Crowning of Charlemagne & ancient Kings vs democracy

[Cassianus]

Hi,

I wonder if the Catholic Church could ever “crown” a democracy as was done to Charlemagne & other medieval Kings? If democracy could ever be a truly christian form of government?

After Charlemagne was crowned in such a way & had such a strong alliance with the Catholic church one can see that all the other kingdoms of western Europe gradually adopted the same model.

Consecrating the Highest Office to God? It crossed my mind while seeing the ceremony of swearing in the Prime minister or Greece’s cabinet, which was done by them repeating words & answering solemn questions put by Orthodox Priests & crossing themselves - they’re not just accountable to a party, but to the Church & to God almighty. I think it was a simple yet beautiful ceremony that added an extra, much needed layer to politics

Maybe it’s a stupid question

 

[GEddie]

Hi,

I wonder if the Catholic Church could ever “crown” a democracy as was done to Charlemagne & other medieval Kings? If democracy could ever be a truly christian form of government?

After Charlemagne was crowned in such a way & had such a strong alliance with the Catholic church one can see that all the other kingdoms of western Europe gradually adopted the same model.

Consecrating the Highest Office to God? It crossed my mind while seeing the ceremony of swearing in the Prime minister or Greece’s cabinet, which was done by them repeating words & answering solemn questions put by Orthodox Priests & crossing themselves - they’re not just accountable to a party, but to the Church & to God almighty. I think it was a simple yet beautiful ceremony that added an extra, much needed layer to politics

Maybe it’s a stupid question

Not per se a stupid question.

While this might work in Greece, where a majority are Orthodox Christian; the rise of democracy has coincided with religious pluralism and with the rise of secular states. I don’t think there is any way of “consecrating” a secular republic such as the USA.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Cassianus]

Not per se a stupid question.

While this might work in Greece, where a majority are Orthodox Christian; the rise of democracy has coincided with religious pluralism and with the rise of secular states. I don’t think there is any way of “consecrating” a secular republic such as the USA.

ICXC NIKA

But theoretically, it would be possible for a Nations government to be consecrated or sworn to serve God by the Catholic Church?

When the ancient Kings used to be crowned by the Church, it was understood he ruled by Divine Right - I wonder if the concept of Divine Right to Rule could ever be applied to a democracy where temporary caretakers of an office come & go?

I know Hungary has a thoroughly Christian Constitution for example & many former communist countries in Eastern Europe has gone the same route of reclaiming their roots in christianity as the basis for nationhood & politics. Poland is another example.

 

[dmar198]

Hi,

I wonder if the Catholic Church could ever “crown” a democracy as was done to Charlemagne & other medieval Kings? If democracy could ever be a truly christian form of government?

Interesting question. My first thought is that if they crowned a President or other democratically-elected head of state, that would be making him a king, and if the country allowed that they would no longer be a democracy. But since you used quote-marks I’m assuming you mean some equivalent ceremony not involving royal symbols.

Yes, I think that could be done. And certainly democracy can be a truly Christian form of government. Venice, Padua, Florence, Pisa, and Flanders were all Christian republics in the 1100s-1200s, I think.

After Charlemagne was crowned in such a way & had such a strong alliance with the Catholic church one can see that all the other kingdoms of western Europe gradually adopted the same model.

Not all. They all had kings (actually I’m not even sure that’s 100% true), but I do not think the Catholic kings of England, as an example, had the same powers as Charlemagne. England’s parliament is very old, but their powers changed over time. Spain also had some kind of parliamentary system that legislated on behalf of the king, I think.

Consecrating the Highest Office to God? It crossed my mind while seeing the ceremony of swearing in the Prime minister or Greece’s cabinet, which was done by them repeating words & answering solemn questions put by Orthodox Priests & crossing themselves - they’re not just accountable to a party, but to the Church & to God almighty. I think it was a simple yet beautiful ceremony that added an extra, much needed layer to politics

Sounds like a good idea to me. And I’m confident that Catholic republics also used to have some ceremony showing that the Church looked to the State with a fraternal and cooperative spirit.

 

[JurisPrudens]

But theoretically, it would be possible for a Nations government to be consecrated or sworn to serve God by the Catholic Church?

When the ancient Kings used to be crowned by the Church, it was understood he ruled by Divine Right - I wonder if the concept of Divine Right to Rule could ever be applied to a democracy where temporary caretakers of an office come & go?

I know Hungary has a thoroughly Christian Constitution for example & many former communist countries in Eastern Europe has gone the same route of reclaiming their roots in christianity as the basis for nationhood & politics. Poland is another example.

The Church’s involvement into coronation procedures did not necessarily imply the Divine Right concepts. Surely, secular rulers often would prefer such interpretation, in a Caesaropapist perspective. But the blessing of the monarch by the Church was usually interpreted by the Church itself as a way to ensure the sanctity of the respective reigns, so that the kings would not go against the Church and the natural law.

 

[JurisPrudens]

Hi,

If democracy could ever be a truly christian form of government?

Maybe it’s a stupid question

A form of government is just an instrument for the society to achieve its aspirations.

Democracy is grounded in the principle of making decisions by majority, directly or indirectly. As long as the majority is Christian, the democratic government does well. As soon as the majority of people forget their Christian roots, the democratic government starts to fail.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

The cooperation of the Church with the head of state was always inevitable so long as Europe was truly and dominantly Christian. That condition no longer prevails, and Christianity is in decline not only in Europe but throughout the Americas. Today the cooperation is nominal only as we can see by the laws that have been passed in the last 50 years flaunting the atheist agenda. Whether this decline will continue is what we are all waiting to see. If it does, Christians will either have to take up arms and defend themselves or run for the hills.