Sunday reflections on Church and State

INFALLIBILITY: Today is Sunday, a rather good day — maybe an excuse — for delving into religious issues.

Taking on Catholic bishops last Friday, Speaker Prospero Nograles pointed out that the prelates were not infallible when talking politics.

Reacting to the bishops’ critical statement on Charter change (Cha-cha) being pushed by congressmen identified with President Gloria Arroyo, the Speaker said “this matter is not a case of a religious dogma where bishops are almost infallible.”

There was no need for Nograles to drag to the table the question of infallibility, even if he hedged a little by saying “almost infallible.”

In fairness to the bishops, none of them has claimed to be infallible. And in the first place, they cannot claim infallibility as the term is properly defined.

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EX CATHEDRA: By divine assistance, the Church founded by Christ has been preserved from error in her definitive dogmatic teachings regarding faith and morals.

Note that infallibility as claimed in Catholic theology pertains only to matters of faith and morals. Anything else is not covered. Although politics is within the realm of human conduct, it is out of the purview of papal infallibility.

Not just any priest or bishop can speak ex cathedra. That duty is reserved for the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, and only when he issues dogmatic teachings on matters of faith and morals — and solemnly declares he is doing so ex cathedra.

Such ex cathedra teachings of the Pope, btw, must be based on, or at least not contradicted by, Sacred Tradition or Sacred Scripture.

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SELDOM USED: Remarks, even inspired homilies of the Pope during a Mass or other rituals, are not necessarily ex cathedra even when they touch on the twin topics of faith and morals.

Ex cathedra literally means “from the seat” or throne/office (of Peter, the first Pope), from which the Supreme Pontiff makes the solemn declaration.

A journalist does not ambush-interview a visiting Pope, solicits his view on a burning issue, and then reports his response as if it were an infallible statement.

Neither does infallibility mean that the Pope is impeccable or free of sin or specially preserved from sinning. Infallibility has nothing to do with a priest’s (the Pope is a priest) being heir to sin.

It is clear that the office of the Pope is the ruling agent in deciding what will be accepted as formal beliefs in the Church. Even then, Popes seldom use their power of infallibility.

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TOTAL PERSON: There is a notion hereabout that religion and politics should not mix. This misconception flows from a misunderstanding of the constitutional principle of the separation of the Church and the State.

There is this myopic view that religion must stop at the church portal, that no religion should presume to influence or advice on matters arising outside that door.

That cannot be, because man is a total person. We cannot separate his spirit from his body, otherwise he dies. We have to nurture both body and soul, not separately but as two commingled elements of the same person.

This may sound trite, but it is true.

The separation and the resulting neglect of the physical and spiritual needs of the human person explain the personal and communal conflicts that man experiences. Part of the solution appears to be in striking a balance between the two.

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DRIFTING AWAY: Religion is not a cloistered affair between the priest and his sacristan, or between a bishop and the mandated lay organizations under him.

Religion should permeate all aspects of human activity, I would dare say including politics and government. If it does not do a good job of it, religion is a failure.

This can explain the distressing phenomenon we are witnessing in the Philippines. While we advertise our nation as 81 percent Catholic, the teachings of Christ that have changed the world seem to have been lost on us.

Why are we in such a mess? Why have we dropped in the esteem of our neighbors who used to look up to us? Why have we been topping the world record for massive corruption?

The answer is staring us in the face: Because we have grown crass and materialistic after drifting away from our Mother Church.

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IMITATE CHRIST: This is not to say that the Church should put up candidates or that church men — such as priests and bishops — should hold government office.

There is no law forbidding priests from running for and holding public posts — provided they have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications set forth in the Constitution.

It is the Church itself, older and probably wiser than our government, that has its own laws (canons) forbidding priests from entering politics and holding public office. (Ask Fr. Eddie Panlilio, now Pampanga governor. He knows.)

But while the Church may not operate as a political party and have its priests elected to office, it certainly can support candidates without violating the laws of the civil government and of the Church.

The teaching Church can (should) use its persuasive power to raise moral standards, influence public policy and civic actuations — in short, to restore spiritual values — if only to help save this fair country.

This it can do without having to claim infallibility. This it can do by imitating Christ, the beloved Teacher. Alas, too many priests are distracted.

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PERSONAL: Friends who cannot call or text me because my cellphone is not responding can email me at [email protected] and leave their contact numbers.