| Once the Pharisees asked Our Lord: "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Our Lord asked for a coin and then inquired, 'Whose image and inscription does it bear?'" They answered, "Caesar's." And Our Lord said. "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Thus we are taught to give both the State and the Church what is due to each, in accordance with the end that each pursues. |
64. Church and State
What are the spheres of the Church and of the State? --The spheres of the Church and of the State are defined and dictated by each one's respective purpose.
Both the Church and the State derive their just powers from God. All rights and duties on earth come to us ultimately from God through the Divine Law, either natural or positive. As Leo VIII said, "The Almighty has appointed the charge of the human race between two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, the other over human things."
The sphere of the Church is the supernatural and eternal; it includes everything relating to spiritual and moral affairs, matters affecting man's eternal salvation: for example, the worship of God, preaching of the Gospel, decision of what is morally right and morally wrong, government of its members, restriction of such rights as will endanger their eternal welfare, education of the clergy, religious education of its members, etc,
The sphere of the State includes such purely temporal matters as a choice of a form of government, the development of agriculture, industries and trade, collection of taxes, restriction of certain civil and political rights (such as the right of suffrage, of bearing arms, etc.) , the enforcement of law and order, etc.
Man and the State, even in the realm of politics and temporal matters, are under God's law, both revealed and natural, the Law that is above all mankind, of whatever race. Man has no right to make his own laws without regard for the law of God. "It is the Church, not the State, that is to be man's guide to heaven" (Leo XIII). The State is even bound to protect the Church in the exercise of its functions; this is because the State must protect the rights of its citizens, and of these rights the religious ones are of utmost importance.
It must build churches and seminaries, collect revenue, conduct schools for the proper religious training of its members, etc.
Then man becomes grossly material, bound by rods of his own fashioning, helpless and gone mad, because he cannot conquer the world.
What is the contribution of the Catholic Church to American democracy? --In general we may say that the fundamentals of American democracy were derived from traditional thought and philosophy; and since these, being of Western Europe, were essentially Catholic, therefore our democracy had its roots in the Catholic Church.
Some principles so derived are: the equality of man in nature and essence, the function of government to care for the common good, the consent of the governed as a requirement for power of rulers, the right of people to change governments, etc.
For this reason the Church insists on the sanctity of marriage, of the family; the Church instructs her children in loyalty to the State.
Well did our First President say to Catholics: "I presume that your fellow citizens ... will not forget the patriotic part you took in the accomplishment of our Revolution and the establishment of our government."
What should be the attitude of the Catholic citizen towards the State? --The Catholic citizen is bound in conscience to obey the State, provided faith and morals are not endangered thereby.
For instance, parents, not the State, have the natural right to educate their children. The State should merely supervise and facilitate education, but should not enact laws contrary to the obligations of parents to give their children a religious education.
Our schools are benefiting, however, under the National School Lunch Act of 1946; Congress regularly appropriates money to implement this free school lunch program. Our colleges may secure loans at favorable interest rates under legislation adopted by the Housing and Home Finance Agency. Indirectly our colleges benefit from the GI Bill of Rights, since legislation authorizing the extension of educational benefits to veterans does not discriminate with respect to schools; a veteran may select any approved school. In addition to assistance to schools, our hospitals are receiving substantial construction grants under the terms of the Hill-Burton Law.
For example, even if 90% of the population should vote for poisoning the children with indecent literature and pictures [or the right to abortion, freedom of speech even if that includes immorality against God's Commandments, pornography, or neutrality in religious matters(RMO)], the corrupt majority should not rule, but the just and enlightened Minority.
(Particular topics related to this are discussed in various Commandments of God and the Church.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|