Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Freedom of the Church
Dignitatis Humanae 13 speaks of this being a "sacred freedom," a "fundamental principle" in all relations between Church and state. This freedom is claimed on spiritual authority, "established by Christ the Lord, upon which there rests, by divine mandate, the duty of going out into the whole world and preaching the Gospel to every creature." The Church also claims freedom as a basic right possessed by our members as citizens and human beings.
"(T)he Christian faithful, in common with all other (people), possess the civil right not to be hindered in leading their lives in accordance with their consciences. Therefore, a harmony exists between the freedom of the Church and the religious freedom which is to be recognized as the right of all men and communities and sanctioned by constitutional law."
