Page:French Calvinism, German Lutheranism and the War.pdf/17

- 16 - We are concerned here with a succession of phenomena which almost always has revealed itself in the Calvinistic principle some elemental democratic force

Or again take the political history of Roman Catholicism. It 1s quite true that if you take only isolated periods and if you only examine the history of Catholic Clericalism which is the negation or true Catholicism, you will come to the conclusion that Catholic Clericalism has been favourable to political despotism. But if you take the history of the Roman Catholic Church during the ages you find that in the great crises of history it is the Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Church alone that has been able to break the power of political despotism.

Thus the Medieval Popes fought the might and majesty of the Hohenstaufen.

Thus St. Thomas Beckett fought Henry II.

Thus Sir Thomas More and Cardinal Fisher fought the tyranny of Henry VIII.

Thus the Port Royalists challenged the tyranny of Louis XIV.

Thus Pius VII challenged the tyranny of Napoleon I.