The April 9, 2003, then Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Ratzinger participated with a presentation at the conference "The commitment and behavior of Catholics in Political Life ", held in Rome and organized by the Pontifical University of Santa Cruz. Strikes me that the now Pope Benedict XVI on this occasion, on the occasion of the publication of the document issued by the Congregation who presided called "Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the commitment and behavior of Catholics in politics, "warned against" the policy theologization becomes ideology of faith. "Be it known, who says it is the current pope. The text of this speech is extracted, is of the Italian magazine 30 Giorni May 2003.
"According to Paul Ricoeur is more noble to think that philosophy can obtain, and therefore we do think without imposing anything. However, the position described in our paper can be summarized as follows: for us, that is, for the conviction of the Catholic Church of all times, politics belongs to the realm of reason, common to all reason, natural reason. The policy, therefore, is a job that involves the use of reason and must be governed by the natural virtues, which very well described the Greek antiquity, the four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude.
The conviction that the field of politics is the realm of common reason, to be developed in mutual understanding and must also include the illumination of reason, implies the exclusion of two positions. First
excludes theologizing of politics, ideology would become of faith. policy in fact does not follow the faith but of reason, and the distinction between the political sphere and the sphere of faith belongs precisely to the central tradition of Christianity found in the word of Christ "Give the emperor what is the emperor, to God what is God." In this sense the state is a secular state, profane, for the better. I think, for example, in the beautiful words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux to Pope at the time: "Do not think that you are the successor of Constantine are not the successor of Constantine, but Peter. Your book is important not Justinian Code, but the Holy Scripture. "
This, say, just profane, or secular politics, thus excluding the idea of \u200b\u200btheocracy, of a policy determined by the dictates of faith, excludes, on the other hand, positivism and empiricism also is a mutilation of reason. According to this position, the reason would be able to perceive only material things, empirical, verifiable or falsifiable with empirical methods. The reason, therefore, would be blind in regard to moral values \u200b\u200band can not judge them because they enter into the sphere of subjectivity, not the objectivity of a limited right to verify, the empirical and the positivist. Such mutilation of reason that is beyond what can be seen, the empirical, to the verifiable and falsifiable by such methods as material destroys politics and, as stated by Senator Cossiga, reduces it to a purely technical, you should simply follow the strongest currents of the time, thus subjecting transition to a dictation and irrational. And this is another commitment to our paper: if we exclude the one hand a theocratic conception and insist on the rationality of politics, on the other hand, we also exclude positivism according to which the reason is blind to moral values, and we are convinced that reason has the capacity to meet the great moral imperatives, the great values \u200b\u200bto determine all the specific decisions.
In this sense I think it also involved some link between faith and politics: faith can illuminate the reason, can heal, cure a sick reason. Not in the sense that the influence of faith brings the field of politics from reason to faith, but in the sense that the reason restores itself to its own area, it helps to be right itself without alienating.
The information displayed on our note to Catholic politicians, regarding the values \u200b\u200bto be defended against a majority of time, do not want to be an interference in politics por parte de la jerarquía. Quieren ser una ayuda necesaria a la razón de modo que sobre todo los políticos creyentes puedan, en el debate político, ayudar a una evidencia común y de este modo a una presencia real y concreta de los valores que deben gobernar a cada uno en la política. Gracias."
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