Catholic Church stance on seperation of Church and State?

[coolcatholicguy]

What is it?

 

[Swiss_Guy]

I think it’s something like the Church and state should be sort of interconnected, but the church has control over the state (think Holy Roman Empire sort of). That’s my understanding, but hey, I’m only a teenager.

 

[sw85]

From the Catechism:

I. AUTHORITY

1897 "Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all."15

By “authority” one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men and expect obedience from them.

1898 Every human community needs an authority to govern it.16 The foundation of such authority lies in human nature. It is necessary for the unity of the state. Its role is to ensure as far as possible the common good of the society.

1899 The authority required by the moral order derives from God: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment."17

1900 The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will.

Pope St. Clement of Rome provides the Church's most ancient prayer for political authorities:18 "Grant to them, Lord, health, peace, concord, and stability, so that they may exercise without offense the sovereignty that you have given them. Master, heavenly King of the ages, you give glory, honor, and power over the things of earth to the sons of men. Direct, Lord, their counsel, following what is pleasing and acceptable in your sight, so that by exercising with devotion and in peace and gentleness the power that you have given to them, they may find favor with you."19

**1901 If authority belongs to the order established by God, "the choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens."20

The diversity of political regimes is morally acceptable, provided they serve the legitimate good of the communities that adopt them. Regimes whose nature is contrary to the natural law, to the public order, and to the fundamental rights of persons cannot achieve the common good of the nations on which they have been imposed.**

 

[Nimzovik]

All I know is that as Catholics (read the church Clergy as well) we had better start getting far more involved in State or we eventually may well be fed to the lions once again as our Catholic liberties are being trampled upon by a variety of lobbies.kpeople:

 

[Swiss_Guy]

I think a constitutional monarchy sounds about right. Catholicism can be the official religion of some states, as long as the Church has the authority of the religion, not the state (if that makes sense.) Wikipedia is a good explainer.

 

[fakename]

What is it?

Basically that the Church is superior to the state, so the state must help it. Therefore, the state should ideally, (though tolerance is acceptable in many situations where the ideal cannot be achieved or would cause worse evils than not) support the Church . It does this by defending Church property and executing some opponents of the church insofar as for that state, going against the church is going against the high laws of the state so that you are commiting treason and treason is punishable by death.

But the state is not to enter too much into Church affairs but should help only in the indirect ways described above since the Church is a superior community to the nation and should not be impeded by the state. In no way is theocracy to be elevated to a moral principle but the state should help the church while both should be different and independent.

 

[Bl_Pope_Pius_IX]

From the Syllabus of Modern Errors of Blessed Pope Pius IX: Encyclical letter of His Holiness - December 8, 1864

The Church ought to be separated from the State and the State from the Church (Section VI number 55)