“Modus Moriendi” – Folha de S. Paulo, January 18, 1970

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Rome naturally has many seminaries to train priesthood candidates born in the Eternal City. However, it also has other ecclesiastical training institutions for young people from various nations, which is understandable. Indeed, as the seat of the Papacy, Rome is by definition the center of orthodoxy, so bishops from around the world naturally send as many seminarians as possible there to obtain new priests deeply imbued with the spirit of the Church.

It is clear that this tradition, which has value in itself, offers an important benefit. It enables the popes to directly influence many young people from all nations, who will later assume prominent roles in their countries’ Catholic activities through their moral and intellectual growth.

The great Roman ecclesiastical universities have always welcomed students from all continents. Alongside them are buildings designated for seminarians’ residence, usually called colleges. They typically organize students by nationality, so you have the Brazilian College, the American College, the French College, the German College, and so on.

I insist that this system is an invaluable tool for the Papacy to fully carry out its divine mission in the entire Church.

* * *

As one can easily imagine, since 1917, the popes have focused primarily on the colleges of nations oppressed by communism. The students in these colleges are usually young men born into families that resisted the communist regime and managed to find refuge in the free world. This includes young men from behind the Iron Curtain who reached Rome after facing many obstacles and dangers.

The Church expects the most valuable services from these young men: strengthening faith among refugees, infiltrating behind the Iron Curtain, and so on.

For this reason, totalitarian regimes have always attempted to infiltrate spies and agents into such institutions. Just last week, news outlets reported on recently published documents that reveal, on one hand, the infiltration of Nazism into Roman seminaries during the last war, and on the other hand, the infiltration of Stalin’s agents into the Vatican.

Therefore, nothing is more understandable than the Holy See’s extreme concern to protect itself against such infiltration, especially in the colleges of Bolshevik nations.

* * *

In this context, it’s important to evaluate the real significance of the news published by a São Paulo newspaper last week: the Holy See appointed Most Rev. Árpád Fábián as the new director of Rome’s Magyar Institute with the prior “agreement” of the Budapest government. From now on, the rectors of colleges in communist countries will no longer be appointed without the “placet” of their respective governments.

To receive this approval, one must clearly have the support of communists in one’s homeland. The basic requirement for gaining this support is not to be a nuisance to communism. Since communist philosophy and economic and social systems are fundamentally opposed to the Catholic religion and civilization, appointing rectors of those colleges according to the new practice will obviously have long-lasting and frightening effects.

These results are so disastrous that we might initially doubt the news. Unfortunately, however, this doubt is not as strong as it once was during these turbulent and confusing times.

One might even speculate that the Vatican was willing to take such a risk after facing various pressures and threats, aiming to avoid a worse outcome.

But these considerations are beside the point. My goal is not to analyze the attitude of the Holy See, but that of the Hungarian communist government.

* * *

The communists use numerous propaganda tricks to make people believe they are open to a “thaw” in their relations with the Church and are therefore willing to grant her some freedom behind the gloomy Iron Curtain.

This freedom could be managed by a “modus vivendi” in which the Church would simply have to avoid disturbing the communist regime. So think the naive.

How can anyone trust the sincerity of their intentions if the communists’ “long arm” tries to limit the Church’s freedom on this very sensitive matter, even in Rome? If this already happens at the Hungarian College in Rome, so far from Budapest, how can we believe that this or something even worse is not happening in every sacristy and convent across Hungary today?

Given the communists’ intentions, what would a “modus vivendi” with the Church look like? What is a contract where one party, the Church, agrees to fulfill all its obligations, and the other party is dishonest and malicious in every clause?

This is not a modus vivendi; it is a modus moriendi.

May this serve as a warning to the perpetual dreamers of utopian agreements with communists.