Atheistic communism
Pope Pius XI’s 1937 encyclical Divini Redemptoris, meaning “The Divine Redeemer,” strongly condemns atheistic communism, particularly as represented by Bolshevism. In the encyclical, Pius XI describes communism as “a system full of errors and sophisms” that threatens the foundations of social order. He argues that communist ideology undermines the family and the dignity of work, ultimately challenging the institutions and principles necessary for a stable and orderly society.
https://www.knightsrepublic.com/single-post/pope-pius-xi-encyclical-on-atheistic-communism
These are a few main points:
Communism offers an attractive promise of equality, justice, and fraternity, but that these promises conceal a system that, ultimately denies God, individual freedom, human dignity, private property, and the traditional family.
One of the strongest points is its distinction between legitimate social concerns and the Communist solution to those concerns. Pius XI acknowledges that poverty, exploitation, economic inequality, and poor working conditions are genuine problems. However, he argues that Communism takes advantage of these problems to attract people while promoting a fundamentally materialistic understanding of human life. This is an important part of the argument because it recognizes that movements can gain support by addressing real grievances, even when their proposed solutions may be deeply controversial.
Pius XI argues that reducing human beings and society to material forces leaves no meaningful place for God, the soul, or an existence beyond death. From his Catholic perspective, this is not simply a political disagreement but a fundamental conflict over the nature and purpose of human beings.
Another major concern is individual liberty. The Pope argues that a collectivist system can subordinate the individual to the state or community and thereby weaken personal rights and freedom. He is particularly critical of the rejection of private property and of the possibility that the state could use coercion in the name of collective economic goals. His argument reflects a broader Catholic concern that economic systems should serve the human person rather than treat people merely as instruments of production.
The discussion of marriage and family is also significant. Pius XI argues that Communist ideology threatens the traditional family by transferring responsibilities for children and education from parents to the collective. This reflects the Catholic belief that the family has a natural and moral authority that exists prior to the state.
Historically, the document must also be understood in the context of the 1930s, when the Soviet Union under Stalin was undergoing forced collectivization, rapid industrialization, and severe political repression. Pius XI was writing during a period of intense ideological conflict between communism, fascism, liberal democracy, and traditional religious institutions.
However, we can witness many of the same principles in Canada today that he warned us about almost ninety years ago. So-called economic justice, equal pay, wealth redistribution, attacks on free speech, restrictions on gun ownership, and the erosion of individual freedoms and nuclear families have been advancing since the 1960s and, in many respects, have accelerated since the COVID-19 plandemic in 2020.
During the pandemic, many political and economic leaders described the crisis as an opportunity to pursue a “Great Reset” and to “Build Back Better.” These ideas have been accompanied by an increasingly ambitious zero-carbon agenda, which has become one of the main tools for reshaping the economy and society.
This ideology is also reflected in the views of Canada’s current Prime Minister, Mark Carney, as expressed in his book Values and demonstrated through his work and policies as prime minister.
Now we have a few options: fight back and negotiate or accept. The choice is ultimately ours.
NN, DB
