Pope Rejects Theocracy in First Encyclical: The Church 'Cannot and Must Not Replace the State'
"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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