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                                  VIS-Press releases   
      
   PROPER PLACE OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 17 SEP 2010 (VIS) - At 5.15 p.m. today the Holy Father met with   
   representatives from British civil society, and from the worlds of culture,   
   academe and business, as well as the diplomatic corps and religious leaders.   
   The meeting took place in Westminster Hall which, built in 1099, is the oldest   
   part of Westminster Palace and is used for events of national and international   
   significance.   
      
   The Pope began his address by recalling "the countless men and women down the   
   centuries who have played their part in the momentous events that have taken   
   place within these walls and have shaped the lives of many generations of   
   Britons, and others besides.   
      
   "In particular", he added, "I recall the figure of St. Thomas More, the great   
   English scholar and statesman, who is admired by believers and non- believers   
   alike for the integrity with which he followed his conscience, even at the cost   
   of displeasing the sovereign whose 'good servant' he was, because he chose to   
   serve God first. The dilemma which faced More in those difficult times, the   
   perennial question of the relationship between what is owed to Caesar and what   
   is owed to God, allows me the opportunity to reflect with you briefly on the   
   proper place of religious belief within the political process".   
      
   "The fundamental questions at stake in Thomas More's trial continue to present   
   themselves in ever-changing terms as new social conditions emerge. Each   
   generation, as it seeks to advance the common good, must ask anew: what are the   
   requirements that governments may reasonably impose upon citizens, and how far   
   do they extend? By appeal to what authority can moral dilemmas be resolved?   
   These questions take us directly to the ethical foundations of civil discourse.   
   If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves   
   determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of   
   the process becomes all too evident - herein lies the real challenge for   
   democracy".   
      
   The Holy Father continued his remarks: "The inadequacy of pragmatic, short-   
   term solutions to complex social and ethical problems has been illustrated all   
   too clearly by the recent global financial crisis. There is widespread   
   agreement that the lack of a solid ethical foundation for economic activity has   
   contributed to the grave difficulties now being experienced by millions of   
   people throughout the world. Just as 'every economic decision has a moral   
   consequence', so too in the political field, the ethical dimension of policy   
   has far-reaching consequences that no government can afford to ignore".   
      
   "The central question at issue, then, is this: where is the ethical foundation   
   for political choices to be found? The Catholic tradition maintains that the   
   objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding   
   from the content of revelation. According to this understanding, the role of   
   religion in political debate is ... to help purify and shed light upon the   
   application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles".   
      
   Without the "corrective" role of religion, the Pope explained, "reason too can   
   fall prey to distortions, as when it is manipulated by ideology, or applied in   
   a partial way that fails to take full account of the dignity of the human   
   person. Such misuse of reason, after all, was what gave rise to the slave trade   
   in the first place and to many other social evils, not least the totalitarian   
   ideologies of the twentieth century. This is why I would suggest that the world   
   of reason and the world of faith - the world of secular rationality and the   
   world of religious belief - need one another and should not be afraid to enter   
   into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation.   
      
   "Religion, in other words, is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a   
   vital contributor to the national conversation. In this light, I cannot but   
   voice my concern at the increasing marginalisation of religion, particularly of   
   Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which   
   place a great emphasis on tolerance. There are those who would advocate that   
   the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private   
   sphere. There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such   
   as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might   
   somehow offend those of other religions or none. And there are those who argue   
   - paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination - that   
   Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their   
   conscience. These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the   
   rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also   
   the legitimate role of religion in the public square. I would invite all of   
   you, therefore, within your respective spheres of influence, to seek ways of   
   promoting and encouraging dialogue between faith and reason at every level of   
   national life".   
      
   After then highlighting how the British government co-operates with the Holy   
   See in such areas as peace, human rights and development, the Holy Father noted   
   how "the Holy See also looks forward to exploring with the United Kingdom new   
   ways to promote environmental responsibility, to the benefit of all".   
      
   "In recent years it has been encouraging to witness the positive signs of a   
   worldwide growth in solidarity towards the poor. But to turn this solidarity   
   into effective action calls for fresh thinking that will improve life   
   conditions in many important areas, such as food production, clean water, job   
   creation, education, support to families, especially migrants, and basic   
   healthcare. Where human lives are concerned, time is always short, yet the   
   world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue   
   financial institutions deemed 'too big to fail'. Surely the integral human   
   development of the world's peoples is no less important: here is an enterprise,   
   worthy of the world's attention, that is truly 'too big to fail'".   
      
   The Holy Father expressed his joy at progress in co-operation between the   
   United Kingdom and the Holy See "in the years that have passed since the   
   establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, in promoting throughout the   
   world the many core values that we share". In this context he also voiced the   
   hope "that this relationship will continue to bear fruit, and that it will be   
   mirrored in a growing acceptance of the need for dialogue and respect at every   
   level of society between the world of reason and the world of faith. I am   
   convinced that, within this country too, there are many areas in which the   
   Church and the public authorities can work together for the good of citizens".   
      
   "For such co-operation to be possible", he concluded, "religious bodies -   
   including institutions linked to the Catholic Church - need to be free to act   
   in accordance with their own principles and specific convictions based upon the   
   faith and the official teaching of the Church. In this way, such basic rights   
   as religious freedom, freedom of conscience and freedom of association are   
   guaranteed".   
   PV-UNITED KINGDOM/VIS 20100918 (1180)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
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