page_title: Bernard de Vésins
section_title: Post World War I
hierarchical_section_title: Bernard de Vésins / Life / Post World War I
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Les fêtes de Jeanne d'Arc à Paris&#160;: Léon Daudet et Maurras, place Saint-Augustin.
context_page_description: Count Bernard de Vésins was a French soldier, essayist, practicing Catholic and right-wing Action Française militant.
  He was hostile to Freemasons, Jews and socialists, whom he considered to be working together in conspiracy to undermine the traditional Catholic values of France.
  In the 1920s he was President of the Ligue d'Action Française during a period when the Catholic Church was disassociating itself from the movement.
context_section_description: In the French legislative elections of 16 November 1919 Bernard de Vésins, president of the League, was defeated in the first district of Paris.
  Major Catholic conferences were organized under the auspices of Cardinal Mercier, starting in the winter of 1921–22.
  Charles Maurras and Bernard de Vesins attended in 1922.
  In late 1922 Georges Valois started working towards creating an Estates General of French Production, a movement that would bring together industrialists and leaders of labour unions to work on solutions to social and economic issues.
  The textile manufacturer Eugène Mathon headed the national committee, which included Valois, Jacques Arthuys, Bernard de Vésins and several others.
  On 5 September 1926 Pope Pius XI wrote to Cardinal Andrieu confirming that the faithful were not free to blindly follow the leaders of the Action Française in matters that regard faith or morals.
  He wrote that their publications included "manifestations of a new religious, moral and social system, for example concerning God, the Incarnation, the Church and, generally, Catholic dogmas and morals, mainly in their necessary relations with politics, which is logically subordinate to morality. In essence, there is evidence in these manifestations of a revival of paganism to which naturalism is attached ... "
  The Ligue d'Action Française at first reacted mildly, and sent a respectful address to Cardinal Andrieu on 8 September signed by its leaders.
  On 16 September Bernard de Vésins, president of the League, sent a letter to the Pope that spoke of submission.
  However, the League did not recognise any wrong other than in detail.
  French Church leaders tried to downplay any dispute between Rome and the League.
  On 22 November 1926 Bernard de Vésins announced to the League's annual congress that the Institut d'Action Française was being reopened, and had asked the Archbishop of Paris for theologians who would guard league members against the dangers the Pope had pointed out.
  However, a few days afterwards Admiral Schwerer, honorary president of the League, said that as a Catholic he was subject to the Church in religious matters, but as a Frenchman he was subject to the leaders of the League in political matters.
  He spoke out against people who were propagating abominable calumnies about the league to the Holy Father (the Pope).
  On 30 November Cardinal Dubois, Archbishop of Paris, refused the request by Vésins, referring to recent lack of discipline and respect to religious authorities by the League. At the start of December a circular from the nunciature said bishops should not grant chaplains to Action Française groups because of the risk of confusion between religion and politics.
  Vesins resisted condemnation of the entire executive of the League by the Church. 
  He visited Father Yves de La Brière on 8 January 1927, then informed the royalist pretender Prince Jean, Duke of Guise, that La Brière was under orders from the Vatican to form a rival organization in the hope of rallying Catholics from the Action Française, and was hoping for the duke's approval.
  Bernard de Vésins resigned from the Action Française in 1930 after an internal conflict leading to the expulsion of Paul Guérin and Henri Martin and the departure of several of his friends, including François de la Motte. He was replaced as president of the League by Admiral Schwerer.
  He supported the Vichy Government during World War II (1939–45), but was not prosecuted for this after the war.
  Bernard de Vésins died on 6 July 1951 at the age of 82.
caption: Les fêtes de Jeanne d'Arc, Paris, 1927. Front row left to right: Bernard de Vesins, Charles Maurras, Léon Daudet, Antoine Schwerer, Unidentified (with hat)
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