Faith and public life go together

Catholic politicians must be consistent with their faith in their political life. This constant teaching of the Church was repeated in a document published by the Vatican last January.

A Christian Outlook had been planning for a very long time to comment on this document but it just happened that we always found some item or other which, in the circumstances, was given more importance. Today we rectify this situation.

The 18-page "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life", written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by John Paul II himself, firmly supports the action of believers in democracy and exhorts them to be consistent with their convictions.

For a Christian, democracy "must be based on the true and solid foundation of non-negotiable ethical principles, which are the underpinning of life in society".

This position militates against the position of "ethical pluralism", which is one of the children of the "cultural relativism" so popular with different sectors of our societies.

A democracy which builds on such relativism is not basing itself on solid ground.

According to the note, "Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on" the principle of "respect for the human person" because "otherwise the witness of the Christian faith in the world, as well as the unity and interior coherence of the faithful would be non-existent".

The primacy of the human person is the cornerstone of the Church's social teaching. As a result where human dignity is under attack - even when the attack takes the form of particular legislation - Catholics can never collaborate with those laws that attack the person.

The Vatican document gives several examples of such attacks on human dignity and shows the way forward for Catholic politicians.

The dignity of human life at its beginning and end, as well as the family, are considered to be very important values. Abortion and euthanasia are to be shunned at all costs. The document demands utmost respect of the human embryo and the family, 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 text stresses.

Education is a very important area. Catholic lawmakers must also defend "the freedom of parents regarding the education of their children... society's protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of slavery (drug abuse and prostitution, for example)."

The list also includes "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."

It also says Christians must be committed to the service of peace.

"Certain pacifistic and ideological visions tend at times to secularise the value of peace while, in other cases, there is the problem of summary ethical judgments which forget the complexity of the issues involved," the document warns.

Peace is always "the work of justice and the effect of charity", the note adds. It demands "the absolute and radical rejection of violence and terrorism and requires a constant and vigilant commitment on the part of all political leaders".

The document ends by explaining the concept of the "rightful autonomy of the participation of lay Catholics".

In this connection, the Vatican explains that to promote "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 recognised by the Catholic Church and belongs to inheritance of contemporary civilisation", it emphasises.

In a word, the document exhorts Catholics to be consistent with their faith in their political life, noting that in "recent years, there have been cases within some organisations founded on Catholic principles, in which support has been given to political forces or movements with positions contrary to the moral and social teaching of the Church on fundamental ethical questions".

"Such activities, in contradiction to basic principles of Christian conscience, are not compatible with membership in organisations or associations which define themselves as Catholic," the document clarifies.

We propose this document for the reflection of our politicians, the vast majority of whom in all political parties consider themselves to be inspired by the Christian faith.