Diana Carey

4-23-2020
SAP #7/8: “Letter to My Superiors”

1. Henri de Lubac thinks that there’s a big problem when he writes this letter in 1941: the state
of Church. That state is “distress” (428). He believes that Hitler’s Germany is waging an “anti-
Christian revolution” against the world (429). Nazi policies are destroying Catholicism across
Europe. They are closing religious schools, getting rid of Catholic organizations, and censoring
Theology academics and Catholic press (430). Lubac argues that the rigorous Nationalism and
worship of the state is “contrary to Catholic doctrine” and being bolstered by the silence of the
French (432), he says that economic collaboration is becoming political collaboration (431). He
also disavows the Nazis campaigns of anti-Semitism that they are promoting through “the
press, pictures. cinema” (432). Pastors were silenced and not able to warn, inform, or
disseminate any information to their congregants (433). Lubac laments that “our souls are
being undermined by propaganda in a thousand forms” (435). Most importantly, Lubac
questions about Catholic complacency regarding the rampant anti-Semitism. “What right will
we have to complain tomorrow if we accommodate everything today?” (437).

2. In his letter, Henri de Lubac is incredibly alarmed at the state of suppression and censorship
that France has allowed the Nazis to put in place. He believes that Christians need to “look
danger in the face” and fight back against the Nazis. The spread of Nazism goes directly against
everything that Catholicism stands for. The intense fascist nationalism creates the idea that the
state is the most important entity, not God. This cult of state goes against Catholic teaching.
Also going against Catholic teaching is anti-Semitism and the Nazi’s arbitrary, unjust laws that
go along with it. The Church is also suffering because of subjugation from the Nazis in the form
of censoring. The most important part of Lubac’s letter is when he questions the Catholic’s
complacency in the systems of Nazi power. While the Nazis are doing their best to put vigilance
to sleep, Lubac argues that we are responsible to be aware of the Nazi policies and act against
them.

3. How does this apply to Francisco Franco’s fascist regime in Spain? What does anti-Nazi action
look like to Lubac? He is writing about how Nazi policies suppress the Catholic’s ability to
express their religion and speech, does the same right to information and individual freedom
apply to those subjugated by Catholic regimes?