The tirades by President Rodrigo Duterte against the Catholic Church have become a staple on television. Prior to a call for dialogue, the president was invoking the separation of church and state, but what does “separation of the church and the state” really mean?
The principle has long been abused.
Regarding its purpose, it has been engraved in our history how the Catholic Church influenced the public to rise up against the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Radio Veritas, then headed by the late Cardinal Jaime Sin, was instrumental in calling for people to take part in a momentous part of history – anti-Catholics dubbed it “The Sin of EDSA.”
The church has been on the frontline against all social impunity the government has committed.
Today, the church’s criticism of the current administration could be considered a cornerstone of society.
Society is divided into “People” and “people”
When talking about People (with a capital “P), it refers to those involved in social institutions, such as government, church, and education. “people” (with a lower-case “P”) are the “common people;” in this case, Catholicism represents the “church” and Duterte represents the “state.”
Religion and politics are polarizing issues because they deal with salient matters that are deeply personal.
With regard to People, their function is based on institutional operation; for this example, the government serves as the political institution. Government creates policy in order to serve as a “steering mechanism for a given society;” policies are intended to keep society headed in the right direction.
The government also regulates relationships both among members of society and between society and outsiders. They are granted the authority to make decisions for society to meet goals and maintain order.
In the context of religion, sociologist Emile Durkheim said, “The function of religion is to provide social cohesion that controls and maintains the society in social solidarity.” Religion brings people together during religious services, resulting in collective morals and beliefs being reaffirmed among all members of society. Both are exhibited in societal function if intended for the welfare of the people.
However, since they each have their own function, the two cannot overlap.
In the Philippines, laws and policies are from the government, whereas the gospel and sacraments are from the church.
Duterte’s tirades against the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines advance the notion that religion is an anathema to good governance. Yet, while there is a separation of the church and the state in the Philippine Constitution (Article II Section 6), the church will intervene if common people are subject to various abuses. The church exercises its prophetic role to protect the weak and use the ministry of Christ as a voice for the oppressed and silenced.
The Vincentian maxim “I have come to bring the good news to the poor” is a call for action to restore humanity and promote social cohesion. The church does not side with oppressors and, whenever there is a law that appears to usher in moral degeneration, the church was “conscience troublemakers” and challenge a state in defiance of the church’s teachings.
If the church turns a blind eye to abuses in society, that marks the end of religious existence.
Is the Catholic Church Duterte’s archnemesis? If it is about the president’s surplus of violence and power, then yes.
The church is doing its part to promote and teach the way of Christ in order to protect victims of tyranny. The separation of the church and the state, however, is too important to be misused, especially in an effort to silence opposing views./WDJ