The Church Should Rule the World

Never mind “the Galileo controversy” (a good response to that is here, by the way). The Church should rule the world.

One of the things that I have noticed that Catholics seem to be very wary of discussing is the history of the temporal power of the Church. Most of us have heard or read about the pompous popes, the conniving cardinals, and the notorious nepotism, so I suppose that it is not terribly shocking that Catholics would shrink when Church history is discussed.

But there is surprisingly little for which we should be ashamed, despite what the classic Protestant and secular narratives dictate.

DEFENDING OUR HISTORY

Protestants spread a lot of false propaganda during and after the Reformation. Lutherans, especially, consistently made it a point to implicitly and explicitly label the Pope as “Antichrist” and “Lucifer.” Protestants also frequently invented lies about past popes.

Pope Alexander VI is a great example of the much-maligned popes. He has been accused of having carnal relations with his daughter, throwing the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts, and having his enemies killed off.

Well, there is no proof that any of that ever happened. The daughter thing? There is absolutely no solid factual basis for it. The banquet? Msgr. Peter de Roo, after searching the Vatican Archives extensively, debunked that one. It was allegedly recorded by Johann Burchard, the pope’s master of ceremonies, in his diary, but it seems inconsistent with Burchard’s writing style. It is also contrary to the majority consensus of historians. The murder of his enemies? I can find no proof of that, either, but I guess that such activity was just commonly assumed to have taken place, given the time period.

(For more about Pope Alexander VI, watch a video about him that I created.)

Oh, and the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the like? Christians have killed far, far fewer people than have atheists and members of most other faiths (which is demonstrated here). Also, a fantastic guide to the Inquisitions (and the difference between the Spanish Inquisition, a state-managed affair, and Inquisitions managed by the Church) is available here.

Meanwhile, the Church has done good. The Church denounced slavery way before other entities (read about the complicated history here), created the blueprint for modern education (read about that here, here, and here), and has always served as the primary advocate for basic economic fairness.

WHAT COULD CHURCH RULE LOOK LIKE?

The Church “cannot and must not replace the State” (quote from Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical). After all, there is a separation between God and Caesar, as evidenced by Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20. But that does not mean that the Church cannot act as the final arbiter in important matters.

Church rule could work a little like Iran’s system. (Try not to cringe about the comparison.) The Supreme Leader of Iran only involves himself with matters that either relate directly to his religious beliefs or concern important government appointments. He typically does not bother himself with normal, everyday things. Under this theoretical system, the Pope (and/or his delegates, if a regional system were preferred) would essentially act in the same capacity, only on a global scale. This would also be technically similar to the U.K.’s system, which requires royal assent (approval from the monarch) before bills passed by Parliament can become law.

Under the theoretical system, the Church would not usurp the State (as some might fear), but rather, enlighten it. The Church would actively serve as the cornerstone for ethics in the public and private spheres.

In Her theoretical leadership role, the Church would provide moral and economic stability. Finally, abortion, euthanasia, gay “marriage,” and other societal ills could be ended. Finally, the world could experience the economic principles contained in Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, etc. Finally, we could have peace.

I know what some are thinking: Wouldn’t such a system be open to abuse?

The answer is: of course, like all systems are. But while clergy make mistakes, they rarely do so with the sort of nonchalance that politicians often do.

For example, in 2012, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol at a police checkpoint in San Diego. An officer who was at the scene told The Associated Press, “He was a driver that was obviously impaired but he was quite cordial and polite throughout. He was not a belligerent drunk at all … There were no problems with him throughout the night.” The archbishop spent the night in custody, then immediately apologized and asked forgiveness.

Compare that with the infamous Sen. Ted Kennedy and his “Chappaquiddick Incident.”

 

I long for the days of St. Ambrose, a bishop of Milan, who excommunicated Emperor Theodosius for the emperor’s reprehensible actions. In response, the emperor bowed to authority and did penance. If only our leaders today were as humble.

People might call me “overzealous,” or an “Ultramontanist,” but I simply want to bring Christ fully to the world.

 

Make sure to “Like” Answering Protestants on Facebook and “Follow” me on Twitter!

Matthew Olson

Matthew Olson

Leave a Replay

18 thoughts on “The Church Should Rule the World”

  1. Pingback: The Church Should Rule the World - CATHOLIC FEAST - Every day is a Celebration

  2. Randall M. England

    Was it a coincidence that God ripped the last shreds of temporal power from the Holy See only months after the First Vatican Council (1870) declared the doctrine of papal infallibility? I think not. God made it clear in which sphere the Church would operate.

    “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Lord Acton, 1887.

