Between the Catholic Church and democracy, complex links

“The French Revolution could not have taken place if the clergy had not tipped over to the side of the Third Estate. This clear statement by the Jesuit Paul Valadier, doctor of theology and philosophy, during the conference on the theme “Catholic Church and democracy”, Friday January 13 at the Center Sèvres in Paris, lays the contours of the debate on the place of Church within democratic systems.

A conference which brought together Bernard Bourdin, professor at the Catholic Institute of Paris, director of the Center d’études du Saulchoir, Lucien Jaume, associate professor of philosophy, doctor of political science, director of research emeritus at the CNRS, Jean-Luc Pouthier, journalist and teacher, former cultural advisor to the French Embassy to the Holy See, and Paul Valadier.

A Catholic conception of democracy

For Bernard Bourdin, who expresses himself from a point of view that he wants to be “magisterial”, “the Church has integrated the democratic concept”. He justifies this by explaining that with the Second Vatican Council, opened on October 11, 1962 by Pope John XXIII and which ended on December 8, 1965 under the pontificate of Paul VI, we are witnessing a return to political reflection “which sees unveil a Catholic conception of democracy”. He adds, moreover, that the Church has known, since the 19th century, “a dazzling evolution”.

To study the links between the Church and democracy, it is still necessary to define the latter. Jean-Luc Pouthier defines the concept of “modern democracy” which designates any political system in which the people are sovereign. It is therefore “a government of the people, by the people and for the people”.

As such, according to Paul Valadier, “there is an undeniable contribution of Catholicism to democracy”. He defends this idea by the universal conception of the person forming the unity of the human race carried by the Catholic Church. According to him “this affirmation gives fruit to democracy”, and the latter launches in an amused tone: “Democracies are not born by falling from the sky! »

On the question of the authority of the Church in a democratic society, Lucien Jaume defends the idea that this authority depends on its legitimacy. According to him, “the Church is an exceptional authority” insofar as it is an institution that is part of the very long term.

An explanatory debate

Among the public who came to attend this conference, Colette, 81, a former student of Paul Valadier, made the trip. “The subject challenged me, it’s a real question that I ask myself,” she says.

After the various interventions, the debate is intended to be more explanatory than contradictory. The idea emerges that democracy, which postulates the equality of all citizens, is wary of hierarchies, whatever their nature. However, the Catholic Church, presenting itself as a hierarchical society, may appear incompatible with democratic practices, but the ecclesial reality includes more democratic elements than one would think. Moreover, according to the four speakers, democracy is a regime which nevertheless needs a relationship to transcendence, to a certain authority.

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