P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That all citizens, individually and in groups, may be enabled to participate actively in the life and management of the common good.
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The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics. Fundamental to Christianity is the distinction between what belongs to the State and what belongs to God. The State may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions. The Church as the social expression of Christian faith is structured on the basis of her faith as a community, which the State has a duty to recognize.
Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics. Politics is more than a mere mechanism of defining the rules of public life. The State must inevitably face the question of how justice can be achieved here and now. Building a just and social and civil order is an essential task, which every generation must take up anew.
The just ordering of society is the proper duty of the lay faithful. As citizens, they are called to take part in public life in a personal capacity. The mission of the lay faithful is to configure social life correctly, respecting its legitimate autonomy and cooperation with other citizens. So they cannot relinquish their participation "in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and institutionally the common good". (Christifideles Laici).
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