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In 1885, shortly after arriving at Rennes-le-Château, Bérenger Saunière was temporarily suspended from his priesthood for preaching political sermons from his pulpit – it is well-known from his writings that he was a Traditionalist and Conservative Roman Catholic priest devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, completely opposed to the Republic and its policies aimed at secularising French society. A Leaflet opposing the Republic was issued during the 1885 Elections aimed at church congregations. and members of religious communities  The elections that are due to take place on 4th October are very far from being simply about politics. They are a decisive struggle between Good and Evil, between Life and Death, between Jesus Christ and the Devil. If these elections serve to keep in the hands of the Freemasons the power that they have enjoyed for the past 8 years then they will complete their task; prevent the training of the clergy by means of military law; remove from the clergy their means of susbsistence; destroy religious congregations through extortionate taxation; demoralise our youth and the general public; and, putting it mildly, end Christianity as we know it. This is therefore a very serious time and we must deploy all our resources against the enemy. It must become THE major preoccupation of every one of us. Here is what our spiritual leaders recommend: For those who have the vote: they must vote and, of course, must vote wisely. There is a real duty of conscience, a strict and serious obligation not to abstain from voting: both the Bishops and the provincial councils have made that absolutely clear (1). And anyone who does not vote wisely will incur a terrible responsibility for all the evils that our elected representatives will be guilty of. Just one vote can decide our fates. But those who do not have the vote, the young, Christian women, members of religious communities, what should they do? First of all they must make every effort to enlighten those who do have the vote: to make them understand, at one and the same time with dynamism and with tact, that these elections are the supreme struggle for the religion of our ancestors, for the souls of our children, and for our country, whose safety is jeopardised from all sides. 1) See their various statements in the excellent Catechisme théologique sur les élections, Geneva, Tremblay Edit. 1885, 25 cents postage free. This leaflet has been reviewed by one of our Lord Bishops. Request it from L'Oeuvre de Saint-Paul, 6 rue Cassette, Paris enclosing, if possible, a small donation – or, better still, reprint it. It is also necessary to make a financial contribution to the electoral struggle, as those who have the vote should also do. Cardinal Lavigerie has stated that this would be a meritorious act. It is also necessary – and that which follows applies equally to those who do have the vote – to employ the great power of prayer, of humble, suppliant and constant prayer which raises a storm in Heaven. Let us make recourse to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary; this year the Holy Father has urged us once more to invoke Her name throughout the month of October. Let us also often repeat in the days to come: Parce Domine! Sacred heart of Jesus, pardon us, save us! Furthermore we must, in order to secure divine assistance, avoid anything that displeases God, we must force ourselves to fight against our faults and we must not deny access to the effects of grace. "Our contrition", Pope Leo XIII has told us, "will weaken those who have the power to do us harm not because of their own merits but because of our faithlessness" (Encyclical of 15 February 1879). Finally, to achieve the destruction of all the obstacles that the sins of France place in the way of God's mercy we must lessen His wrath through expiation and penitence. Let us offer God the expiations of Our Lord by the Way of the Cross, by attending Mass, by taking Communion, and by celebrating it to this end. But let us join to these expiations some expiations of our own. Let us practice each day an act of penitence, if it only means kissing the ground; let us perform a complete or mitigated fast on the two Fridays or Saturdays preceding the elections. Someone has suggested that on Saturday 26 we begin a Great Novena with general communion on the 4th October (plenary indulgence of the Rosary). This is an excellent idea – some priests have already promised to say Mass for us. Yes, let us act, pray, make amends, make penitence; and perhaps that day of the 4th October, which is consacrated to the Victorious Queen of the Rosary and which is also the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, will become for us a day of deliverance. Our fate will not be decided until the 18th October if a second vote has to take place. If that is the case then we shall passionately redouble our efforts until that day. Paris – Imprimerie de l'Oeuvre de Saint-Paul, 51 rue de Lille No copyright restrictions Please help spread the word
Published in ‘La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne’, dated October 11, 1885, p. 589-590. The elections of the 4th October have already produced magnificent results: they prove that the Catholic church wants to save itself and that it is undertaking against the enemy a struggle that has every chance of success. But victory is not yet complete. The second round of voting, scheduled for 18th October, must ensure our victory and deliver us from the bitter enemies of Religion and the Fatherland. This is therefore a very serious time and we must deploy all our resources against the enemy. It must become THE major preoccupation of every one of us. Here is what our spiritual leaders recommend: For those who have the vote: they must vote and, of course, must vote wisely. There is a real duty of conscience, a strict and serious obligation not to abstain from voting: both the Bishops and the provincial councils have made that absolutely clear. And anyone who does not vote wisely will incur a terrible responsbility for all the evils that our elected representatives will be guilty of. Just one vote can decide our fates. But those who do not have the vote, the young, Christian women, members of religious communities, what should they do? First of all they must make every effort to enlighten those who do have the vote: to make them understand, at one and the same time with dynamism and with tact, that these elections are the supreme struggle for the religion of our ancestors, for the souls of our children, and for our country, whose safety is jeopardised from all sides. It is also necessary to employ the great power of prayer, of humble, suppliant and constant prayer which raises a storm in Heaven. Let us make recourse to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary; this year the Holy Father has urged us once more to invoke Her name throughout the month of October. Let us also often repeat in the days to come: Parce Domine! Sacred heart of Jesus, pardon us, save us! Furthermore we must, in order to secure divine assistance, avoid anything that displeases God, we must force ourselves to fight against our faults and we must not deny access to the effects of grace. "Our contrition", Pope Leo XIII has told us, "will weaken those who have the power to do us harm". Finally, to achieve the destruction of all the obstacles that the sins of France place in the way of God's mercy we must lessen His wrath through expiation and penitence. Let us offer God the expiations of Our Lord by the Way of the Cross, by attending Mass, by taking Communion, and by celebrating it to this end. But let us join to these expiations some expiations of our own; let us perform a complete or mitigated fast during the week preceding the elections. In particular the Saturday, the eve of the second ballot, seems an ideal day for that. Someone has suggested that on Saturday 10 October we begin a Great Novena. This is an excellent idea. Yes, let us act, pray, make amends, make penitence; and perhaps that day of the 18th October will become for us a day of deliverance. Taken from Les Cahiers de Rennes-le-Château N°2, page 19, (1984) |