Saints and politicians

Horse and carriage? One can say that about love and marriage; in fact an old song says just that. Can one say the same thing about sanctity and politics?

Most readers would react with cynicism but they should not. Vatican II describes politics as a noble art. Recently Pope John Paul II, during his Wednesday meditations on the psalms, described Psalm 100 as "a meditation that paints the figure of an ideal political ruler" characterised by "perfect moral integrity and a resolute commitment to fighting against injustice".

Such a politician should have the "wisdom that helps one to understand and to judge well". The Pope indicated that the psalm also points out "the importance of the more typical public and social gifts. ...Above all, the struggle against calumny and detraction. In addition, it rejects all arrogance and pride; and refuses the company and counsel of those who always use trickery and lies."

All that the Pope said is practical. Along the years the number of Catholic politicians who lived this ideal was not a small one. This applies to our times too. As former French prime minister and first president of the European Parliament, Robert Schuman's beatification process offers testimony to a politician's exemplary life.

Schuman (1886-1963), the man who made possible the birth of the European Union, may soon be proclaimed a saint. Jacques Paragon, postulator of his beatification cause, announced on May 15 that the diocesan investigation of the cause of beatification is due to be concluded, possibly this year.

Schuman, author of the famous May 9, 1950 Declaration providing the basis for European unification, was able to open a new way in international relations based on political negotiation.

He was the first president of the European Parliament from 1958-1969. Pope Paul VI described him as "an indefatigable pioneer of European unity."

According to Paragon, "for the Father of Europe, Catholicism was not only a faith but a social doctrine", a conviction that very much influenced his political work, "which he understood as a prolongation of his apostolate".

Paragon summed up this holy man's captivation: "His life shows that political activity is compatible with fidelity to Christian values." Independently of all the snide remarks that cynics can pass, experience shows that politics and sanctity do mix well together.