The following encyclical was released by HHE the Papa-Prince. In the encyclical, the Archfather discusses democracy, freedom, and the Christian faith.
The Myth of Christian Democracy
To the Bishops of the European Union, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth
Carissimi,
THE myth of Christian democracy is long and widely held among the nations who profess democratic and republican forms of government originating in the ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet such is entirely and completely inconsistent with the doctrine of the Christian Faith. The notion of Christian democracy is purely and entirely a myth rooted within the anti-Christian notions of the Enlightenment-era philosophy. That the majority of the population of such nations is or was at least nominally Christian does not render such forms of government Christian on any level. Rather, to see the true nature of any particular form of government or government institution, one must look at the foundational philosophies, the context in which they were formed, and the very foundational documents themselves.
Although the world’s oldest democracy in continuous existence to the present is actually San Marino, located in the Italian peninsula, We will focus for purposes of example on the United States of America since it is both a prime example of the issues of which We write and a highly influential nation in the world today.
It is well established, yet not necessarily well-known that the American Revolution and the subsequent Republic of the United States of America were founded in the philosophy of the Enlightenment. Nowhere in the original document founding the government of the United States, i.e., the Articles of Confederation, is the name of God mentioned or invoked. Likewise, in the subsequent foundational document upon which the government of the United States even to the present day is derived, i.e., the United States Constitution, the name of God is neither mentioned nor invoked. Religion is mentioned only in the case of the free exercise thereof in the First Amendment, and also in the articles themselves in the statement that there will be no religious test required for office. Also, in the document used to justify the American Revolution, i.e., the Declaration of Independence, nowhere is Christ invoked. God is only mentioned in the vague sense of the Creator and as “Nature’s God.” Neither of those references is, when understood in the context in which the document was written, sufficient to claim Christian origin of the government of the United States or Christian justification for the revolution. This is further supported by the lack of mention of the Holy Trinity. The anti-Catholic statement made by Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and future United States president, coupled with his general religious philosophy, further give even more doubt that there could be any Christian origin in that document. Indeed, the foundational documents of the United States were written in and of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. Insofar as anything spiritual was involved, it was guided by Deism, not by the Christian Faith.
Although the rights of man were stated as basic principles of the Enlightenment, the way in which those rights were framed and their stated origin are not consistent with Christian theology. In the Enlightenment, the origin of any rights of man is not God in the Christian sense or even necessarily God at all. Insofar as God is even mentioned, it is under the philosophy of Deism, which is yet again inconsistent with Christian theology and doctrine, for it does not acknowledge the Holy Trinity as essential or even at all.
Indeed, the Enlightenment was wholeheartedly against the Christian faith – especially the Holy Catholic Faith. The notion of democracy and of republics stemming from Enlightenment philosophy is based on popular sovereignty, which is likewise an incompatible notion with Christianity. Popular sovereignty both states and implies that the will of the majority of the people is what determines the law, what people may and may not do, and ultimately what the nation considers right and wrong. It therefore necessarily prohibits people from acting freely under the laws of God if those actions happen to be against the laws of man as determined by popular sovereignty. No such society can rightly call itself Christian in terms of government or say that its government indeed derives from Christian theology and morality.
Right and wrong cannot be determined by majority vote. What is right and wrong can only be determined correctly under the laws of God, which are supreme to all laws of man and from which all laws of man must flow if they are to have any legitimacy whatsoever. Neither, again, may an individual’s right to do good under the laws of God be correctly infringed by majority vote, as in any form of democracy, including a representative republic. Christian doctrine is clear – democracy does not and cannot respect the rights of the individual, for those rights are always tempered by the will of the majority. Even in the case of a thoroughly-determined minority in a democracy that manages through influence to push its will on the nation, it is nevertheless an outgrowth of popular sovereignty and majority will, for silence is itself a form of expression and a form of vote.
Now, it is tempting for some who are disillusioned with democracy to think that socialism and communism are the answer. Yet, those systems offer no more respect for the rights of the individual then democracy, and they are already well-condemned by Us and Our most holy predecessors. Yet, in terms of respect for the laws of God and for the rights of individuals under the laws of God, all forms of communism, socialism, and democracy are inherently against the Christian faith and can claim no origins from the Christian faith. All attempts to fix a democracy will necessarily fail since the system is inherently flawed in its origin. Only a government that is truly based not upon popular sovereignty, but upon the laws of God can claim to promote peace, freedom, and the rights of man. It is that form of government for which the bishops, the clergy, and the faithful around the world must openly and peacefully advocate. All attempts to promote Enlightenment philosophy and its various related branches in the modern era must be opposed and resisted peacefully.
It is only from Christ that true authority derives. It is only in Christ that mankind may be free.