Friday, May 03 2024 Donate
A service of EWTN News

The Church contributes to politics by promoting the common good, insists the Holy Father

In a letter Pope Benedict XVI wrote to Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco on the occasion of the 45th Social Week of Italian Catholics, the pontiff declared that the Church has a role to play in the political realm.

At the end of his letter, which deals with the need for people to work for the common good, the Holy Father turned his attention to "a specific area" which "stimulates Catholics to question themselves: that of the relationship between religion and politics.”

Many Western governments operate on the principle of the separation of Church and State and the Pope explained that Jesus offers a way to live that respects both entities. “The absolute novelty brought by Jesus is that He opened to way to a freer and more human world, with full respect for the distinction and autonomy that exists between what is of Caesar and what is of God," Benedict XVI said. 

Rather than the Church being completely separated from the political realm, Pope Benedict XVI said, "[t]he Church, then, if on the one hand she recognizes she is not a political player, on the other she cannot but concern herself with the good of the entire civil community, in which she lives and operates." "To that community she offers her particular contribution, forming the political and business classes to a genuine spirit of truth and honesty, with the aim of searching for the common good and not for individual profit."

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.

As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here

Our mission is the truth. Join us!

Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church.

Donate to CNA