What People are Commenting
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Origin of Evil & Inclusive Capitalism
Quietism & Origin of Evil
I would like to ask about Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J. I found this book at a Catholic library, and it has an imprimatur. However, I have also heard that the original text was at one time suspected of containing Quietist tendencies, even though the version in circulation today was subsequently edited before publication. In light of this history, does Tradition in Action consider the present edition to be acceptable spiritual reading for Catholics, or would you advise against it?
Second, I would appreciate clarification regarding the Catholic understanding of the nature of evil. I have always heard among traditionalists that evil is merely the absence of good, but I now wonder if this narrative is influenced by Quietism. Is evil truly just an absence, or is it a competing force opposed to the good?
Sincerely,
P.C.
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TIA responds:
Dear P.C.,
Thank you for your questions and the consideration they reveal.
As far as we could verify, the book Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade cannot be considered quietist. Its spirituality supposes the active engagement of the faithful when he receives grace and not just a passive reception of it, as Quietism defends.
As for the nature of evil, it is a little simplified to say that evil is an absence of good. This philosophical definition, although strictly true, can easily be interpreted as tolerance of evil.
Evil exists in the world, not because it was created by God, but because Satan rejected the test to which God submitted him, and revolted. From there, he start a total war against God, and dragged one-third of the angels with him to Hell.
Next, Satan tempted Eve and Adam, and they fell into Original Sin. Thus evil entered human nature through sin as it had entered the angelic nature with the revolt. After Original Sin, God cursed the Serpent and established two races: the race of the Virgin and the race of the Serpent, which would fight each other throughout History. This is why evil is present and dynamic in the angelic and human natures, and is one of the driving forces in History.
So, the origin of evil is moral, coming from faults of creatures, and not philosophical, coming from the creation of being. To say that the nature of evil is only philosophical simplifies the entire picture by hiding the action of Satan and his minions.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
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Religious Persecution in China
We can see the persecution increases against Underground Catholics in China.
This article from InfoVaticana reports yet another step in its policy of control over the Catholic Church. Like his predecessors – Benedict (who officially started the process of openness to the Chinese Patriotic Church with his Letter to Chinese Catholics in 2002), and Francis I, Leo goes along with the restrictions which directly violate Catholic doctrine, that there can be no concessions with Communism.
As Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira notes in his landmark work The Church and Communist State, the Impossible Coexistence, the teaching mission of the Church consists not only in teaching the truth but also in condemning error. The Church cannot, therefore, accept a dialogue or supposed “freedom” that entails a renunciation of the effective exercise of her teaching mission.
Keep up your good work. BTW, I support 100% your position on the schism of the SSPX.
M.G
to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party and Socialism
The Chinese Communist Party has taken a new step in its policy of control over the Catholic Church. From now on, priests, bishops, deacons, and religious sisters of the official Church must publicly profess their allegiance to the Party, support the socialist system, and exercise their ministry in accordance with the ideological guidelines set by Beijing.
The new Code of Conduct for Catholic Clerical Personnel, approved by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the so-called Chinese Episcopal Conference—the state-controlled bodies that govern the official Church—were adopted in December 2025, although they were not made public until the end of May this year. The full text has been translated and published by the China Center (China heute), which considers that the provisions have “a clear political imprint” and reflect numerous demands of the party-state.
Far from being limited to establishing disciplinary rules for the clergy, the document makes loyalty to the regime an inseparable requirement of priestly ministry. Catholic ministers must expressly support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, back the socialist system, cooperate with the Government in implementing the State’s religious policy, and contribute to the so-called “sinicization” of Catholicism, the strategy promoted by Xi Jinping to subordinate religions to the political objectives of the regime.
Read more here
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Inclusive Capitalism Is on Its Way
I followed with attention your articles on Inclusive Capitalism, which as you stated, is a new name for Self-Management. Pope Francis encouraged this model to the point that some people are calling it the “Economy of Francis.” It is a new communist system without the name, adding inclusiveness and sustainability, and also taking advantage of Capitalism’s dynamism.
Now, the Civiltà Cattolica, the main magazine of the Jesuits, has put out an article that has the wind in its sails. It counts on a preface of Card. Parolin and the smiles of Leo XIV.
Its rather subtle language shows the Jesuitic way to present things…
Best regards,
G.L.
In an era that seems increasingly marked by the brutal logic of oppression and economic dominance, fortunately there are still those who continue to propose an alternative path, calling for a shift toward a new economy, with paradigms based on people, ethics, trust and cooperation. One such thinker is Elena Beccalli, full professor of the Economics of Financial Intermediaries and rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, author of Per una nuova economia (Milan, Il Sole 24 Ore, 2024, 172 pp., €16.90).
In his Preface, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin identifies the fil rouge that links the various contributions gathered in this book during the third decade of the 21st century, for “the economy cannot do without ethics, as it must carefully attend to ends even before means.” It is therefore a work – Cardinal Parolin emphasizes – that fits well within the context of the Italian school of economic thought: a school that “offers numerous insights to draw upon for a paradigm shift.” …
Turning to the structure of the volume, it brings together 35 articles published by the author in the Italian financial broadsheet Il Sole 24 Ore. These are divided into four parts, each corresponding to a distinct area of research: 1) Ethics, education and inclusion; 2) Social and environmental sustainability, encompassing public policy, finance and reporting; 3) The financial system and biodiversity; 4) Digital technology and artificial intelligence, between risks and opportunities. …
Accurately situating these within often troubling scenarios, she concretely outlines alternative paths, both intellectual and practical, to the concepts and practices that are currently prevalent, if not outright dominant in a monopolistic manner.
Original here
Posted August 4, 2026
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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Re: Sound Therapy by Beethoven
An recent article on sound therapy highlights the influence of the arts. The arts are a means of communication of ideas and the ideas promote action. A rather well-known traditional Bishop who could play the piano said: If you know how to listen to Beethoven you can hear the French Revolution.
In the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia an article states classical music has no place in the Mass as the composers were imbued with the spirit their age. It would seem the spirit of the Enlightenment.
St. Cecilia, pray for us.
Z.I.