LE CORRESPONDANT. - French Catholic periodical, published from 1829 as a weekly, then biweekly until 1831. From 1843 it was published in the form of a review. As the organ of the liberal Catholics, its chief purpose was to harmonize Catholicism with the aspirations of contemporary society and especially with the exercise of political liberties.
In 1855 it was barely surviving under the direction of Charles Lenormant; Count de Montalembert undertook to revive it with the help of illustrious collaborators, such as Dupanloup, Falloux, Albert de Broglie, Augustin Cochin, in order to set it against "L'univers" of Louis Veuillot. Between "L'univers", at that time adhering to the empire, and "Le c." an interminable struggle broke out which reached its paroxysm at the time of the Vatican Council. Having opposed the definition of infallibility, it sincerely submitted after the decision of the Council (1870).
After the war of 1870, the review, successively directed by Léon Lavedan (1876-1904), Étienne Lamy (1905-10), Édouard Trogan (1910-29), enjoyed a real success. Able men and academics lent it their contribution, and courageously fought in defense of religious liberties. Unfortunately, growing material difficulties induced, in Oct. 1933, Count de Luppé, who had taken the reins from 1929, to announce the end of "Le c." and to entrust to the Jesuit review Etudes the task of gathering its legacy. This disappearance was met by Catholics with unanimous regret.
The collection of the review offers a rich selection of articles, chronicles, bulletins, concerning the most varied subjects of theology, history, politics, art and literature; the list of writers who contributed to it represents a considerable portion of the intellectual elite of French Catholicism from 1845 to our own day.
Bibliography
Remigio Kokel