How The Belgian Bishops Laid Their Hands On The Brussels Newspaper L'Emancipation: "Unionism" (the name of a political alliance between catholics and liberals) has been held by some to be a fundamental expression of "faith". Others look at that agreement as purely tactical. An episode in the history of the newspaper L'Emancipation goes far to lend credibility to the thesis of the purely tactical move. As a matter of fact, the catholic movement could boast only a very weak press in the years following 1830.