Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on the state
From Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Church, Ecumenism and Politics (New York: Crossroad, 1988) pp. 147-151.
The state is not the whole of human existence and does not embrace the whole of human hope. Men and women and their hopes extend beyond the thing that is the state and beyond the sphere of political activity. This does not only apply to a state that is Babylon but to any and every state. The state is not the totality: that takes the load off the politician's shoulders and at the same time opens up for him or her the path of rational politics. The Roman state was false and anti-Christian precisely because it wanted to be the totality of human capacity. In that way it claimed what it could not achieve; and in that way it distorted and diminished men and women. Through the totalitarian lie it became demonic and tyrannical. Getting rid of the totality of the state has demythologized the state and thereby liberated men and women as well as politicians and politics.
But when Christian faith, faith in man’s greater hope, decays and falls away, then the myth of the divine state rises up once again, because men and women cannot renounce the totality of hope. Even when such promises dress themselves up as progress and monopolize the concept of progress and of progressiveness, nevertheless considered historically they are a going back behind the Christian thing that is new, a turning back on the scale of history. And even when they proclaim as their goal the complete liberation of mankind and the elimination of all domination, they stand in contradiction to the truth of man and in contradiction to his or her freedom, because they force people into what they can achieve themselves. This kind of politics that declares the kingdom of God to be the result politics and distorts faith into universal primacy of the political is by its nature the politics of enslavement; it is mythological politics.To this, faith opposes the standard of Christian reason, which recognizes what man is really capable of creating as the order of freedom and can be content with this because it knows that man’s greater expectation lies hidden in God’s hands. Rejecting the hope of faith is at the same time rejecting the standard of political reason. To renounce the mythical hopes of a society free of domination is not resignation but honesty that maintains men and women in hope. The mythical hope of a do-it-yourself paradise can only drive people into fear from which there is no escape; fear of the collapse of their promises and of the greater void lurks behind it; fear of their own power and its cruelty.
So the first service that Christian fait performs for politics is that it liberates men and women from the irrationality of the political myths that are the real threat of our time.
It is of course always difficult to adopt the sober approach that does what is possible and does not cry enthusiastically after the impossible; the voice of reason is not as loud as the cry of unreason. The cry for the large-scale has the whiff of morality; in contrast limiting oneself to what is possible seems to be renouncing the passion of morality and adopting the pragmatism of the faint-hearted. But in truth political morality consists precisely of resisting the seductive temptation of the big words by which humanity and its opportunities are gambled away. It is not the adventurous moralism that wants itself to do God’s work that is moral, but the honesty that accepts the standards of man and in them does the work of man. It is not refusal to compromise but compromise that in political things is the true morality.
Comments (24)
I heard in the passing that Pope Benedict XVI was a university professor in Germany for 20 years. Does anyone know what field he received his doctorate (European equivalent) and taught in? I'm guessing philosophy or theology.
Published: April 19, 2005 4:29 PM
Is the very last line transcribed correctly?
It is not refusal to compromise that in political things is the true morality.
But I wasn't familiar with Ratzinger's political and economic thought. Apparently he is going to be a good successor here too.
Viva la Papa!
Published: April 19, 2005 4:34 PM
Good call. It was an error: "It is not refusal to compromise but compromise that in political things is the true morality." Fixed
Published: April 19, 2005 4:39 PM
tz, VIVA LA PAPA in spanish mean "Hurrah potato!" Sometime words speak out of themselves. Even may be "backed potato". This guy, with its medievals ideas, is close to impose 10%, decima, tax at the entrance of every church. Also Bushy and Rummy have to paid down 10% of their income. A world up down. A total madness. Disgusting.
Published: April 19, 2005 6:10 PM
I think El Papa is Pope. I'm hoping this Pope will take a strong anti-war stand like his predecessor.
Published: April 19, 2005 6:26 PM
Hei, Joe, lack only, a part your hope, that the potato take part for a strong pro-war stand!!! The war against womens, homo, dying people for HIV, ostracism toward freedom of thinking, is already on track from 20 years or so lead by this potato: want the old man take a gun in his hands? This is a guy of Inquisition and Opus Dei, be cautious, is politically dangerous. Liberty is not his strong.
Published: April 19, 2005 6:58 PM
you are so inane perro. You believe that today it is the church that persecutes? You believe that religion is the end of freedom, but luckily the founding fathers of the US didn't hold your stereotypical views. You preach great doublespeak. We should write anti-hate laws and wrangle in those crazy priests who fight against the state....
Published: April 19, 2005 8:34 PM
Certainly, an amount of suspicion of the Church is warranted. Organized religion, and the Catholic Church in particular has been an ally of evil governments for much longer than it has been an enemy.
