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The Condemnation of the Sillon: An Episode in the History of Christian-Democracy in France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Charles Breunig
Charles Breunig
Affiliation:
Lawrence College
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Extract

Any study of France's political history since the Liberation must inevitably attempt to explain the sudden emergence in 1944 of that somewhat unconventional and ambiguous political grouping known as the Mouvement Républicain Populaire. Almost overnight the new party, despite its obscure origins and unfamiliar program, succeeded in winning the largest bloc of seats in the National Assembly and in the years since the war has provided France with some of her most prominent leaders. Although the M. R. P. has declined in parliamentary strength in recent years, it seems probable that the party of Robert Schuman and Georges Bidault will continue to play an important role in French politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , September 1957 , pp. 227 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1957

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References

1. For a good recent study of this subject, see Williams, Philip, Politics in Postwar France (London, 1954), 77–89.Google Scholar

2. See, for example, Les origines du M. R. P. et sa mission dans la vie politique française (Paris, 1951)Google Scholar, a pamphlet published by the M. H. P. For another brief account of the M. R. P. 's beginnings, see Einaudi, Mario and Goguel, François, Christwn Democracy in Italy and France (Notre Dame, Indiana 1952).Google Scholar The only general treatment of the development of Christian-Democracy in France is so hostile as to be practically worthless: Robert Havard de la Montague, Historie de la démocratie chrétienne de Lamennais à Georges Bidault (Paris, n. d.)Google Scholar

3. Les Origines du M. R. P., 16.

4. On the Sillon, see the present writer's unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Sillon of Marc Sangnier: Christian-Democracy in France (1894–1910) (04, 1953) deposited in the Harvard University Library.Google Scholar See also Dansette, Adrien, “Rejuvenation of French Catholicism: Marc Sanguier's Sillon,” Review of Politics, XV (1953), 34–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar Dansette's article is based on a chapter from his Histoire religieuse de la France contemporaine (Paris, 1951), II.Google Scholar An examination of the circumstances contributing to the suppression of the movement is contained in Nichols, James H., Democracy and the Churches (Philadelphia, 1951), 164–74.Google Scholar The only other publication of any merit on the Sillon is a special issue of the Chronique sociale de France, 60e année (1950) devoted to a collection of ten articles on “Le Cinquantenaire du Sillon.” See also the chapter on the Sillon in Platz, Hermann, Geistige Kämpfe im modernen Frankreich (München, 1922).Google Scholar On Mare Sangnier no biography exists, but see Marc Sangnier: Témoignages rassemblés par les soins de l'office de Publicité Générale, 37, rue de Lille - Paris - 7e et de la Librairie Bloud &Gay, 3, rue Garanciěre - Paris-6e (Paris, 1950).Google Scholar

5. For details on this and other Social Catholic movements at the end of the nineteenth century, see Rollet, Henri, L'Action sociale des catholiques en France (1871–1901) (Paris, n. d.)Google Scholar On Christian-Democratic movements of this era, see Byrnes, Robert F., “The French Christian-Democrats in the 1890's: their Appearance and their Failure,” Catholic Historical Review, XXXVI (1950–1951), 286–306.Google Scholar See also the chapter by the same author, “The Christian Democrats in Modern France” in Edward M. Earle, ed., Modern France; Problems of the Third and Fourth Republics (Princeton, 1951), 153–78.Google Scholar

6. Estimates on the membership vary greatly since no formal adherence to the organization was required. This figure is based on the circulation of the Sillon's journal and periodicals as well as on statements by its leaders.

7. This he did in 1909 and 1910, but on both occasions he was unsuccessful. Sangnier did not enter the Chamber until after World War I. See Sangnier, Marc, Une expérience; La Campagne électorale dans la 4e circonscription de Sceaux, 24 fevrier - 4 avril 1909 (Paris, 1909).Google Scholar

8. Pope, Pius X, “Lettre aux Archevěques et Evêques Français,” Acta Apostolicae Sedis, II, 16 (1910), 607–633.Google Scholar An inadequate translation of the letter appeared in the American Catholic Quarterly, XXXV (1910), 693–711.Google Scholar All translations here are my own.

