XI. Religion and Country

In view of the above considerations, I believed it my duty to turn, as I did, to His Eminence, Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni, the worthy Prefect of Propaganda Fide, to see how I could provide in a stable way for the needs of so many thousands of emigrants from my diocese. I received the following

answer, which I wish to make public both because it authoritatively confirms what I have been saying and also because, once more, it shows that the Church is a loving and tender mother and indeed has not forgotten, as some people seem to think, to concern herself also with Italy’s far-off children. Also because it brings honor to the great Pontiff who is presently presiding over the Catholic family. Here is part of the document:

Rome, February 5, 1887

Most Reverend Sir,

    I received with great pleasure the letter in which Your Excellency speaks about the Italian emigrants in America.

    I, too, am deeply saddened by the pitiful situation in which they live. The reports to this Sacred Congregation from the Archbishops of New York, New Orleans and the Fathers of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore paint a very bleak picture of their spiritual and religious situation. I do not have to repeat to you, even by way of summary, the dismal reports we have received, because Your Excellency is fully aware of them. However, I would like to emphasize that this Sacred Congregation has not stopped trying to set up Committees of Assistance for our Italian emigrants. Unfortunately, the efforts made so far have not produced satisfactory results.

    Bishop Ireland of St. Paul in the United States of America is presently in Rome. He is fully prepared to help set up a Committee to look after the religious needs as well as the material concerns of the Italian emigrants. We were thinking about the implementation of this project when your very timely letter arrived. I hastened to refer the matter to the Holy Father, who was pleased with your idea and your proposal.

Your brother in the Lord,

Gio. Card. Simeoni, Prefect

I will not go into details on how to provide a less inhuman future for so many hundreds of thousands of Italians.

For the moment, it is enough to know that His Holiness, Leo XIII, in his fatherly concern, has deigned to look favorably on a humble proposal in this regard, and is giving shape to it in his extraordinary mind.

The Church of Jesus Christ, which has sent Gospel workers among the most barbarian peoples and to the most inhospitable lands has, in no way, forgotten and will never forget the mission entrusted to her by God, to evangelize the poor and the workers. She will always look with affection on so many poor people who, in forced isolation, are losing the faith of their fathers and, with that, every Christian and human sentiment.

Where the people are, there the Church is because the Church is the mother, friend, and protectress of the people and for the people will always have a kind word, a smile, a blessing.

Recently, in his Position Paper to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, a distinguished Cardinal, His Eminence Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, defended, with convincing eloquence, the Association known as the Knights of Labor. His paper radiates extraordinary wisdom and charity. I am pleased to mention it at this point not only because in this paper the distinguished author, by his strong defense of the interest of the working class, confirms my thesis, albeit indirectly, but also because he discloses a whole world of fresh ideas touching the needs of modern society, thus opening up new avenues for the work and zeal of the Catholic clergy.

I would like to quote the following passage:

Everyone who carefully meditates on the ways Divine Providence is directing contemporary history will recognize the important role people’s power is playing at present and will have to play in the future. With deep sadness, we see the efforts the Prince of Darkness is making to cause this power to become dangerous for social good, by dragging the masses of the people away from the influence of religion and pushing them down the dangerous road of license and anarchy. Until now, our country has offered an entirely different picture – that of people’s power guided by love for good order, by respect for religion, and by obedience to the authority of law. This is not a democracy of licentiousness and violence but a true democracy that seeks the common good through sound principles and good social order.

To maintain this desirable state of affairs, it is absolutely necessary for religion to continue to keep the people’s affection and, in this way, influence the conduct of the masses. As Cardinal Manning has well said: “In the future, it is not with princes and parliaments, but with the great masses of the people that the Church will have to deal. Whether we like it or not, this is our task, a task that, to be fulfilled, requires of us a new spirit, a new orientation of life and action.” To lose influence over the masses means to lose the entire future. And it is with the heart more than with the mind that must be held on to and guide this immense power for good or for evil. Among all the glorious titles the Church has earned down through history, there is none that, in our day, will bring her greater luster than the title, Friend of the People. No doubt, in our democratic country, it is this title that earns the Catholic Church not only the enthusiastic devotion of millions of her children but also the respect and admiration of all our citizens, whatever their religious affiliation. It is the power of this title that will avert persecution or make it almost impossible and attracts the big heart of the American People to our Holy Church.

Since everyone knows that the great issues of the future are not the issues of war, of trade, or of the economy, but social issues that deal with the betterment of the conditions of the vast popular masses and especially of the working class, it is of critical importance that the Church be always and firmly found on the side of the people, of justice toward the multitudes that make up the human family.

As everyone can see, the Church is bringing about a new, marvelous and consoling reawakening on behalf of the poor and abandoned, and blessed many times over is he who will be able to help her in this religious and social rebirth. This is the time when, as the Apostle tells us, if one member rejoices, all the members rejoice; and if one member suffers, all the other members come together to help.

If the past has been bleak, if, until yesterday, our brothers and sisters were left to themselves over there in the vast plains of America, on the Andes or the Rockies, on the banks of vast lakes in the North, along the Plata, Orinoco, Amazon and Mississippi Rivers, along the shores of the seas and even in the forests, Christian charity and modern civic-mindedness require that we put a stop to a state of affairs that is deplorable and unworthy of a great and generous people.

The challenge I lay down before the mind and heart of the clergy and laity of Italy is great, noble, untried, glorious. There is room for the widow’s mite as well as for the rich man’s offering, for the unassuming work of calmer people as well as for the generous drive of more ardent spirits.

Religion and country: these two supreme aspirations of every noble soul are intertwined. They complement each other in this labor of love, which is the protection of the defenseless, and blend in a wonderful symphony. The ignominious barriers created by hatred and resentment disappear; arms open out in a fraternal embrace; hands shake in a warm sign of love; lips open to smile and kiss; and, all class and party discrimination eliminated, we see in all its Christian splendor the meaning of the expression: “man brother to man” (homo homini frater).

May my words inspire noble works to the glory of God and his Church, for the good of souls, the honor of our country, and the welfare of the poor and the unfortunate. May Italy, sincerely reconciled with the Holy See, emulate its ancient glories and add another imperishable true one settling her far away sons and daughters on the bright paths of civilization and progress.