SANDWICH BETWEEN POLITICAL COMMUNITY AND THE CHURCH
The human dignity is an
eagerness to establish a political-juridical order in which the rights of the human
person in public life will be better protected. The right of free assembly and
association, the right to express one’s opinions in a free and expressive
manner, without fear of being judged, criticized or under looked.
The guarantee of the rights
of the person is, indeed, a necessary condition for citizens, individually and
collectively, to play an active part in public life and administration. An increase
in tolerance for others who differ in opinion and ideology.
There is no better way to
establish political life on a truly human basis than by encouraging an inward
sense of justice of good will, and of service to the common good, and by
consolidating the basic convictions of men as to the true nature of political
community and the aim, proper exercise, and the limits of public authority.
The political community,
exists for the common good. The common good embraces the sum total of all those
conditions of social life which enable individuals, families and organizations
to achieve complete and efficacious fulfilment.
The persons who go to make
up the political community are many and varied, quite rightly, then they may
veer towards widely differing point of view. The choice of the political regime
and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens. This
must be exercised within the limits of moral order and directed toward the
common good that has to be understood in the dynamic sense of the term. Citizens,
are bound in conscience to obey, accordingly, the dignity, and the importance
of state rulers is clear.
When citizens are under the
oppression of the public authority which oversteps its competence, they should
still not refuse to give or to do whatever is objectively demanded of them by
the common good. But it is legitimate for them to defend their ow rights and
those of their fellow citizens against abuses of this authority within the
limits of the natural law and the law of the Gospel.
Every citizen ought to be
mindful of his vote, devote themselves to the public good for the service of
men and take upon themselves the burdens of public office. All rights of all
individuals, families and organisations and practical implementation must be
acknowledged, protected and fostered.
In any case it is inhuman
for public authority to fall back on totalitarian methods of dictatorship which
violate the rights of persons or social groups. Citizens ought to cultivate a
generous and loyal spirit of patriotism, but without narrow mindedness, put in
mind the welfare of the human family which is formed into one by various kinds
of links between ethnic groups. Christians must be conscious of their specific
and proper role in the political community.
There should respect for
each other as citizens, defend their fellow citizens, defend their opinions by
legitimate means, combat injustice and oppression, arbitrary domination and intolerance
by individuals or political parties with integrity and wisdom.
The Church, because of her
role and competence, is not identified with any political community and the
Church and distinguished clearly between the activities of Christians acting
individually or collectively in their own name as citizens guided by the
dictates of Christian conscience, and their activity acting along with along
with their pastors in the name of the Church.
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