Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations
There is a widespread belief today, primarily among the agnostics and atheists, and even among the not so active believers, that all forms of religious belief, including Christian Catholicism, should remain outside the political realm, limited to private spirituality. This paper thematises, in the c...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Ivica Šola Nikola Bižaca |
| author_facet | Ivica Šola Nikola Bižaca |
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| description | There is a widespread belief today, primarily among the agnostics and atheists, and even among the not so active believers, that all forms of religious belief, including Christian Catholicism, should remain outside the political realm, limited to private spirituality. This paper thematises, in the context of “positive laicity”, the way the Catholic Church changed its understanding of politics after the Second Vatican Council, regarding the involvement of believers, as serving the common good in a plural society. Using conciliar and post-conciliar documents as sources for reflection and argumentation, this paper outlines eight theological and anthropological assumptions regarding Catholic involvement in politics within the context of the 21st century, adapting the (post-)conciliar thought to the conditions of today’s globalised world. For Christians to do well in this responsible assignment, the starting point is Jesus Christ, both in the historical and in the cosmic project of God’s world in the making, expressed in the Old Testament as the arrival of God’s Kingdom. This article is methodologically limited, as the title states, to recognise and briefly sketch the content of a few basic theological–anthropological assumptions of Christian participation in politics, without going into the history of the issue, as well as to the authors who dealt with it in various aspects. In conclusion, we notice that the manner of religious action in politics described in this way presupposes that the believer has already left the state of infancy within his ecclesial community and is ready to make decisions within the political community based on his faith, competences and conscience, without clerical tutelage and obstruction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d3e367ee8a144a86941fdd2036999e10 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-d3e367ee8a144a86941fdd2036999e102025-08-20T02:28:15ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-04-0116448510.3390/rel16040485Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological ConsiderationsIvica Šola0Nikola Bižaca1The Academy of Arts and Culture, University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, CroatiaThe Catholic Theological Faculty, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaThere is a widespread belief today, primarily among the agnostics and atheists, and even among the not so active believers, that all forms of religious belief, including Christian Catholicism, should remain outside the political realm, limited to private spirituality. This paper thematises, in the context of “positive laicity”, the way the Catholic Church changed its understanding of politics after the Second Vatican Council, regarding the involvement of believers, as serving the common good in a plural society. Using conciliar and post-conciliar documents as sources for reflection and argumentation, this paper outlines eight theological and anthropological assumptions regarding Catholic involvement in politics within the context of the 21st century, adapting the (post-)conciliar thought to the conditions of today’s globalised world. For Christians to do well in this responsible assignment, the starting point is Jesus Christ, both in the historical and in the cosmic project of God’s world in the making, expressed in the Old Testament as the arrival of God’s Kingdom. This article is methodologically limited, as the title states, to recognise and briefly sketch the content of a few basic theological–anthropological assumptions of Christian participation in politics, without going into the history of the issue, as well as to the authors who dealt with it in various aspects. In conclusion, we notice that the manner of religious action in politics described in this way presupposes that the believer has already left the state of infancy within his ecclesial community and is ready to make decisions within the political community based on his faith, competences and conscience, without clerical tutelage and obstruction.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/4/485CatholicismpoliticsKingdom of Godimage of Godautonomyvalues |
| spellingShingle | Ivica Šola Nikola Bižaca Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations Religions Catholicism politics Kingdom of God image of God autonomy values |
| title | Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations |
| title_full | Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations |
| title_fullStr | Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations |
| title_short | Catholic Involvement in Politics: Some Theological and Anthropological Considerations |
| title_sort | catholic involvement in politics some theological and anthropological considerations |
| topic | Catholicism politics Kingdom of God image of God autonomy values |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/4/485 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ivicasola catholicinvolvementinpoliticssometheologicalandanthropologicalconsiderations AT nikolabizaca catholicinvolvementinpoliticssometheologicalandanthropologicalconsiderations |