While I am pleased to see Ratzinger disapprove of the state, there are many things about the Church that is anti-freedom, and anti-free markets. It doesn't approve of capitalism and its evil materialism, and would view the society we wish for with disdain and contempt.
I appreciate and respect nearly all the opinions I read at this site, but the respect for the Catholic Church is one that confuses me. The Church is NOT a friend of freedom.
Published: April 19, 2005 10:29 PM
Your assessment of Catholics, and of the entire Catholic Church, is not entirely correct, just as a similar assessment of Jews or Mormons would be incorrect. For a counter-example to your opinion of the Catholic Church, see the writings of some Catholic people here.
I agree that people in general are not sufficiently anti-state; therefore, generally, subgroups of people (religions, races, nationalities) are also not sufficiently anti-state, in my opinion. This does not mean that the institutions make people pro-state, rather, people who are pro-state make up most of the membership of most major institutions in the world today.
- Dewaine
Published: April 20, 2005 1:16 AM
Your assessment of Catholics, and of the entire Catholic Church, is not entirely correct, just as a similar assessment of Jews or Mormons would be incorrect.
I'm not sure about Jews, but Mormon leaders have been extolling the virtues of capitalism (and even, to some extent, materialism) for decades. I believe the Catholic Church, on the other hand, has explicitly condemned the supposed evils of capitalism on several occasions.
Published: April 20, 2005 1:43 AM
I think the LvMI should send a copy of Human Action and a copy of Man, Economy, and State as office warming gifts to Benedict XVI (I'd send them myself, or at least offer to pay LvMI, but I'm unemployed and don't have the money, and it's probably more valuable coming from the LvMI than some random Joe)
Published: April 20, 2005 7:36 AM
Dewaine,
I followed your link to the Acton Institute, and found an article entitled "Faith Essential Ingredient of Democratic Capitalism." In it was this statement:
"The most important thing Christians say about everything is that "Jesus is Lord." And that "everything" most certainly includes politics."
I would love to count the Catholic Church amongst the allies of freedom and free markets, but statements like that don't really uphold that viewpoint. Faith is irrelevant to capitalism. The author of the article goes on to point out that
" But the Church will continue to insist, and should continue to insist, that the free economy be tempered, directed, and disciplined by the moral-cultural order and by law."
You don't see the contradictions here? Their friendship with freedom ends as soon as someone's actions violate their moral-cultural order or the law. Not to bring up a tired point, but where does homosexuality fit in here? Or non-procreative sex? Or anything else that the Catholic Church disapproves of? These are all issues of freedom.
The whole tract is PRECISELY the kind of thing you see from socialists: "Yes, the free market makes lots of money, but we have to restrict its inherant materialism, these evil advertisements and bad morals. " Can't you see this? It's just a pathetic ancient regime finally realizing that people don't think their moral-order is the right one.
The author admits it himself:
Given its "organic" view of society, Catholic social doctrine has, until recent years, been leery of what it deemed the excessive individualism of capitalist economies.
It will take more than a few "recent years" of 'devotion' to freedom to counteract nearly two millennia of being on the side of big government, oppression, anti-technologists, persecution and bloody war.
I'm sorry, but the Catholic Church is no longer a guiding force for humanity. And I believe that's a good thing.
Why are we trying to shoehorn a mystical, anti-individual, anti-materialistic, anti-secular, hide-bound old religious philosophy into agreement with free market capitalism? Capitalism champions the individual and their desires. Religion (of all kinds) champions the supernatural and their desires. The conflict is unavoidable.
"rather, people who are pro-state make up most of the membership of most major institutions in the world today."
An excellent point. I'm just confused why anyone thinks the Catholic Church has any more value as an "anti-state" group than any other religion or philosophy. I know the Mises Institute has its differences with Objectivism, but I would say that your similarities with it are far greater than Catholicism. If we're going to pick a philosophy as the underpinning of capitalism, surely there are better options than the Church.
Published: April 20, 2005 9:48 AM
really sorry for your unemployement, Doyle, but don't send book to "potato": he burn immediately all that no contain the EPISTEME, the real true that He state. Any others are no worthy containing only opinions, DOXA, relativism, materialism etc. The CC IS a State, a deep beaurocratic state, and act worldwide via "convention" with other State better if beaurocratic the same way searching to obtain benefits (tax exemptions, gifts etc) for his piramidal organized clergy. This guys are not productive strictu sensu, but in trying to sell the immortality they often obtain huge profits from so-called believers.
Published: April 20, 2005 10:00 AM
I don't see anything remotely interesting in the posted Ratzinger text above. It boils down to
* The state is bad if it sees itself as all encompassing, replacing religion. So totalitarianism is bad. How bold to say that.
* Extremism in politics is bad. I'm stunned by the originality of Ratzinger's intellect.
