"The state may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions," the Pope said, in the 71-page encyclical. "For her part the church, as the social expression of Christian faith, has a proper independence and is structured on the basis of her faith as a community which the state must recognize."
In a message that reflects his predecessor's desire to encourage charity, the pope also described Christian charity not primarily as a tool for proselytizing, but as a witness of God's love, and as a way to show compassion for one's neighbors. "Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies," the pope states. "It is not a means of changing the world ideologically, and it is not at the service of worldly stratagems, but it is a way of making present here and now the love which man always needs."
Pope Rejects Theocracy in First Encyclical: The Church 'Cannot and Must Not Replace the State' | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
Pope Rejects Theocracy in First Encyclical: The Church 'Cannot and Must Not Replace the State' | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
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