The Unity of Christians: The Vision of Paul Couturier

The Dombes Group The Assumptionists
===Excerpts from 'The Unity of Christians: The Vision of Paul Couturier Barnas, Dom Thaddee, OSB, "XII Paul Couturier and the Monastery of Amay-Chevetogne", in 'A Special Edition of the The Messenger of the Catholic League, October 2003===

The article recounts the story of Fr. Lambert, who wanted to found a monastary of unity for Catholics and Orthodox, in a sincere show of ecumenism. That intent was foiled by the political agendas of a Jesuit priest, Father Michal d'Herbigny, encouraged Fr. Lambert to write a letter to the Pope and expressing his vision. After Fr. Lambert had written the letter, Fr. Michal "edited" it before delivering it himself, and using that opportunity to share his ideas of political deceptions to covertly establish a catholic hierarchy within Russia in the hopes of "harvesting" those Orthodox souls who were already suffering from prosecution within the communist regieme, and who would need a new home once communism ended. Fr. Michal wanted to use the monastary of Amay-Chevetogne to create an army of missionaries against the Russian Orthodox Church. Fr. Lambert was subsecuently exiled for his ecumenical vision. Later Fr. Michal was disgraced and forbidden to go out in the day or to write about anything.

Paul Couturier, who admired Fr. Lambert, arrived to the monastasy shortly after Fr. Lambert had left into exile.

"      After the First World War Dom Lambert Beauduin (Benedictine monk), while teaching theology at the Sant'Anselmo College in Rome, came to know the Christian East through meetings with oriental scholars, bishops and lay people and experienced a kind of "love at first sight".

'Dom Lambert discovered in the Christian East an expression of Christianity which was very close to its biblical and patristic roots..."

Drawing from those experiences he believed Christian unity was a priority and "the idea of a monastic foundation dedicated to drawing Christians together slowly took shape in his mind." (p 2)

A Monastic Work for Church Unity

Dom Lambert vision of the "Monks of Unity""...(they) were to be strongly attached to the Catholic Roman Church and have a spirit of great loyalty towards her, they were to be well acquainted with the Eastern Christian world, through the liturgy, through the study of the Church Fathers, and of Eastern Christian cultures; they were to make people aware of the way Eastern Christians think, and foster an understanding and liking for it...to be true monks..."

Through the intervention of an influential Jesuit, Father Michal d'Herbigny, Beauduin submitted a memorandum to Pope Pius XI, suggesting that a monastery be founded for the work of Christian unity.

"..but a number of important changes had been made to Beauduin's initial scheme..""...the papal letter turned out to be not quite what Dom Lambert had had in mind. Somewhere along the way, the aim of the new monastery was not to be Christian Unity in general, but only Catholic relations with Russia. The shift in emphasis was the work of an influential churchman who had his own plans for the new monastery." (pp 2-3)

Father Michel d'Herbigny's, SJ opposing vision to convert Russia to Catholicism..."D'Herbigny saw the Catholics of Russia basically as competitors for the Orthodox. History would later demonstrate how tragic this conception was..." (p 5)Having had taken an interest in Russia through the suggestion of Father Paul Pierling, SJ; d'Herbigny contemplated strategies for the conversion of Russia to Catholicism, to revive a Catholic hierarchy. Following an exploratory trip in October of 1925 using a false identity protected by the French foreign service, he used his influence in the Roman Curia under Pius XI, managing to convince Pius XI to make him a bishop with full authority to choose and secretly consecrate a number of Bishops in Russia.

"By the time the Monks of Amay began their community life in late 1925, they were already under pressure to enter into d'Herbigny's 'army of missionaries against the Russian Orthodox Church." (p 5)

March 1926 d'Herbigny had been consecrated bishop by the Papal Nuncio in Berlin, Eugenio Pacelli (later to become Pius XII) and then in strict secrecy, consecrated 3 bishops within Russia, and later a 4th bishop.

Dom Lambert Beauduin, founder of Amay-Chevetogne, was tried and condemned for his "errors". Sentenced to exile for 20 years.

Bishop d'Herbigny was relieved of all his duties in Rome in 1933. "....He had suddenly become a kind of non-person. The real reasons for his downfall will not be known with any certainity until the full archives of the reign of Pius XI are opened to historians. (4)"

NOTE: An article regarding the far reaching fall out from Bishop d'Herbigny's plan:

http://secondexodus.mobi/russia/

Biographers Loonbeek and Mortiau concluded that Beaduin's downfall:

'He had the gift of making friends. Not that he ever had the slightest intention of enticing anyone to accept his way of thinking!..." (p. 6 )

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Dom Lambert Beauduin (1873-1960), En Calcat, Jesuit Father Michel d'Herbigny, Pope Pius XI; Papal letter Equidem Verba, March 21, 1924,

Paul Couturier, Monastery of Amay-Chevetogne, Dom Thaddee Barnas OSB, 1932,

Excerpts from A Special Edition of the 'The Messenger' of the Catholic League October 2003

Barnas, Dom Thaddee OSB, Paul Couturier and the Monastery of Amay-Chevetogne; The Unity of Christians: The Vision of Paul Couturier, Special Ed. The Messenger of the Catholic League, XII, October 2003