Day 291: The Political Community and the Church

It is a part of the Church's mission "to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls require it. the means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances." CCC 2246

Today's reading from the Catechism is quite short, consisting of just three brief paragraphs and an In Brief reviewing what has been covered the past few days. Basically, civil governments are called to respect the fundamentals of the Gospel, particularly on human dignity and life, while the Church is not to act beyond a moral guide. So things like I remember from the 1980s, of brutally repressive governments and liberation theology in Latin America, are not in keeping with Catholic teaching at all. 

The Catechism Companion has some good commentary on this:

If there is no God, there is no such thing as right and wrong. We are reduced to utilitarianism or individual preference. It is not self-evident, for example, that we are all created equal, unless we are borrowing that idea from Christianity, from a revealed truth that every human being is made in God's image and likeness. If they are not guided by the gospel, governments tend toward tyranny... The Church is not a political group. We have to stay "above the fray" while still proclaiming the truth. The Church has to continue to remind the world that all human life is equal from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. (p. 98)