|
Don't divorce Faith from public life
On
January 16, 2003, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, made public a 18-page document,
entitled “Doctrinal
Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in
Political Life”. In this document, dated Nov. 24, 2002, the Solemnity
of Christ the King, the Church urges Catholics, especially those
involved in political life, not to be ashamed of standing up for
Christian principles. Here are excerpts from this document: Saint Thomas More
Under
the pretext of respecting all beliefs (pluralism), governments act today
as if there is no definitive truth, no natural moral law to be abided
by. Moreover, one will ask Catholics not to impose their values on other
people who think differently, in the name of “tolerance”. Defend human life Legislative proposals are put forward which, heedless of the consequences
for the existence and future of human beings with regard to the
formation of culture and social behaviour, attack the very inviolability
of human life. Catholics,
in this difficult situation, have the right and the duty to recall
society to a deeper understanding of human life and to the
responsibility of everyone in this regard. John Paul II, continuing the
constant teaching of the Church, has reiterated many times that those
who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a “grave and clear
obligation to oppose” any law that attacks human life. For them, as
for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for
them. In this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian
conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an
individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of Faith and
morals. When political activity comes up against moral principles that do not
admit of exception, compromise or derogation, the Catholic commitment
becomes more evident and laden with responsibility. In the face of
fundamental and inalienable ethical demands, Christians must recognize
that what is at stake is the essence of the moral law, which concerns
the integral good of the human person. This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia (not to be
confused with the decision to forgo extraordinary treatments, which is
morally legitimate). Such laws must defend the basic right to life from
conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall
the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo. Defend
the family
Analogously,
the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on monogamous
marriage between a man and a woman, and protected in its unity and
stability in the face of modern laws on divorce: in no way can other
forms of cohabitation be placed on the same level as marriage, nor can
they receive legal recognition as such. The same is true for the freedom of parents regarding the education of
their children; it is an inalienable right recognized also by the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In the same way, one must
consider society's protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of
slavery (drug abuse and prostitution, for example). In addition, there
is the right to religious freedom and the development of an economy that
is at the service of the human person and of the common good, with
respect for social justice, the principles of human solidarity and
subsidiarity, according to which “the rights of all individuals,
families, and organizations and their practical implementation must be
acknowledged.” Values not limited to Catholics This is not a question of “confessional values” per se, because such
ethical precepts are rooted in human nature itself, and belong to the
natural moral law. They do not require from those who defend them the
profession of the Christian Faith, although the Church's teaching
confirms and defends them always and everywhere as part of her service
to the truth about man and about the common good of civil society.
Moreover, it cannot be denied that politics must refer to principles of
absolute value precisely because these are at the service of the dignity
of the human person and of true human progress. Promoting the common good of society, according to one's conscience, has
nothing to do with “confessionalism” or religious intolerance. For
Catholic moral doctrine, the rightful autonomy of the political or civil
sphere from that of religion and the Church – but not from that of
morality – is a value that has been attained and recognized by the
Catholic Church, and belongs to the inheritance of contemporary
civilization. By its interventions in this area, the Church's Magisterium does not wish
to exercise political power or eliminate the freedom of opinion of
Catholics regarding contingent questions. Instead, it intends – as is
its proper function – to instruct and illuminate the consciences of
the faithful, particularly those involved in political life, so that
their actions may always serve the integral promotion of the human
person and the common good. The
social doctrine of the Church is not an intrusion into the government of
individual countries. It is a question of the lay Catholic's duty to be
morally coherent, found within one's conscience, which is one and
indivisible. “There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence:
on the one hand, the so-called `spiritual life', with its values and
demands; and on the other, the so-called `secular' life, that is, life
in a family, at work, in social responsibilities, in the
responsibilities of public life and in culture. The branch, engrafted to
the vine which is Christ, bears its fruit in every sphere of existence
and activity. In fact, every area of the lay faithful's lives, as
different as they are, enters into the plan of God, who desires that
these very areas be the `places in time' where the love of Christ is
revealed and realized for both the glory of the Father and service of
others. Every activity, every situation, every precise responsibility
– as, for example, skill and solidarity in work, love and dedication
in the family and the education of children, service to society and
public life and the promotion of truth in the area of culture – are
the occasions ordained by Providence for a `continuous exercise of
faith, hope and charity' (Apostolicam actuositatem, 4)”. Those who, on the basis of respect for individual conscience, would view
the moral duty of Christians to act according to their conscience as
something that disqualifies them from political life, denying the
legitimacy of their political involvement following from their
convictions about the common good, would be guilty of a form of
intolerant secularism. Such a position would seek to deny not only any
engagement of Christianity in public or political life, but even the
possibility of natural ethics itself. Were this the case, the road would
be open to moral anarchy, which would be anything but legitimate
pluralism. The oppression of the weak by the strong would be the obvious
consequence. Freedom of conscience It is helpful to recall a truth which today is often not perceived or
formulated correctly in public opinion: the right to freedom of
conscience and, in a special way, to religious freedom, taught in the
Declaration Dignitatis
humanae of the Second Vatican Council, is based on the
ontological dignity of the human person, and not on a non-existent
equality among religions or cultural systems of human creation. Reflecting
on this question, Paul VI taught that “in no way does the Council base
this right to religious freedom on the fact that all religions and all
teachings, including those that are erroneous, would have more or less
equal value; it is based rather on the dignity of the human person,
which demands that he not be subjected to external limitations which
tend to constrain the conscience in its search for the true religion or
in adhering to it.” Conclusion The
principles contained in the present Note are intended to shed light on
one of the most important aspects of the unity of Christian life:
coherence between Faith and life, Gospel and culture, as recalled by the
Second Vatican Council. The Council exhorted Christians “to fulfill
their duties faithfully in the spirit of the Gospel. It is a mistake to
think that, because we have here no lasting city, but seek the city
which is to come, we are entitled to shirk our earthly responsibilities;
this is to forget that by our Faith we are bound all the more to fulfill
these responsibilities according to the vocation of each... May
Christians... be proud of the opportunity to carry out their earthly
activity in such a way as to integrate human, domestic, professional,
scientific and technical enterprises with religious values, under whose
supreme direction all things are ordered to the glory of God.” +
Joseph Card. RATZINGER
This article was published in the January-February, 2003 issue of “Michael”. |
Among
the saints, the Church venerates many men and women who served God
through their generous commitment to politics and government. Among
these, Saint Thomas More, who was proclaimed Patron of Statesmen
and Politicians, gave witness by his martyrdom to “the inalienable
dignity of the human conscience.” Though subjected to various forms of
psychological pressure, Saint Thomas More refused to compromise, never
forsaking the “constant fidelity to legitimate authority and
institutions” which distinguished him; he taught by his life and his
death that 