The failure of the secular project can be seen in the collapse of families and in the moral and economic crises, which are driven by a “sense of entitlement that is wholly disconnected from a sense of responsibility,” Weigel said.
The “deficit of democratic culture” can be further seen in the notable absence of “profiles in courage” in public service, he added, as well as in a lost commitment to truth, reason and sacrifice for the common good.
Weigel said that in order to overcome its dire situation, America should turn to Pope Leo XIII, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a modern-day Daniel.
He described Pope Leo XIII as “a kind of public intellectual” who analyzed political modernity through the lenses of faith and reason, and explained that the Pope challenged modern politics to a nobler understanding of law, freedom and justice.
The pontiff also recognized the need for society and private associations, in addition to the state, he added.
By turning to Pope Leo’s writings, Weigel said, we can see the dangerous results of abandoning “the deep truths on which the civilization of the West has been built.”
Ignoring fundamental truths while continuing down a path of selfishness and irresponsibility will dissolve the democracy into a dictatorship of relativism, he cautioned.
Weigel said that 2012 will be a “defining national election” for the future of America.
With help from Pope Leo XIII, he said, “perhaps we can decipher the writing” on the wall and heed its warning to rebuild the foundations of American democracy.
Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.