Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex

In his encyclical Quadragesimo anno, Pius XI considers the question as to whether the more benign forms of socialism, which had come about since Marxist socialism had been condemned by Leo XIII in Rerum novarum 40 years earlier, could be reconciled with Christianity.  After considering the question from many sides, recognizing that many of the fearful totalitarian aspects had been expunged, and that in many ways it had become more amenable to Catholic social principles, the Pope still had this to say:

Whether considered as a doctrine, or an historical fact, or a movement, Socialism, if it remains truly Socialism, even after it has yielded to truth and justice on the points which we have mentioned, cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth (paragraph 117).

What was its societal concept?  It was one in which the goal of society is considered solely from the perspective of material wealth and one in which the state was ultimately responsible for creating and distributing such wealth.  This contradicts Christian truth because it gravely distorts the meaning of the human person and so damages human dignity.  Pius XI warns that even if more benign forms of socialism do not deny completely the ability for private ownership of property, they still so mistake the nature of the human person and the purpose of society in aiding in the perfection of the human person, that they can never be reconciled with Church teaching.

In fact, he warns about the socialist mentality’s inevitable recourse to “excessive force” and also to the attempt by socialists to use public education to indoctrinate the young to their way of thinking.  To counter this, he emphasizes the importance of Christian based education.

It is amazing how these prognostications of the popes bear themselves out in lived history, sometimes sooner, and sometimes later…but inevitably.  The reason for this, of course, is that the Church is an expert on the human person.

We have all heard about Germany’s assault and persecution of home schoolers.  Here is a story about a German family that is seeking asylum in the U.S. from their government’s persecution.  Socialists in Germany do not recognize the priority of pre-political institutions, especially the family, in the education and formation of children.  In fact, they seem to fear the consequences of allowing families to assume their rightful responsibilities in this matter.  In fact, the German government is employing the tried and true totalitarian approach of condemning such persons as mentally unstable and removing the children from their parents’ care.

Unfortunately, this family has come to the US at a time in which the incoming administration is likely to be more sympathetic to the German government’s ideology than to the rights of this family.  We will see what happens, but I will not be surprised if this family is quickly deported.  Such an action would indicate that those in control of the U.S. government have slid into this same socialist mindset and would imply that such persecution may not be too far off for US home schoolers (for example in Florida). If this happens, one might consider whether US parents who home school ought to start looking for sympathetic governments elsewhere.