Furthermore it isn't clear at all that Ratzinger would view individualist anti-politics favorably.
"Rejecting the hope of faith is at the same time rejecting the standard of political reason."
Non sequitur.
"To renounce the mythical hopes of a society free of domination is not resignation but honesty that maintains men and women in hope."
He may be writing about communist myths here, but I'd like to see some concrete evidence that he endorses or at least does not similarly renounce our hopes for a society free of domination, narrowly defined, i.e., a libertarian society. Condemning totalitarianism is a LONG way from such an endoresement.
Published: April 20, 2005 10:35 AM
If the Catholic church is no longer a guiding force for humanity, then that leaves the world, the flesh, and/or the devil.
The proper question is not whether the church is mystical, anti or pro individual (whatever that means), anti or pro materialistic, anti or pro secular, hidebound or progressive, but whether it is true and right.
The utter anarchy (lawlessness) in afghanistan before the Taliban took over was far more individualistic - but the robbers and thieves had the run of the place.
The state makes a terrible master, but too many people today (materialists) are literally slaves to fashion or passion. Addicts that will kill you for their next "fix".
The Church is NOT the state and ought not be. Nor is it the market. Each has their functions and proper place in society and ought not to encroach into areas they are not competent.
The Church simply points out that Hell is a far worse place than prison and is permanent and explains how to avoid it.
They would also explain that condoms are not an answer to unrestrained passions. With the STD crisis it appears that if people aren't responsible or prudent to be chaste, they aren't going to be meticulous about condoms, much like violent criminals aren't going to use knives instead of guns if the latter are illegal. AIDS is very, very expensive to treat and many would simply be dead now if they weren't pulling hundreds of thousands out of the economy in treatment costs.
Even libertarians tend to have sects, and I would be in the "natural law" camp which the above begins to describe my ideas of the function of the church, state, and market.
The church has opposed the state in far more many forms than are usually discussed here in its 2000 year history, from the Romans who actively sought their deaths, to various kings and princes who sought authority over them, to communism and nazism, to the current hedonistic corporatistic materialism which calls itself "democratic capitalism".
And that is something to note. Natural law morality has outlasted states - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Confuscianism. All have strong families and a common morality (see CS Lewis "Abolition of Man").
If you believe in reason and science, these four are the only lasting systems. There have been libertarian societies for a few decades, but they disappeared. As did various forms of tyranny.
You can attempt to create something using a different foundation. But prior experiments failed, and I don't expect others to succeed. You may not like what works (traditional family values), but most people don't like what works for curing obesity (eat less, exercise more).
Benedict XVI is the 265th pope. We are only up to President 43, and how many monarchs did england have since its origin?
Published: April 20, 2005 1:04 PM
The last two comments are only banal defence of the dogmatic learning of CC of which this kartoffel theologian have tried to spread FEAR and angst AGAINST materialism and related value. I personally don't care about because for me god do not exist and religions are only the answer to existential problems. Simply I don't like one guy cutting away common sense to people in general and to me in particular. Even science has no FOUNDATION point and however noboby may denies his merit. I don't see why this urge to dispose of a response to the trouble of very single existence, finding this in a "ready made" PRODUCT that's without FOUNDATION too. Too easy!!
Published: April 20, 2005 5:20 PM
One of the free-market dogmas is that entrepenuers will succeed only by being other-centric instead of being ego-centric. It is not the product I consider wonderful and want to sell, but what the customer wants, what helps him and meets his need or want.
I agree that there is enlightened self-interest, but it is a different thing if our will and intellect (our souls) persist after death. Temporally, I can only get wealth legitimately by fulfilling the desires of others or by doing evil acts. If there is a universe outside of the material the rules might be subtle, much as general relativity and quantum mechanics tend to predict different things at their scales.
Many teen-agers are committing suicide. They have a lot of material and usually as much sex as they want, unlike the "less enlightened" eras where they thought they had enough of a future to want to live another day.
The Church says there is something more than perpetual stimulation of the pleasure center of your brain.
Published: April 20, 2005 9:12 PM
To those critical of the Catholic Church, as if a campaign against Catholicism were a campaign for freedom:
The sentiment that religion is in itself anti-liberty is as foolish as the sentiment that anti-religion is pro-liberty. For examples of non-religious evils, remember the regimes of Lenin and Stalin, the motives of Marx, etc. The freedom to choose the laws one will live by is the meaning of freedom and religion, and within religion there is always the choice to obey or disobey. The goal or campaign of many libertarians to fight religion is misguided and ignorant, because religious laws provide a free-choice alternative to State laws.
- Dewaine
Published: April 21, 2005 1:34 AM
...The Church says there is something more than perpetual stimulation of the pleasure center of your brain.
Yes, all churches say that. But some of them don't foolishly attack economic freedom at the same time.
