Past Conservative Popes Have Warned Against What is Happening Now


I think a universal lesson of history is that when the church gets involved with politics it damages both the church and state. In contemporary times, previous Popes warned clergy not to take accept positions of power in secular governments. They did it anyway.

The current Pope wants good numbers in China so badly he agreed to allow the Chinese Communist government to appoint some clergy leaders. Even though numbers of Catholics have been growing in China they still represent a small percentage of the population. I've read young people are leaving the church as they are elsewhere. 

In Nicaragua, the church has had a complicated relationship with Daniel Ortaga. He has pledged to be against abortion but to an outsider it appears his goal is using the church to help himself--a practice centuries old.

In 1983 Pope John Paul, while in Nicaragua, admonished a Cardinal for taking a position in the government of the Sandinistas. About the same time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger penned a position against Catholic clergy taking such positions. The lesson has been learned but continues to be forgotten.

To me, a member of the clergy taking a position in a secular government is not the only problem. A problem similar in nature is for clergy to lobby for putting the "laws" of the church into secular government. The laws have power that corrupts in the same way power to individuals corrupts. 

The problem with putting into secular government laws which were founded in religion comes in the enforcement. How aggressively, if at all, should the laws be enforced? And if they are not enforced how is corruption kept at bay and what is the point after all. 

Today there are elected officials in some states who have publicly endorsed death to women who get abortions. There have been laws to imprison doctors. If abortion is murder, it makes perfect sense to impose prison or use the death penalty. If it is not murder abortion is not a crime. Religion does not have a way to handle subtilties. 

Religion would do better to express its view but then back away from the rough and tumble of passing and enforcing laws.  


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