INTRODUCTION
In Vatican II documents, the Church does did not
use the terms "democracy" or "democratic".
Instead it preferred the term participation."
With the possibility of being corrected, the
social encyclicals did not use the term "democracy"
or "democratic" until Centesimo Anno.
Perhaps the terms seemed to take sides in world
politics. Or perhaps because "democracy"
as exercised by the majority could deprive
minorities of basic rights. Or perhaps because
"democracy" can be equated with
tolerance and lead to indifference toward our
brothers and sisters.
Mr. Rojas has a large and prosperous factory. On
his son's seventh birthday, he brought his son to
the factory to begin teaching the boy about the
family business. He said: "See those boxes.
I want you to climb to the very top and then jump
down. Don't be afraid. I will catch you."
Ben was frightened but trusting his father he
jumped. But just as he was about to reach his
father's arms, his father stepped away and Ben
fell crashing to the floor. His father explained
to the sobbing child. "That is your first
lesson in business, son. Don't trust anyone-- not
even your own father."
QUESTION
Do you think that Mr. Rojas was
cruel? Why or why not?
Sample Answers:
--His son will always remember this
traumatic lesson and it will save him
much grief in the future.
--Mr. Rojas, while well-meaning, forgets
that we could not exist in today's
society without relying on trust. For
example: Mr. Rojas trusts that his
workers do not burn down his factory when
he is away. He trusts that other
motorists will stop at red lights so he
can safely cross on green light.
Study the chart below and
indicate the level of trust you place on
each. on a scale of 1-10. ("10"=
complete trust; "1" = little
trust)
TRUSTWORTHY
PEOPLE
|
1-
10 |
TRUSTWORTHY
PEOPLE
|
1-10 |
| Parish
priest |
|
A
bus driver |
|
| Your
cousin in Canada |
|
Governor/President. |
|
| Your
doctor |
|
Legislative
Council |
|
| Salesman
on TV |
|
Judiciary |
|
| News
Broadcasters |
|
Next
door neighbor |
|
| McDonalds |
|
United
Nations |
|
| Military |
|
Police |
|
| Free
Market “Invisible Hand” |
|
Majority
of fellow citizens |
|
Democracy is a system of checks
and balances and requires the
independence of the various entities such
as judiciary, legislature and executive.
Ideally each branch is ultimately
accountable to the citizenry.
SOCIAL
TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
"The Church values the democratic system
inasmuch as it ensures the participation of
citizens in making political choices, guarantees
to the governed the possibility both of electing
and holding accountable those who govern them,
and of replacing them through peaceful means when
appropriate. Thus she cannot encourage the
formation of narrow ruling groups which usurp the
power of the State for individual interests or
for ideological ends.
"Authentic democracy is possible only in a
State ruled by law, and on the basis of a correct
conception of the human person." Pope John
Paul II, Centesimo Anno (Vatican City:
Vatican Polyglot Press, 1991) #46, pp. 88-89.
“THOU
SHALT THINK”
Study the above quote. List in
order of importance the various entities
in which we place our trust viz. "A"
being most worthy of trust and "K"
being the least worthy of trust.
| WORTHY
OF TRUST |
A-K |
WORTHY
OF TRUST |
A-K |
| Majority
of Voters. |
|
Democracy |
|
| Wisdom
of citizens |
|
National
Security Laws[Article 23] |
|
| Narrow
ruling group |
|
God |
|
| Rule
of law
|
|
Accountability |
|
| Experts |
|
Politicians |
|
Wisdom of citizens:
"Man participates in the wisdom and
goodness of the Creator who gives him
mastery over his acts and the ability to
govern himself with a view to the true
and the good. The natural law expresses
the original moral sense which enables
man to discern by reason the good and the
evil, the truth and the lie. … Even
when it is rejected in its very
principles, it cannot be destroyed or
removed from the heart of man. It always
rises again in the life of
individuals and societies…"
[Emphasis added] Catechism of the
Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger
Publishing Co, 1994), #1954 and #1958 p.
474-5.
"As a result of original sin, human
nature is weakened in its powers, subject
to ignorance, suffering, and the
domination of death; and inclined to sin…"
Ibid. # 418, p. 105. It is our belief
that there is inherent goodness to
humankind.
As Catholic we do not give unconditional
trust to any individual or specific group
of leaders who are subject to error and
concupiscence. However we do place the
weight of our trust in the basic goodness
of the general population to ultimately
do what is right. The charter of the
United Nations Declaration on Human
Rights would be an example of the basic
goodness of humankind.
Some non-Christians would dispute this
doctrine and insist that we place our
trust in visionaries, experts,
charismatic leaders, military personnel,
business executives or full-time
politicians.
Democracy includes a just rule of law,
universal franchise, separation of
powers, accountability, checks and
balances, and transparency. In this way
the general population, including
minorities, participate in the decisions
that affect its life.
Majority of Voters What
is advantageous for the majority can work
havoc on minority voters. Hence need for
the rule of law based on the dignity and
rights of each person.
Is it possible to go through
life trusting no one? Why not?
Sample Answers:
If we did not give some level of trust to
parents, teachers, doctors, bus drivers,
producers of food, bankers, government,
we could not survive in today's world.
|