Republican and Christian values
A few weeks before the departmental and regional elections, Christians are already wondering about their vote in this ballot, and their role in terms of social ties in the Republic. “Christians, who are disciples of Christ, cannot lose interest in this world that their God has come to accustom. There is therefore a natural involvement of Christians in public affairs.“said Father Bertrand Auville, author of the magazine” Philadelphia “.
In France, the state is secular. Which does not mean that the French are. “What is important is that a number of Republican values are also Christian values. Liberty, equality, fraternity. These are themes the Bible talks about over and over again“adds Father Bertrand Auville. However, it is not necessarily easy to assume Catholicism in politics. A religious affiliation which should neither be shameful nor”a marketing value“for this priest.
Put the man in the foreground
“Being a Catholic in politics is bound to be difficult. Very quickly, there can be conflicts of conscience between some kind of Christian ideal, and practice in the field. The Christian life is always on a ridge line where the balance is unstable, and the only way not to fall when you are out of balance is to move forward. We must therefore risk ourselves, confront ourselves. It’s dangerous, but it’s the stake of our life“says Father Bertrand Auville.
Catholics do not form a single bloc in politics. There are several sensitivities. “This is the famous question of non-negotiable points. I will not get into this controversy, for which I have no answer. There is however a marker: look in the programs, in the professions of faith of the candidates, the place of the man. Is the man central in the proposals that are made? If it is not man, it is something else: the planet, the economy, such and such an ideology. Here is a marker of discernment, if one needed one“says the founder of” Philadelphia “.
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