How far might a sincere Catholic go to bring about ‘urgent political changes’? Can he participate in the previously condemned “left,” the socialist or Communist movements? These are often the ones most actively promoting “social, political and economic changes.” In answer, the letter continues:

“Today, some Christians are drawn to socialist trends. . . . [acute discernment] will enable Christians to see to what extent they can commit themselves to follow that road. . . . One is obliged to recognize that a variety of legitimate [political] choices are possible.”​—Le Monde, May 15, 1971.

The left-wing Italian newspapers, Stampa and Avanti, noted from this that Pope Paul now allowed Catholics to cooperate with certain forms of socialism. Gabriel Matagrin, bishop of Grenoble, France, went still farther, stating: “Nowhere does the letter state that it is impossible for a Christian to be a communist or for a communist to be a Christian.”​—Annecy Catholique, October 1971.

Does this report from United Press International “astonish” you?

“In Latin America the Roman Catholic Church is something unto itself. And in much of it, radical Catholicism and Castro-style Communism go hand in hand under the slogan: ‘Viva Christ. Viva Marx.’ . . . Theirs are not the plaster saints of traditional Catholic piety, but angry flesh and blood figures of the recent past​—Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and the Rev. Camilo Torres, a Colombia guerrilla priest.”​—The Jersey Journal, April 20, 1973.