Some Aspects of the Editorial Policy of L'Avenir from 16 October 1830 to 15 November 1831

Abstract

In October 1830, following the July Revolution in France, a group of French Catholic priests and laymen began to publish /’Avenir, a daily newspaper with the motto “Dieu et la Liberté”, and with the avowed objective of uniting what were seen as the diametrically opposed principles of liberalism and Catholicism. Taking its stand upon the rights laid down in the Charter to which Louis-Philippe had agreed on his accession, the editorial staff campaigned forfreedom of education, freedom of the press, and the disestablishment of theFrench Church.This work examines selected articles on the themes of the relationshipbetween Church and state, the Church’s struggle to wrest from the state controlof education, and events in Belgium, Poland, Italy, and Ireland. _A criticalanalysis of ideas and language is undertaken, in an attempt to assess and accountfor the influence of a periodical of short duration and with a limited readership.Finally, the journey to Rome of three of the editors, in an attempt to gainthe Pope’s support for their activities, resulting instead in their condemnation inthe papal encyclical Mirari vos of 1832, is considered.