Article Tools
- Text Size
- Add a comment (0)
- Print-Friendly
- Email this article
What would happen if a country’s medical schools were suddenly shut down and forbidden to reopen? No new doctors would be in training to take the place of those who retired. Medical research for aids, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases would come to a dead stop.
And who would diagnose ailments, perform surgeries, staff emergency rooms? Closing down just this one vital segment of society would have disastrous consequences on a nation’s physical and emotional health.
In more than a few ways, this imaginary scenario can help us understand the state of the church in France during the lifetime of Henri Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire, a farseeing priest and reformer. But in 1802, when he was born, it was France’s spiritual health that was in crisis.
The Revolution of 1789 had ushered in years of chaos that brought a wholesale rejection of all things Catholic and Christian. Churches were closed down and religious orders disbanded. Priests and religious who opposed secularization were martyred or forced to flee. In every corner of society, intellect and reason were enshrined above all else. The new regime went so far as to…
The full article is available to subscribers only
Access all articles, daily meditations and readings, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber. View subscription options.
Special Offer: Two week free web-only trial subscription. Sign up now.
Existing Print & Web-Only Subscribers: Login for full access.
