7 France is rich in instances of eminent men who have not feared to face, for the Christian faith, all misfortunes and even the loss of life. In the social upheaval of which We spoke just now, many men of unconquerable faith were to be met with who maintained the honour of their country with courage and their blood. We see virtue worthily maintaining itself, with God's help, in the midst of snares and perils. The clergy are attached to their duty, and fulfil it with the charity ever ready and apt to help our neighbour, which is proper to the priest. Large numbers of laymen openly and boldly profess the Catholic faith; they rival one another in the multiplication and variety of the testimonies of their devotion to the Holy See: they provide, at great cost and at great trouble, for the education of youth; and they come forward in aid of public needs with admirable liberality and munificence.
Source: Nobilissima Gallorum Gens (Vatican.va)