¶6 In this case, there would be an advantage, although it is not of absolute necessity, in the elite in formation being able to find a point of support in a Western organisation already having an effective existence; and it seems indeed that there is now in the West only a single organisation that possesses a traditional character, and that preserves a doctrine capable of providing an appropriate basis for the work in question: it is the Catholic Church.1 It would suffice to restore to its doctrine, without changing anything in the religious form under which it presents itself outwardly, the profound sense that it really has in itself, but of which its present representatives appear no longer to be conscious, any more than of its essential unity with the other traditional forms;2 the two things, moreover, are inseparable from one another. This would be the realisation of Catholicism in the true sense of the word, which, etymologically, expresses the idea of ‘universality’, a fact somewhat too much forgotten by those who would like to make it only the exclusive designation of a special and purely Western form, without any effective link with the other traditions;3 and one can say that, in the present state of things, Catholicism has only a virtual existence, since we do not actually find in it the consciousness of universality;4 but it is none the less true that the existence of an organisation that bears such a name is the indication of a possible basis for a restoration of the traditional spirit in its complete acceptation, and this all the more so because, in the Middle Ages, it already served as a support for this spirit in the Western world.5 It would therefore be, in sum, only a reconstitution of what existed before the modern deviation, with the adaptations necessary to the conditions of another epoch; and, if some are astonished by this or protest against such an idea, it is because they are themselves, unknown to themselves and perhaps against their will, imbued with the modern spirit to the point of having completely lost the sense of a tradition of which they retain only the husk.6 It would be important to know whether the formalism of the ‘letter’, which is still one of the varieties of ‘materialism’ as we have understood it above, has definitively stifled spirituality, or whether the latter is only temporarily obscured and can still awaken within the bosom of the existing organisation;7 but only the course of events will make it possible to determine this.
Summary
Guénon suggests that a Western organisation with a traditional character could serve as a point of support for the forming elite, and the only such organisation appears to be the Catholic Church. It would suffice to restore to its doctrine the profound sense it truly possesses, without altering its outward religious form, and to recognise its essential unity with other traditions, thereby realising Catholicism in its etymological sense of universality. At present, Catholicism has only a virtual existence, lacking this consciousness of universality, but its organisation offers a possible basis for restoring the traditional spirit, as it did in the Middle Ages. This would be a reconstitution of what existed before the modern deviation, adapted to new conditions; those who are surprised have lost the sense of tradition while retaining only its husk. The question is whether the formalism of the ‘letter’ has definitively stifled spirituality or whether it may awaken within the existing organisation, which only events will reveal.
General notes
- l’Église catholique comme seule organisation traditionnelle en Occident — Rendered as ‘the Catholic Church as the only traditional organisation in the West’. Guénon identifies the Catholic Church as the only Western institution still endowed with a truly traditional character. Although degraded, it preserves a doctrine that can serve as a basis for restoration. ↩︎
- restituer le sens profond de la doctrine catholique — Rendered as ‘restore the profound sense of Catholic doctrine’. Guénon proposes an inner restoration of Catholic doctrine: it is not a question of changing the exterior forms, but of rediscovering the esoteric and metaphysical sense that is at the origin of the Christian tradition, a sense that the present representatives of the Church have lost. ↩︎
- catholicisme = universalité — Rendered as ‘Catholicism = universality’. Guénon emphasises the etymology of the word ‘Catholicism’ (from the Greek katholikos, ‘universal’). An authentic Catholicism cannot be an exclusivist sect; it must recognise its fundamental unity with the other traditions (Hindu, Islamic, etc.). Those who make it an exclusive designation betray the very meaning of the word. ↩︎
- le Catholicisme n’a qu’une existence virtuelle — Rendered as ‘Catholicism has only a virtual existence’. Guénon affirms that present-day Catholicism lives only in a virtual manner: its exterior forms subsist, but the consciousness of its universality (that is to say, of its link with the other traditions) has disappeared. It is no longer fully realised. ↩︎
- l’Église catholique comme base historique de la tradition occidentale — Rendered as ‘the Catholic Church as historical basis of Western tradition’. Guénon recalls that the Catholic Church was, in the Middle Ages, the support of the traditional spirit in the West. It could therefore, in principle, become so again. ↩︎
- opposition des traditionalistes superficiels — Rendered as ‘opposition of superficial traditionalists’. Guénon anticipates the criticisms of conservative Catholics: they will oppose this idea because they are themselves impregnated with the modern spirit (formalism, exclusivism) and retain of tradition only the exterior ‘husk’, not the profound sense. ↩︎
- formalisme de la lettre comme matérialisme — Rendered as ‘formalism of the letter as materialism’. Guénon identifies religious formalism (attachment to the letter of texts and rites without inner understanding) as a form of materialism. The question is whether this formalism has definitively killed Catholic spirituality, or whether it can still awaken. ↩︎