  3. Pingback: Pp. Francis: More Martyrs Today Than Early Centuries - BigPulpit.com

  4. if only this was not a protestant country laced in the “enlightened” ideals of religious liberty that our grand Bishops have run with now

  5. I appreciate your zeal for the faith and respect your discernment but your most persuasive real world example for an appealing theocracy is Iran? The same Iran that is flouting the UN and most of the Christian countries in the world by actively pursuing nuclear weapons, most of which will be pointed at Jesus’ homeland Israel?

    “But while clergy make mistakes, they rarely do so with the sort of nonchalance that politicians often do.”

    Please Google “Bernard Cardinal Law”, “Justin Cardinal Rigali” , and “Roger Cardinal Mahoney” “Bishop James Dupree” ,”Bishop Georg Mueller”, “Bishop Robert Finn” “Bishop Gabino Zavala”, “Cardinal Keith O’Brien” and “Archbishop Rembert Weakland” and reexamine your above sentence. Their transgressions range from sexually abusing underage males, failing to protect children multliple times from sexual abusers to using church funds in homosexual extortion schemes.

    And all of these men are still actively in ministry or retired and receiving financial support from the Church.

    “and has always served as the primary advocate for basic economic fairness.”

    Was this before or after the Church’s centuries long participation in the dehumanizing labor system known as manorialism?

    I share your concern about Protestant hyper-criticism of the church during the reformation but your defense comically overreaches.

    The division between Church and state was negligible during the inquisition. Sure, kings and Emperors could field larger armies than the pope, but no single king could draw money from virtually every christian in Christendom. Nor could any King, duke, or prince make the pope humble himself before him, though the reverse happened many times.

    Indeed it was the Protestants who founded this country, working under the guidelines of the enlightenment thinkers, who came up with the idea of the separation of church and state and forged the world’s first lasting modern democracy.

    You also forget how often the church acted as a puppet for powerful interests. Consider the Spanish Hapsburgs, ruling from 1516 to 1700, who mated in several dozen Church sanctioned incestuous marriages (uncle to niece, cousin to cousin) which led to the imbecilic Carlos II, whose death ushered in dynastic chaos and war.

    Catholics don’t have to be embarrassed of their past, but neither do they have to glory in every single part of it either. Protestants have plenty of skeletons in their closet (the cruelty, superstition, and sexism of the Salem with trials).

    1. Wow, sure makes me realize how squeaky clean politicians are. I think the author understands that there are probably hundreds or more dirty politicians for every cleric mentioned above.

  6. The Church cannot even rule the Vatican. Even the Pope says so. And,
    save perhaps for the Ottoman empire, no government in history has been
    as corrupt as the old Papal Sates until 1870. When the files on that period are opened, heads will explode. Happily, we have a new Pope brave enough to do it.

  7. Very interesting idea. Sure would beat having our morals, ethics, values and principles determined by Hollywood, Media, lawyers, business and union executives and leaders, or the academic elidiots. I take it Iran is a good example, just the wrong religion oversight, right. Your idea is something worth thinking about, and maybe testing out on a small scale – county, region or small state.

  8. 1. Wow, kid, you are supa gay! (I mean that as a compliment, you seem awesomely gay!)

    2. I don’t know if this squares with the modern Popes’ voluntary ceding of temporal power.

    3. I like better the idea that they have more soft/spiritual power by having less temporal power. Thoughts?

  9. Pingback: Shameless Secularism | YOUCATholic.com

  10. Pingback: Minding the Monarchical Church : IgnitumToday

  11. Pingback: The Church Should Rule the World | Catholic Analysis

    1. That’s written in the Word of God!
      “God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11)

      1. @theophilus…….I hope you didn’t think I was calling you deluded, I meant the writer of this article!

  12. Since when has Rome not ruled the world, The Iron teeth that devoured the earth, The seven Kings of Rome ,(Google seven kings of Rome and get their names) and the last three emperors uprooted by the then current Pope. (Google St. Pope Simpleton and get their names) Rome just changed hands, Just Google ” The warrior Pope” Suddenly the land was conquered and called The Papal States, Kinda looked like the same old Rome ruling the world. How was that, well that guy came from the military and just couldn’t stop killing people with those Iron teeth he had . Then came the Jesuits, the military of the Pope, infiltrated America and became the feet of Rome, Iron and clay. Now the feet can stamp the residue. Is the president Catholics? Yes, and so are most of the heads of state in the world. So the question to ask will the Catholic church (not really the Church) ever stop ruling the world. Yes, the 4th beast was slain and none to help him. The world will be ruled by the son of David, and this kingdom will never change hands from one to another. Forever and ever. Thanks be to God, the real savior of the world and King of Kings.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit