Eleven Brave Priests – Folha de S. Paulo, April 15, 1973
by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
About a month and a half ago, the Chilean TFP published in this newspaper a manifesto that, with dignity and courage, showed how the victorious advance of progressivism within the Chilean hierarchy, clergy, and laity led to the establishment and consolidation of the Marxist regime. The Church’s self-demolition process—to use a now-famous expression of Paul VI—extended from the spiritual to the temporal sphere and has been causing the country’s demolition.
The document made such a general and profound impression on us that it is likely to remain in the memory of all readers.
While commenting on the pronouncement by my brilliant Chilean friends, I promised to inform readers of the repercussions of that document in Chile in due course. I am fulfilling that promise today, 45 days after its publication in Santiago. Naturally, my source is the Chilean TFP itself.
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The hierarchy’s attitude was regrettable.
Shortly after the manifesto’s publication, its signatories received two telegrams in quick succession, summoning them to appear before the Chancery. One signatory, Attorney Andrés Lecaros, appeared and was received by Bishop Carlos Oviedo, President of the Chilean Bishops Conference. The discussion began immediately, with the prelate being harsh and Mr. Lecaros respectful yet firm. It ended with Bishop Oviedo’s statement that it is impossible to dialogue with the TFP because it is too intransigent. As if the communist leaders, with whom Bishop Oviedo and others like him maintain lively and pleasant dialogue all over the world, were not intransigent!
And so it was that the Chilean Bishops’ Conference’s reaction to a manifesto of such high caliber and far-reaching repercussions remained behind closed doors!
However, in honor of the clergy and for the joy of our Catholic hearts, many brave priests voiced their support for the Chilean TFP. Here are excerpts from their letters:
After stating that he had read the TFP manifesto with great interest, Fr. Guilhermo Varas A., of Santiago (writing in the newspapers Tribuna and La Tercera de la Hora on April 7, 1973), continues:
“It is very sad to note, and you do so with abundant documentation, that Marxists have been able to take full advantage of the often weak, vacillating, or erroneous attitudes of certain priests to consolidate their domination of our homeland.
“What you have expressed [in your manifesto] … sheds a light of certainty on countless Chileans struggling amid error and confusion.
“I believe that many sectors interested in sowing confusion will prefer to remain prudently silent. What other attitude could they adopt when the facts presented and the assessments made are not only public knowledge but also a faithful expression of what our Holy Mother Church teaches?”
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Fr. Raymundo Arancibia S., of Santiago (La Tercera de la Hora, April 11, 1973), affirms that the TFP manifesto harshly criticizes the actions of churchmen in recent times. He writes:
“We Christians, especially priests, suffer deeply when such publications become necessary, simply because they cast the hierarchy, the common mother of all the faithful, in a negative light. …
“However, I am not one of those who reject all criticism a priori or consider it always irreverent or sinful. There are undoubtedly different types of criticism: that which is motivated by hatred or a simple desire to find fault with everything, and that which calmly analyzes the facts, draws appropriate conclusions, discerns responsibilities, and seeks remedies to cure the evil.
“The criticism you offer falls into the second type, because you do not criticize out of hatred but out of love for the Church. With respectful language, you point out what has occurred, identify the causes, draw logical conclusions, and propose constructive solutions. …
“It is astonishing that many priests interested in the fate of workers have sought solutions to these problems [the social question] precisely in a doctrine condemned by the Church as intrinsically perverse, as if the Encyclicals did not contain the best and most Christian solutions.
“This weak and indecisive attitude in the face of the advance of Marxist errors; the doctrine, shamelessly upheld by many ministers of God, that one can be a good Christian and a Marxist at the same time; and the policy of extending a hand that advocates frank collaboration with communists, all of which occurred without anyone stopping such excesses, have resulted in this weakness and indifference among Catholics in the face of this scourge and have created a “climate” conducive to the enthronement of Marxism in Chile, leading it into chaos.
“You are quite right to protest against these events, and it is perfectly logical that you should reach the conclusion you have reached in your leaflet. …
“May God continue to help you in the work you undertake with such zeal and sacrifice.”
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Fathers Francisco Ramirez, parish priest of San Agustín; José Garcia, auxiliary pastor; Benedito Guines; and Luis Toledo Sch., parish priest of the suburb of Carlos Mahns Tomé, all from Concepción, write in the city’s daily El Sur on April 10, 1973:
“We feel it is our duty to express our public support and our most sincere applause for the position your entity took in the manifesto titled ‘The Church’s Self-demolition, a Factor in the Demolition of Chile.’
“In view of the attitude adopted by a large part of the clergy toward the process of communization descending like a ‘procella tenebrarum’ on our homeland, we can only express our repudiation of the silence and complicity they have embraced. We agree with you that this attitude reflects the serious crisis in which the Catholic Church finds itself, a crisis that Paul VI himself described as a process of the Church’s self-destruction, and that, therefore, the clergy in Chile bears a serious responsibility for this process. Not wishing to incur the same omission, we support your statement, as it is in complete agreement with the most genuine teachings of our Holy Mother Church.”
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Fathers Arturo Fuentes T., chaplain of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Bernardo Lobos M., professor at Liceo II de Hombres in Concepción, write in La Tercera de La Hora on April 9, 1973:
“We fully agree with your view of the Chilean reality.”
“By considering the silence and, in some cases, the collaboration of the clergy as among the most important factors in the process of communization in which our beloved homeland is sinking, you treat the problem with the utmost seriousness, presenting incontrovertible facts in a completely respectful manner.
“It is a great joy for us, as priests, to see that at this critical moment in the life of the Church and our country, laypeople are defending the most genuine principles of their religion, while those who should be are remaining silent.”
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Fathers Reinaldo Durán Ch., parish priest of San Rosendo; Francisco J. Valenzuela, parish priest of Lirquén, and Francisco Veloso C., parish priest of San Juan de la Mata, write in Tribuna de Santiago on April 11, 1973:
“We cannot but agree and offer our warm support to the [TFP] protesters, who cite facts in the public domain, which are therefore indisputable. These facts or omissions have scandalized and confused the faithful. As a result, Marxism, the enemy of Catholicism, has been strengthened.
“We do not want our silence to be interpreted as approval of Marxism, which has been formally condemned in many papal encyclicals. That is why we are making this applause public.
“May these lines encourage you to continue in this just struggle.”
