The relationship between Church and State has always been problematic. Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII.
Nobody wants those times to come back, least of all the Church. Today we all appreciate the separation between Church and State.
However, sometimes, this separation is interpreted as the Church not having any right to make its voice heard in matters considered to be purely civil. People are offended with moral statements made by the Church on decisions debated at the level of civil society.
Possibly the reason for this is that many experience the Church as wanting to impose a Catholic morality on civil society. They resent the fact that the Church does not seem to appreciate their right not to be Catholic.
There is only one morality… the true good for humankind
In the first place, I prefer to talk about Christian, rather than Catholic morality, because of its roots in Christ. Christ’s commandment was very simple: Love God, love your neighbour. When it came to how to do it concretely, he did not go into too many details. He left it to us to find out how to be loving in the particular circumstances of our lives.
Seen in this way, it is not difficult to understand that there isn’t a morality for Christians different from that for non-believers. Moreover, Christ wants nothing except our happiness, much as parents want the happiness of their children even when they give them advice which the youngsters, in their limited vision, may experience as unpleasant.
What may be different is the interpretation given to particular choices. Human rights loom large in our culture, and this is something good. However, when it comes to what constitutes a human right and what doesn’t, we may differ.
Groups of people have their own interests and would like society to proclaim them as civil rights. A couple of things need to be kept in mind. First, that we speak more about the rights which society should accord us, and less on duties that we have towards society. Secondly, that any right of mine ends the moment it tramples upon the rights of others.
Ours is a world of unequals. Some are strong, vociferous, lobby insistently and, at times, even blackmail. Others are weak and voiceless but they too have rights. It is the duty of those in power to protect the little ones.
They do this also by creating a forum, possibly away from party politics, in which what is a truly human right can be discussed serenely. The pitfalls are many because we are never free of prejudice. For instance, we can easily feel good for making a statement for equality, when in actual fact, we would only be making a statement for a similarity that does not exist.
This is where the Church can make its contribution. The Church has the duty to be prophetic to society. Prophets are not people who can read the future; they are people who, being free of prejudices and bias, can understand the present better than most.
When the Church speaks through its leaders, the intention is to help one and all overcome their limited internal freedom. Not that the Church is totally free; it is not, because it too is composed of human beings in whom sin is ingrained as in everybody else and, consequently, it is not totally free of prejudice. However, awareness of this limitation helps to overcome it. Moreover, being in touch with Jesus Christ – whom very few do not consider a prophet and the best teacher of how to be truly human – makes the Church’s contribution very useful.
This should also clarify the position of those who are members of the Church and of the State at the same time. They should not experience conflict between two moralities because there is only one morality. Be they ordinary citizens, exercising professions or holding public office, their decisions should be based on what they honestly and without bias believe to be the true good for humankind.
alfred.j.micallef@um.edu.mt
Fr Alfred Micallef is a member of the Society of Jesus.