CATHOLIC ATTITUDE TO COMMUNISM DEFINED BY BISHOPS

Grey River Argus, 10 April 1948, Page 5

CATHOLIC ATTITUDE TO COMMUNISM DEFINED BY BISHOPS

LONDON, April 8. Declaring that no Catholic can be a Communist and no Communist a Catholic, the Roman Catholic hierarchy of England and Wales issued a statement outlining- a six-point programme “to meet the challenge of Communism.” The programme is as follows: — (1) There can be no solution to this challenge without God. (2) Man’s human rights derive from God and not from the State. (3) Man has the duty to love God and his neighbours. » (.4) Our daily lives must be based on the precept of love for all men throughout the world. (5) Catholics must be apostles of Christian social justice. An obligation. therefore, lies on employers and workers to know the social teaching of the Church and see it put into practice. Social justice demands that working men should receive a wage enabling them to secure the appropriate sustenance for themselves and their families. It also demands that workers should do an honest day’s work.

WORKERS AND UNIONS. (6) We urge Catholic employers and Catholic workers to take an active part in their trade unions, thus helping to infuse Christian spirit in all activities. In order that they may be well informed on the principles of social justice, we appeal to Catholic working men and women to join their diocesan association of Oatholic trades unionists, wherever one is established. The statement surveyed the postwar Communist activity throughout the world and added: “Within the past few days we have witnessed Communist attempts to gain control of Berlin. It is clear from these events that the Communist, in denying God, denies the rights of man and by seeking revolution and anarchy is opposed to the peaceful settlement of world affairs.”