Religious freedom?

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nas_matko

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This two documents has been pointed out to me by my friend. I am quoting only relevant paragraphs:

The council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself.(2) This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right.
DIGNITATIS HUMANAE

versus

And, against the doctrine of Scripture, of the Church, and of the Holy Fathers, they do not hesitate to assert that “that is the best condition of civil society, in which no duty is recognized, as attached to the civil power, of restraining by enacted penalties, offenders against the Catholic religion, except so far as public peace may require.” From which totally false idea of social government they do not fear to foster that erroneous opinion, most fatal in its effects on the Catholic Church and the salvation of souls, called by Our Predecessor, Gregory XVI, an "insanity,"2 viz., that “liberty of conscience and worship is each man’s personal right, which ought to be legally proclaimed and asserted in every rightly constituted society; and that a right resides in the citizens to an absolute liberty, which should be restrained by no authority whether ecclesiastical or civil, whereby they may be able openly and publicly to manifest and declare any of their ideas whatever, either by word of mouth, by the press, or in any other way.” But, while they rashly affirm this, they do not think and consider that they are preaching "liberty of perdition;"3 and that "if human arguments are always allowed free room for discussion, there will never be wanting men who will dare to resist truth, and to trust in the flowing speech of human wisdom; whereas we know, from the very teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, how carefully Christian faith and wisdom should avoid this most injurious babbling."4
Quanta Cura

How to put those two documents into harmony?
 
These are my 2 cents…which aint worth much but it seems that the first has to do with general freedom in regards that no one can force a religion upon some one and that they have a right to express their own beliefs.

The second seems to focus on condemning not so much the notion of the first segment but rather the notion of ABSOLUTE liberty in which neither Civil or Ecclesiastical authority may interfer on religious beliefs/practises. If a religious practise interferes with the freedom’s and/or rights of another person or group then accountability is in order.

Mind you I am a total ignoramus on this.

Alex
 
Give this a read:

catholic.net/rcc/Periodicals/Dossier/00MarApr/continuity.html

Also, the Catechism clarifies (citing Quanta Cura):

**2109 **The right to religious liberty can of itself be neither unlimited nor limited only by a “public order” conceived in a positivist or naturalist manner.39 The “due limits” which are inherent in it must be determined for each social situation by political prudence, according to the requirements of the common good, and ratified by the civil authority in accordance with "legal principles which are in conformity with the objective moral order."40

39 Cf. Pius VI, Quod aliquantum (1791) 10; Pius IX, Quanta cura 3.
40 DH 7 # 3.
 
Thank you Genesis315 for that article and pointing me into catechism. I will read it carefully …
 
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