Hamish Fraser on Social Modernism 1975

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“Throughout the whole of his reign Pope Pius XI was obsessed with the problem of combating social modernism (i.e. the phenomenon of Catholics who unquestioningly accepted the Church’s teaching on faith and morals but preferred a social ideology grounded in the teachings of Adam Smith or Karl Marx rather than in the social teachings of the Pontifical Magisterium)”.

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This editorial appeared in the magazine Approaches published by the crusading Scottish ex-communist Hamish Fraser. He fought long and hard to show the bankruptcy of modernity in both its right and left-wing manifestations. He was seriously annoyed by the post-conciliar flight from Catholic Social Teaching. Untroubled by sede vacantist leanings he had a very dim view of poor old Paul VI’s prudential judgment. I think more can be salvaged from Integral Humanism than Mr Fraser suggests but there is much in what he says.