Note: During the 19th century, the Catholic Church had a lot of influence on Quebec’s populationPopulation comes from the Latin populus, meaning “the people.” We say population when we talk about a group.... The clergy did not hesitate to express its position during Mass or in the newspapers. According to the following extract, which party did the Church support? Why?
Extract:
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“We hope that our wise advice will be taken by all Catholic voters in the province of Quebec. It is impossible to deny that politics and religion go hand in hand and that the separation of Church and State is both impious and absurd. This is particularly true in the case of a constitutional regime which gives parliament all legislative powers and is a double-edged sword which could be terrible.”
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“This is why it is necessary that all those who have legislative powers be in perfect agreement with the teachings of the Church. This is why it is the duty of all Catholic voters to choose as their representatives, men whose principles are sure and sane.”
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“In theory, we belong to the Conservative Party, a party that has been the defender of social authority. It is enough to say that the Conservative Party is a group that does not have personal interests and ambitions. However, it is a group of men who sincerely profess the same principles of religion and nationality, who maintain their integrity in the traditions of the old Conservative party which can be summarized as an inviolable attachment to the Catholic doctrines and absolute devotion to the national interests of Lower Canada.”
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“Simply put, we want to save both the honor of the fatherland and the freedom of the Church, and our whole program can be summed up in these two words:” Religion and Fatherland.
Source of extract:
Free translation of Le Programme catholique, Le Journal des Trois Rivières, 20 avril 1871.
