Pitanje demokracije u socijalnim dokumentima Crkve

In: Politicka misao, Band 31, Heft 4, S. 31-38

Abstract

The author outlines a historical review of the Catholic Church's attitude toward democracy. The initial stance, as formulated by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century, was based on the equidistance of the Church from various political regimes, on the condition that they respect individual rights, family, & the Church. The term Christian democracy primarily denoted a drift within the ranks of the clergy, whose goal was helping people & proselytizing under the new circumstances. Further confluence between the Church & democracy occurred during the papacy of Pius XII, who emphasized the importance of the political involvement of a free & responsible individual in a democracy & who endorsed the concept of a people as opposed to anonymous masses. The complete acceptance of democracy by the Church occurred during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), when it gave its blessing to the involvement of Christian laity in the roles of religious & political activists. The latest convergence of the Church & democracy was embodied in the encyclical Centesimus annus, by John Paul II (1991), in which the demise of communism is attributed to the lack of democracy & in which democracy is singled out as the best form of government. Adapted from the source document.