Chapter 11 Religious Liberty

Among all the documents of the Council, it was the schema on religious liberty which led to the most acrimonious discussions.

This is easily explained by the influence of the liberals and the interests taken in this matter by the hereditary enemies of the

church. Now, twenty years later, we see that our fears were not exaggerated when the text was

promulgated as a declaration comprising all the concepts opposed to tradition and to the

teaching of recent popes. How true it is that all false

or ambiguously expressed principles will inevitably reveal their implicit errors.

Later in this chapter, I shall explain how the attacks on Catholic education by the Socialist

Government in France are the logical

consequence of the new definition given to religious liberty by Vatican II.

A little theology will help us towards a proper understanding of the spirit in which this

declaration was drawn up. The initial, and in fact new argument,

was based on the freedom of every man to practice inwardly and outwardly the religion of his

choice on the basis of the dignity of the human person. In this view, liberty is based on dignity, which gives it its raison d'etre.

Man can hold any error whatever in the name of his dignity.

This is putting the cart before the horse.

For whoever clings to error loses his dignity and can no longer build upon it.

Rather, the foundation of liberty is truth, not dignity. The truth will make you free, said our

Lord. What is dignity?

According to Catholic tradition, man derives dignity from his perfection, that is, from

his knowledge of the truth and his acquisition of the good.

Man is worthy of respect in accordance with his intention to obey God, not in accordance

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