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The Kingdom of France: The Eldest Daughter of the Church |
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| French Order of the Holy Spirit |
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Since her unification by King Clovis and his holy wife Queen St Clothilde, France has been an important country in the history of Christendom, and one of the most common battlefields in the world's great spiritual struggle. It would be impossible to talk about France without talking about the many miracles and Catholic saints associated with the land. To begin with, the flag of France, that is the true Christian flag of the Catholic monarchy is the fleur-de-lys. The flag has a miraculous history. Prior to his conversion, King Clovis had used a banner displaying three frogs as his flag. Since the days of ancient Egypt this design had been associated with demonic forces, particularly the "triple frog goddess" Hecate. When King Clovis converted to the Catholic Church, an angel came down from Heaven with the French arms changed from the frogs to the fleur-de-lys, the lily being an ancient Christian symbol for purity and the Blessed Virgin. There are other versions of this story, but the miraculous roots of the Kingdom of France were present from the very begining. |
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Another miracle occured when a dove flew down from Heaven bearing the oil which was to be used to anoint France's first Christian monarch. This "Holy Oil of Clovis" was used to anoint every successive traditional Catholic monarch without ever being exhausted. During the French Revolution, the republicans attempted to destroy the oil, but it was saved and later used at the coronation of the last traditional French monarch, King Charles X. It seems that God always had a special role to be played by the Catholic kings of France. In fact, God has intervened on more than one occasion to see to it that France is at least given the clearest opportunity to be a leader in the establishment and expansion of Christendom. |
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It was the blessed Emperor Charlemagne who first restored the Christian Empire that had fallen along with Rome, and who granted the Patrimony of St Peter to the Papacy. There was also Charles Martel who saved Christian Europe from Muslim domination at Tours, King St Louis IX who provided the perfect model of Christian kingship (and who recovered the Crown of Thorns from the east) and St Joan of Arc who was called upon by God to liberate her country and ensure the traditional coronation of the legitimate monarch, King Charles VII. It is important to remember that if it had not been for St Joan, France would have been ruled by England and likely have been forced into Protestantism under Henry VIII along with the rest of his dominion.
However, it is also true that France has, like every other country, also failed to act according to God's wishes. There were corrupt churchmen and monarchs who cared more for personal glory than for the cause of Christianity. However, God always provided the right person for the situation, although He would never force people to follow Him due to the free will given to all humanity. For example, God sent St Joan of Arc to save France from her enemies; the people and the Dauphin listened and the war was won. However, when God sent St Margaret Mary to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart from the palace to every humble home, King Louis XIV did not listen and things grew even worse. |
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When the situation became most critical, God provided rulers of character like King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, yet here the people failed in their duty, forgot their loyalty and were swayed by the anti-Christian revolutionaries. The spread of the so-called "Enlightenment" had also dangerously undermined the Catholic culture of France, leading to an absent nobility, corruption and developing gulf between much of the public and the French monarchy. Again though, there were heroes, and one of the best examples of pious heroism was provided in the counter-revolutionaries of the Vendee, but for every member of the Catholic & Royal Army, there were many more in the republican army. Through all this, it is important to remember that God has never and will never abandon France, no matter how cruel or anti-clerical a republic they may put in power, there will always be a Christian alternative standing ready if only we can win over the hearts of the French people to accept it. |
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There were other attempts at restoration in the 19th Century, none of which were able to succeed in the long run. Yet, France was never without help. Emperor Napoleon III, who though a liberal became more conservative with time, was married to Empress Eugenie, a very traditional and devout Catholic lady, who influenced the Second French Empire toward such campaigns as the restoration of the Catholic monarchy in Mexico, coming to the defense of the Christian missionaries in Vietnam as well as defending the Papal States from the Italian revolutionaries until the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Talk of restoration resurfaced with the Comte de Chambord, but as he refused to compromise his beliefs about a traditional Catholic monarchy, nothing came of the effort. However, although the ideal has been denied France, at least some measure of improvement and better ideas has been offered by such figures as Charles Maurras and General Charles de Gaulle, who even considered the idea of a restoration briefly and fought hard to preserve the French Empire and her "mission of civilization". God has never left France without hope and the basic tools for a restoration campaign are as present today as they ever were.
The time for such a campaign has never been more urgent. Today, France has the largest Muslim population of any country outside of the Mohammedan world. The fate of Christian France is in just as great a danger from Islam as it was on the fields of Tours in the time of Charles Martel. Then, France was fortunate enough to have a strong Christian king to lead them to victory. Today, there is no king at all and President Jacques Chirac often seems to be the champion of the Muslim world.
That is why, it is now the duty of every loyal Catholic to be their own Charles Martel. We must take up the struggle to reclaim the eldest daughter of the Church, and save the country that once saved the Latin Church. However, we are not to fight this battle with swords and armor, but with prayers, information and an on-going effort to make France more familiar with her Catholic, monarchial roots. This includes exposing the revolution and everything which came from it for the monster it truly was. In short, as with all things, all people & all causes, we must know the Truth, and the Truth will make us free. |
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| Music is "Vive Roi Henri IV" the anthem of The Kingdom of France |
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