To those critical of the Catholic Church, as if a campaign against Catholicism were a campaign for freedom:
The sentiment that religion is in itself anti-liberty is as foolish as the sentiment that anti-religion is pro-liberty.
Few argue that religion in general is anti-liberty. The Catholic religion certainly is, though.
Published: April 21, 2005 12:29 PM
I'm an old man. Some comments here make me laugh hence enjoy to stay here for fun. "Many teens are comitting suicide"...and many old man too, so what? Everybody teens or old is free to cut down his life from the rock era. Boys, read something from greek stoicism and even from Socrate. You can't escape the inner contradiction of personal existence embracing in a blind way an ideological justification. Another boy say that religion law is alternative to state law...ha...always LAW, so you NEED anyway some law otherwise you are lost, damned, or fallen being, hence presumably toward suicide bus stop. One say, beeing against religion (note i think there are no god catholic,coranic, jew etc.) is like to be in sintony to Marx, Stalin etc. this like of kidding. This is an abusive use of religion. The CC NEVER in history fought against the tyrants, Kings, Landlords and even less with fascist movement and his idealogy, take Nazi, Mussolini, Franco, Pinochet etc. Somebody know how many nazis has been aided by CC hierarchy to escape to South America via Spain? I affirm that religion is a PRISON of human dignity and liberty. If people in this mad world want to go free into prison they can do it. I for one prefer avoid some kind of masochism. Everybody is free to do what he want to do with his life but do not disturb with contorsion about the CC as champion of spreading freedom. May be some boys here don't know that this pope in his lunatic doctrine deny the true of OTHERS religions, even the protestant one. Sothat the real true is only that coming from Rome even inside the religious contest. For exemple one thinking like me is "ipso facto" damned because deny god, How on the eart another man like me, invested by some curious sovranity i.e. SUPERIOR law condemn me to the so-called eternal fire ONLY because of my freedom of thinking? Are you mad, young boys? All of us has already many problems in every day life, lacks only that one go the bed damned by a guy that passed all his life in a library searching doctrine pure to punish any dissent. If you love liberty and prison togheter you can do what you want, but the old philosopher like me stay with his simply human dignity without going down with my knee to whatsoever, almost freely....if somebody take me by force and put me in Abu Ghraib by force may I'm obliged to obey for the moment. Meanwhile, after fun, massage your soul, give good food to him, exercise and be happy.
Published: April 21, 2005 5:41 PM
"Few argue that religion in general is anti-liberty. The Catholic religion certainly is, though."
Most libertarians I have met believe that religion is generally bad because it narrows the range of choices a "free" person should enjoy; most libertarians I have met argue that religion is generally anti-liberty.
The Catholic religion is open to interpretation by its membership, perhaps more so than many religions. Catholic opinion is really the opinion held individually by the particular Catholic you are speaking to. Early in the history of the U.S., Catholics were much more freedom-oriented than the Protestants and Puritans, see this article by Murray Rothbard.
I agree the Catholic Church is dangerous when it is given the opportunity to hold political power as it does in much of South America, but that is not really the issue in most cases any more. No church should be allowed that power. But as a religion, its followers are just as susceptible to ideas of freedom as are the followers of other religions.
- Dewaine
Published: April 22, 2005 1:37 AM
Very true, though you have to admit that Catholic and Democrat are almost synonymous in national politics. But I was mostly referring to the leadership of the Catholic Church.
Published: April 22, 2005 1:46 AM
From:
http://www.johannorberg.net/
15:49 - THE NEW ANTI-GLOBALISATION POPE:
“’The world economy is totally dominated by materialist principles,’ according to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in an interview with the Italian Catholic agency SIR, said that world economic affairs are driven by a form of economic liberalism which ‘specifically excludes the heart.’
More important, he continued, this outlook also excludes ‘the highest faculty of human intelligence,’ which is ‘the possibility of seeing God, of introducing the light of moral responsibility, love, and justice into the worlds of work, of commerce, and of politics.’
- Catholic World News
Wait a minute? The system that has liberated more people than ever from poverty and hunger “excludes the heart�? Says the guy who tries to convince African countries, plagued by AIDS, to stop using condoms.
------------end of quote---------
The catholic church has been anti market for as long as I can remember. I don't understand why the Mises institute engages in wishful thinking on this particular subject.
Published: April 22, 2005 1:39 PM
As the pope takes his new post, there some very important guide posts that will be shaken as a result:
1) Catholicism will see its decline (conservatism is scaring individuals away from the faith).
2) Continual lose of members of the faith, intuitive of the last comment
3) Continued globalization of the economy will be thrown down by the new pope.
- Though he is 78, we need change in the Catholic Church NOW!
Published: April 22, 2005 4:31 PM