The Church is not a democracy. Seriously, how often have we heard this phrase? Does it not hold an honored place among ecclesial truisms, like “the Church thinks in centuries,” or “Catholics don’t sing”?
Surely, in a literal sense, we know the Church is not a democracy. When was the last time we found a ballot in the pew at Mass, or tucked into the monthly mailing of collection envelopes? Perhaps if you happen to be a cardinal (not totally impossible, given our readership, but unlikely on the whole), you might experience this question differently – yet even so, such elections are rare and unscheduled events, at irregular intervals.
Of course, what is generally meant by this churchly chestnut is that some teachings of the Church may not be all that popular with the faithful. Of course, what is that to mean? — perhaps “the people in the pews,” although polls of Catholics in the secular media are likelier to reflect the views of “the people not in the pews,” or at best “the people in the pews a few times a year.” Conversely, the generic “voice of the faithful” (as opposed to the specific Voice of the Faithful, which is another matter) often reflects a highly committed (and highly online) minority. Given all these possible construals, it is hard even to say what is popular or unpopular – and that even before one allows for a church that must encompass Belgium and Burundi.
There is, however, a deeper cut here, and one that has fallen into sad neglect. For what is most characteristic of “democracy” in our time, far more than voting (which many omit, barring any compelling spectacle to entice the reluctant), is the campaigning, the lobbying, the advocacy, the punditry, the flame wars and rage bait of the 24-hour politainment cycle. And here, as you well know, the Church – at any rate, the highly online Anglophone Church – is anything but innocent; indeed, we are all too much a “democracy” in this sense.
Another truism, this one not exclusively ecclesial: Everyone has a right to their own opinion. Unlike the truism cited in the title of this piece, this truism is manifestly untrue. Outside of the most anodyne matters of taste (chocolate or vanilla? Fries or rings?), opinions demand at least something of a base of knowledge and/or justification. All too many of us have opinions to which we have no right whatsoever, on all manner of topics.
With regard to the Church, however, we are all of us in the same boat. None of us have a right to any opinion. True enough, some are called to serious discernments on issues pertaining to the life and future of the Church, such as married clergy, women’s ordination, et al. – those “some” being the pope, together with the episcopacy taken together as a teaching body. Others may voice theologically informed interpretations of Scripture, tradition, and the sensus fidelium (taken as the valid expression of a true sensus fidei) – but this should not take the form of opinion, much less advocacy.
What this means concretely can be extrapolated by the admonitions given to the Church’s only literal voting body, the College of Cardinals: Papal conclaves are not to be “democratic” elections; campaigning, platforms, agendas, and lobbying have no legitimate place. Whether these principles are more evident in the breach or in the observance, is not for me to say – and, frankly, none of my business. It’s between the cardinals and God.
Yet, particularly in the aforementioned highly online Anglophone Church, we often seem to be in a 24-7-365 election cycle, with all the campaigning, lobbying, advocacy and, yes, punditry (mea culpa, mea culpa… or perhaps nostra culpa?) one could ever wish for, or dread, from cable news. Who are we lobbying? — the pope? The hierarchy? The Holy Spirit?
I noted a while back, in a previous article, how traditionalists online seemed concerned with the Holy Father and the papacy in terms of its conformity or dissonance with the future of the Church as they see it, and how distressingly political – dare I even say democratic? – this approach seems. Rather than a sovereign who embodies the collective in his person, they seem to be seeking a representative who will govern in accord with their express will and consent. Yet this malady cannot in fairness attributed uniquely to the traditionalists. It extends to all of us, at times. In our better moments, however, we should and must know better – especially all of us here at Where Peter Is, who devote ourselves to respect and service to our Sovereign Pontiff and to the promulgation and defense of the ordinary magisterium of the Church as it comes, day by day.
Indeed, the Church is not a democracy. No, the Church is something far better: the House of God and the Gate of Heaven – hic domus Dei est, et porta cœli, and we are members of His household, sons and daughters by adoption. Even more, we are the Body of Christ. In the Crucifixion, as in any crucifixion, Jesus suffered multiple dislocations; who are we to inflict dislocation on our Lord’s mystical body by our agendas and our self-will? We do well to examine whether we are at times fractious members, tearing at the unity of His Body the Church.
By the same token, we are in Christ members with one another. None of us will be saved alone, nor are we but scattered individuals, making our own way in the world. Our current Pope Leo XIV has chosen as his papal motto In illo Uno unum – we are all one in the One. If we remember this and live it daily in docility to our Holy Father, we will be honoring the choice of the Holy Spirit and binding up the wounds of Christ’s mystical body, the Church.
Image: “BallotBox-5” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by michael_swan
Dr. Paul Chu is currently a philosophy instructor for CTState, the Connecticut Community College, and has previously taught philosophy in college, university, and seminary settings. He also served as a staff writer and editor for various national publications. He is co-founder of Sacred Beauty, a Private Association of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport dedicated to honoring the beauty and holiness of God through artistic and intellectual creativity founded in prayer, especially Eucharistic contemplation. He contributes regularly to https://questionsdisputedandotherwise.substack.com/.
Popular Posts