[13] Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people [14] and said to them, "You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, [15] nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. [16] Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." [17] [18] But all together they shouted out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us." [19] (Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder.) [20] Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, [21] but they continued their shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" [22] Pilate addressed them a third time, "What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." [23] With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. [24] The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. [25] So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.
(CCC 604) By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10; 4:19). God "shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). (CCC 1918) "There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom 13:1). (CCC 1919) Every human community needs an authority in order to endure and develop. (CCC 1920) "The political community and public authority are based on human nature and therefore . . . belong to an order established by God" (GS 74 § 3). (CCC 1921) Authority is exercised legitimately if it is committed to the common good of society. To attain this it must employ morally acceptable means. (CCC 1922) The diversity of political regimes is legitimate, provided they contribute to the good of the community. (CCC 1923) Political authority must be exercised within the limits of the moral order and must guarantee the conditions for the exercise of freedom. (CCC 1924) The common good comprises "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (GS 26 1). (CCC 1925) The common good consists of three essential elements: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; prosperity, or the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of society; the peace and security of the group and of its members. (CCC 1926) The dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good. Everyone should be concerned to create and support institutions that improve the conditions of human life. (CCC 1927) It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society. The common good of the whole human family calls for an organization of society on the international level. (CCC 1915) As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. The manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another. "One must pay tribute to those nations whose systems permit the largest possible number of the citizens to take part in public life in a climate of genuine freedom" (GS 31 § 3).
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