerie Giscard dom, love and peace...

...First of all, who should made Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, leader of the Rad- be regarded as "Catholic": the 80 percent of Frenchmen ical party, switch his allegiance from Mitterand to Gis- who describe themselves as such, the 24 percent of card, was the pledge to nationalize nine major firms and practicing Catholics, the 67 percent of irregular churchtwelve leading banks...

...In France, they insults, the isolation in front of one's persecutors are a crusade...

...ers...

...In 1958, Portuguese friend wrote to me: "Instead of simply turnthe Bishop had written, in a pastoral letter: "Let us be ing its coat, the Church should rather fashion itself a frank, even brutal: the Portuguese corporative system new one, and one that matches the reality of Portuguese serves as a means of depriving the workers of their life which has been unmasked by the military putsch...