9. Ibid., 610.

10. The term “confusionnisme politicoreigieux” is used in connection with the Sillon by Folliet, Joseph, “Essai de judgement équitable sur le Sillion” in Chronique sociale de France, 60e année (1950), 126.Google Scholar

11. Pius X, “Lettre…., etc.,” 623.

12. Ibid., 625.

13. Ibid., 626.

14. Ibid., 626.

15. Ibid., 628.

16. See the Sillon's newspaper L'Eveil démocratique, IV (sêr. heb.), 101 (05 29, 1910).Google Scholar

17. Personal interview with Jacques Rödel (Paris, 1951), one of Sangnier's colleagues present at the meeting.

18. L'Action française (Paris), 08 30, 1910.Google Scholar

19. La Lanterne (Paris), 08 31, 1910.Google Scholar

20. The letter appeared in the Sillon's daily newspaper La Démocratie (Paris), 08 31, 1910.Google Scholar

21. Ibid. True to his resolution, Sangnier continued to publish the newspaper La Démocratie adhering to the condition imposed by the Vatican that the paper should “abstain scrupulously from all propaganda in favor of the theories, the principles and the movement censured….” (Letter from Cardinal Merry del Val, papal Secretary of State, reprinted in La Démocratie, 09 11, 1910).Google Scholar In 1922 he founded the “Ligue de la Jeune République,” a new political group that appealed to all “democrats respectful of moral and religious forces.” Although the war put a temporary halt to both these enterprises, they were revived in 1919 and the “Jeune République” is still in existence today. After World War I, Sangnier's energies were devoted to the pacifist movement and in the 1930's he organized the Ligue française pour les Auberges de la jeunesse. He was arrested and imprisoned during World War II for putting the presses of La Démocratie at the disposal of an underground journal. As noted above, he became Honorary President of the M. R. P. after World War II, a post which he held until his death in 1950.

22. Constant, Léonard, Henry du Roure (Paris, n. d.), 111. Letter to Mme. du Boure, 09 3, 1910.Google Scholar

23. Le Sillon, X, 7 (04 10, 1903), 242.Google Scholar

24. See, for example, a speech delivered in 1900 when he announced as the aim of the Sillon's popular education enterprise to “…open the minds of that indeterminate, changing, variable crowd that has too long escaped Catholic influence, but which we have the mission of leading back to Christ.” (Sangnier, Marc, Discours [Paris, 1910], I, 73)Google Scholar. As late as 1904 the goal of the Sillon's study-circles was characterized as,“…the formation of a Catholic elite….” (Almanach du Sillon;…Année 1904 [Paris, n. d.], 17).Google Scholar

25. The successive changes in the title of Le Sillon, the review published by the movement, are significant in this connection. Early in 1905, Le Sillon changed its sub-title from Revue catholique d'action sociale to Revue d'action démocratique.

26. Constant, L. and Guiard, A., Les journées sillonistes de Soisy sur-Ecole (2–8 09 1907) (Paris, 1907), 19.Google Scholar

27. Precisely this sort of comparison was made between statements of the French bishops quoted by Monniot, Albert, “Le Sillon” devant l'épiscopat: 52 consultations de Cardinaux, Archevêques et Evêques (Paris, n. d.)Google Scholar and statements extracted from Le Sillon and Marc Sangnier's works. These were published in a work printed for limited distribution: Le Sillon, Nos Dossiers (n. p. n. d.)

28. La Démocratie (Paris), 08 31, 1910.Google Scholar

29. Barbier, Emmanuel, Les idées du Sillon: Etude critique (Poitiers, n. d. [1905[)Google Scholar; Les erreurs du Sillon (Poitiers, n. d. [1906])Google Scholar; La décadence du Sillon (Nancy, 1908).Google Scholar

30. On the Action Libérale Populaire, see the study by Moon, Parker T., The Labor Problem and the Social Catholic Movement in France (New York, 1921).Google Scholar

31. L'Eveil démocratique, I, 13 (04 1, 1906).Google Scholar

32. Ibid.

33. On the character of the French episcopacy in this era, see Lecanuet, le B. P., La Vie de l'église sous Léon XIII (Paris, 1930).Google Scholar See also Brugerette, J., Le Prêtre français et la société contemporaine (3 vols., Paris, 1938).Google Scholar

34. On this general question, see Vidler, Alec R., The Modernist Movement in the Roman Church (Cambridge, 1934)Google Scholar, passim.

35. Le Temps (Paris), 09 4, 1910.Google Scholar See also Narfon, Julien, “Pie X a-t-il condamné le régime démocratique? in Le Figaro (Paris), 09 4, 1910.Google Scholar

36. For a recent study of this problem, see relevant chapters in Nichols, James H., Democracy and the Churches (Philadelphia, 1951).Google Scholar