Separation of Church and State is an essential pre-condition for Western style democracies. But it is not total separation, as desired by the secularists. Church members vote and hold high office as citizens. The Churches have a part to play in the ‘public square’. In fact Evangelical Catholics are committed to robust public proclamation of Catholic teaching to the world.
The way the church’s influence plays out varies in different traditions. There is a subtle difference between NZ and Australia, reflecting their differing histories. But there is a dramatic difference between both countries and the USA. The Catholic influence in the Democratic party is a thing of the past, and the recent Republican President Bush managed to claim over 50% of the Catholic vote, but could not deliver on his pro-life agenda.
Read Brian O’Connell’s piece in the Marist Messenger
Brian O’Connell is the editor of the Marist Messenger