Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/57344| Title: | The Catholic Church and democracy |
| Authors: | Polidano, David |
| Keywords: | Religion -- Philosophy Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973 Catholic Church -- History -- 20th century Church and state -- Catholic Church Church and state |
| Issue Date: | 2003 |
| Publisher: | The Royal University Students' Theological Association |
| Citation: | Polidano, D. (2003). The Catholic Church and democracy. Melita Theologica, 54(2), 145-158. |
| Abstract: | Writing during the Second World War, the renowned Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain stated that democracy "springs in its essentials from the inspiration of the Gospel and cannot subsist without it." Maritain was surely not the first to comment on the relationship between Christianity and democracy. In his 1797 Christmas sermon, Cardinal Chiaramonti, bishop of Imola and later Pope Pius vu, had stated that "Christian virtue makes men good democrats ... Equality is not an idea of philosophers but of Christ ... and do not believe that the Catholic religion is against democracy." About half a century later, in the wake of the French February revolution of 1848, Frederick Ozanam, the founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society, hailed democracy as "the natural final stage of the development of political progress", and believed "that God leads the world thither." |
| URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/57344 |
| Appears in Collections: | MT - Volume 54, Issue 2 - 2003 MT - Volume 54, Issue 2 - 2003 |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The_Catholic_Church_and_Democracy_2003.pdf | 9.1 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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