Suchergebnisse

A survey is presented of the difficulties which the Christian Party has met since the '20s & the resulting changes in its forms of organization, based on historical documents & writings. Discussions on related problems & suggestions for further reading are included. The survey consists of three parts concerning a decade of Belgian political history & concentrating on the years during & after WWII, the period in which the form of the party was founded & which exists to the present. Modified AA.

Sociological research concerning three Catholic "pillar" organizations (the Catholic school system, the Christian hospitals, & the Catholic U) indicates that secularization is not followed by "depillarization" or weakening of the Catholic pillars. It is suggested that there is a process of secularization within the Catholic organizations, with as main components the development of a sociocultural Christianity (a secular surrogate for church religion) & professionalization by which Christian organizations ensure job security & social advancement for its loyal members. Thanks to its informal ties with the Christian pillar organizations, the Parti Social Chretien (Christian Democrat Party) acts on both components by stressing the specific identity & defining the interests of the pillar organizations. This explanation reveals some major aspects of the ties between Catholics (in the sociological sense) & their party, a bond that is certainly not affected by the secularization process. Modified HA.