rkwright Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) Just wondering if anyone knows what the Church's stance on this is. What's the balance between Church and State interaction, and what does the Church actually say on it? I don't know any documents off the top of my head on this, I know in Deus Caritas Est Benedict talked about the relationship of the Church and State. Edited October 3, 2007 by rkwright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dairygirl4u2c Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 i know a former attorney general turned priest/canon lawyer who said the people of the church are obliged to enforce the rule of law, even if it's aginst the church's teachings. if you are a judge, you have to enforce abortion laws for example, if they are valid laws. that is not saying whether the CC thinks the first amendment is a good idea, or what exactly the first amendment entails though. i doubt the church would get into the bickering of hat it entails, and would be most interested in whther it thinks it's a good idea. it seems pretty moral to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateri05 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) [quote]i know a former attorney general turned priest/canon lawyer who said the people of the church are obliged to enforce the rule of law, even if it's aginst the church's teachings. if you are a judge, you have to enforce abortion laws for example, if they are valid laws.[/quote] this can't be true, because God's law is higher than man's law and must be upheld first and foremost. Edited October 3, 2007 by kateri05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socrates Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 [quote name='kateri05' post='1397098' date='Oct 3 2007, 02:33 PM']this can't be true, because God's law is higher than man's law and must be upheld first and foremost.[/quote] True. From the [i]Catechism of the Catholic Church[/i]:[quote]2242 The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." "We must obey God rather than men": When citizens are under the oppression of a public authority which oversteps its competence, they should still not refuse to give or to do what is objectively demanded of them by the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and those of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this authority within the limits of the natural law and the Law of the Gospel.[/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolyn Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Whoa! We were just discussing the 1st Amendment in class yesterday, and I finished a homework assignment on it a few hours ago! Just sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippo buono Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 [quote]VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2007 (VIS) - In the Vatican today, Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Antonio Zanardi Landi, Italy's new ambassador to the Holy See. In his talk to the diplomat, the Pope referred to the "mutual collaboration" between Church and State "for the promotion of mankind and the good of the entire national community. In pursuing this goal," he added, "the Church does not aim to acquire power nor does she seek privileges or positions of economic and social advantage. "Her only aim," he went on, "is to serve mankind, drawing inspiration, as the supreme norm of behavior, from the words and example of Jesus Christ Who 'went about doing good and healing everyone.' Hence the Catholic Church asks to be considered for her specific nature, and to have the opportunity freely to carry out her special mission for the good, not only of her own faithful, but of all Italians." Benedict XVI expressed the hope that collaboration between all components of Italian society may contribute "not only to carefully guarding the cultural and spiritual heritage that distinguishes [Italy] and that is an integral part of its history," but even more so that it may be "a stimulus to seek new ways to face the great challenges that characterize the post-modern age." In this context the Pope mentioned "the defense of life, ... the protection of the rights of the individual and the family, the building of a united world, respect for creation and inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue."[/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkwright Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Prayer in schools? One nation under God? As Catholics are we bound to believe one way or the other on these issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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