Mgr. Lajolo on the role of the Church in society
On April 16, Mgr. Giovanni Lajolo, secretary of the Holy See for Relations with States, answered questions put to him by the Indonesian daily Kompas. His responses show how, in the name of the religious liberty promoted by Vatican II, the doctrine of the Social Reign of Christ the King has been dismissed by official representatives of the Church. We can see clearly how right Archbishop Lefebvre was when he said of them: “They have uncrowned Him.”
In fact, the “Minister of Foreign Affairs” of the Vatican declared in this interview: “According to the doctrine of the Church, there is a distinction, from which we can not make an abstraction,” “between religion and politics.” “Politics is concerned above all with security, with liberty – and in particular religious liberty – and the social wellbeing of everyone, irrespective of their religion.” He added, “religion, on the other hand, considers the spiritual good of people and their relationship with God, with themselves and with others, on the basis of (their) faith.” This means, he said, that “the State must not interfere in any way in internal religious matters, in which it has no competence, but only in guaranteeing its liberty.” “In turn, heads of religious communities must not interfere in political activity.”
If the Vatican City State is a “true State,” explained Mgr. Lajolo, it has a “minute political reality, which has only the function of guaranteeing the independence of the pope from all civil power.” Because “the vast network of embassies of the Holy See, known technically as Papal nunciatures, do not, as other embassies, follow matters of politics, defense and business etc., but are concerned with the freedom of the Church and human rights.”
The Holy See intervenes everywhere in order to guarantee the legal status of the Church and in certain countries, in order to defend Catholic faithful who are being oppressed or victims discrimination.”
“The Church,” recalled the prelate, “is the sure and steady guardian of the truth of the Gospel without any concession to relativism, to hedonism or to any unnatural institution, like the so-called ‘homosexual marriage.’” And the bishops “seek to enlighten Catholics on moral questions raised by legislation or political action, on the basis of rational arguments.”
According to Mgr. Lajolo, “Benedict XVI will continue his commitment to religious dialogue” and “will not fail to intensify intercultural dialogue because of the concomitant differences of culture and mentality among followers of different religions.” Because interreligious dialogue tries “to have a better understanding of the position of one’s interlocutor and to make his own position known,” in order to “strengthen the ties of personal respect” between them. In fact, in his opinion, “interreligious dialogue does not seek to make those who participate less faithful to their own religious convictions, but to open their minds and hearts more and more to the will of God.”
