From different corners of the world, scholars and political analysts are concurring that democracy, as it was understood by the French Revolution, is reaching the end of its cycle, and preparing to die. To confirm this appraisal is the present-day situation in Latin America, where we have repeatedly seen democracies bring Communist and Marxist presidents to power. To achieve this, enemies of Christian Civilization are taking advantage of the essential flaws of the democratic process.

In this end-of-an-era atmosphere, it seems opportune to remind our readers of the wise teaching of Pope Pius IX when he qualified universal suffrage as madness, a plague and a universal lie. Indeed, in an audience for French pilgrims, he spoke these remarkable - but unfortunately forgotten - words:

I give you my blessing for the difficult but necessary task in which you are engaged, which consists of eliminating or diminishing a great affliction which plagues contemporary society: this is called universal suffrage.

To entrust the decision of momentous issues to the naturally ignorant and passionate multitudes - is this not equivalent to leaving it to chance and running voluntarily toward the abyss? Yes, in this case, universal suffrage would better deserve to be called madness; and when the power of decision lies in the hands of secret societies, as so often happens, we can call it a universal lie.

Pius IX, Address to French Pilgrims on May 5, 1874,
apud J.M. Villefranche, Pio IX,
São Paulo: Ed. Panorama, 1948, pp. 372-373.

Posted January 10, 2008

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