Maria Duce (

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for ''With Mary as our Leader'') was a small

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Integrist group active in

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, founded in 1942 by Fr Denis Fahey.

History

Like its founder, Maria Duce was avowedly anti-communist. Through their front organisation, 'Catholic Cinema and Theatre Patrons Association' (CCTPA), they picketed a visit by film star

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

and campaigned against visits by actor

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

and writer/director

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, all of whom they accused of being

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

. Also, like its founder, the group espoused

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

views. The group's principal aim was to embed Catholic doctrine in the legal structure of the Irish state, including recognition of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

as the established church of Ireland, as it had been in Spain until 1931. This latter step had been contemplated during the drafting of

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's 1937

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, but it was ultimately rejected in recognition of the obstacle posed by Ireland's relatively large Protestant minority and due to aspirations for Irish unity and the detrimental effects such a clause would have on the unionist population in

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. It did emphasise the "special position" of the church, with no specific legal entitlements. Though Maria Duce's membership probably did not much exceed one hundred, its monthly journal ''Fiat'' enjoyed a fairly wide circulation in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The movement was not encouraged by the Irish bishops, who viewed its extremism with suspicion and desired not to become associated with Fr. Fahey's writings and statements. It was ordered to change its name by the Church authorities in 1955, a year after Fahey's death, by the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

, John Charles McQuaid (a former pupil of Fahey's and a fellow member of the Holy Ghost Fathers), in order to make it clear that it did not have official Church approval. As Fírinne rish for "truth"it remained in existence until the early 1970s, publishing ''FIAT'' and organising pilgrimages to Fr. Fahey's grave in the belief that he would one day be canonised as a saint. John Ryan, the long time editor of ''

The Irish Catholic ''The Irish Catholic'' is a 40-page Irish weekly newspaper providing news and commentary about the Catholic Church. The newspaper is privately owned by editor-in-chief Garry O’Sullivan, managed by a private limited company and independent of ...

'' Newspaper, was secretary of Maria Duce for a time. The IRA member Sean South (killed in the 1950s border campaign) founded a local branch of Maria Duce in Limerick.''A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800'', D.J. Hickey & J.E. Doherty, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 2003, Pg.452

References

* {{Authority control Fascism in Ireland Politics of the Republic of Ireland History of Catholicism in Ireland Far-right politics in Ireland Catholicism and far-right politics Organizations established in 1945 1945 establishments in Ireland Organizations disestablished in the 1970s 1970s disestablishments in Ireland

History

See also

References