social lectures - more

From the left to the right: Fr. Jules du Sacré Coeur (Franciscain), Léon Harmel, Mr. de Palomero after the audience with Leo XIII. on January 22, 1897.

In a recent book Pierre Pierrard states that Fr. Dehon "perceived with a particular acuity the mutations of French society -- especially the ascent of the workers' class.... Fascinated by 'Rerum Novarum' Leo Dehon again and again refers to this encyclical in order to compile a real social doctrine, a pastoral practice and a Christian plan for society and men. For this dynamic the title of the 1900 published book 'The Christian Social Renewal' is quite characteristic." (Pierre Pierrard, Ces chrétiens qui ont fait le siècle, Paris 1999).

In his lectures we meet Dehon as the sociologist who describes the current situation of society on the basis of innumerable data. We meet him as the apologetic historian, to whom the whole of history proves that the church is the motor of civilization and progress. We meet him as the economical anti-Semitic and opponent of masonry. He blames both for the shift of the center of power in society to the stock exchange. We meet him as an opponent of that capitalism which reduces humans to merchandise. Dehon is opposed to socialism, which substitutes the chains of capitalism only by new ones (although he has a certain understanding for those workers, who cede their liberty in order to obtain a piece of bread to survive).

He presents himself as a loyal disciple of Leo XIII in his commitment to Christian democracy, for which the rights of the people to material security and participation in politics are a strict requisite of justice. Dehon urges the clergy to become conscious of their social mission from their early formation on. He calls priests -- after their neglect in the past - to 'go to the people'. In these years Fr. Dehon’s theses and the presentation of the papal teaching receive great applause, not the least from Card. Rampolla and from the Pope himself. 1897/98 is the golden age of Christian Democracy as a part of social Catholicism.