Saturday, January 5, 2013
405. What is the foundation of the authority of society? (part 1)
(Comp 405) Every human community needs a
legitimate authority that preserves order and contributes to the realization of
the common good. The foundation of such authority lies in human nature because
it corresponds to the order established by God.
“In brief”
(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.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1903) Authority is exercised legitimately only when it
seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit
means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures
contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in
conscience. In such a case, "authority breaks down completely and results
in shameful abuse" (John XXIII PT 51). (CCC 1904) "It is preferable
that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of
responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the
'rule of law,' in which the law is sovereign and not the arbitrary will of
men" (CA 44).
Reflection
(CCC 2242) The citizen is obliged in conscience not to
follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the
demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the
teachings of the Gospel. Refusing
obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of
an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between
serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's"
(Mt 22:21). "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29): When
citizens are under the oppression of a public authority which oversteps its
competence, they should still not refuse to give or to do what is objectively
demanded of them by the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend
their own rights and those of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this
authority within the limits of the natural law and the Law of the Gospel (GS 74
§ 5). [IT CONTINUES]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment