The Idea of Integralism
A vigorously Catholic political philosophy is ascendant in online discourse. Here’s what it holds.
Prior to Vatican II, the Council in which Roman Catholic leadership assembled from 1962 to 1965 to address important theological matters, the Catholic Church had never really been hospitable to the idea of a separation of church and state.
Vatican II didn’t actually deviate from that historically held position. But many observers — including within the Church — thought it did. As a result, a disconcertingly high number of Catholics have been led to believe the Church has little political guidance to offer. And with this has come widespread Catholic reliance on other, usually secular sources — politicians, academics, journalists, etc. — to form their political ideas.
It’s understandable that this perception — that post-Vatican II Catholic teaching is that matters of church and state are strictly separate — would have constricted the Church’s power in the eyes of many Catholics. When civil matters are conceptualized as being outside the realm of theological relevance, when they are seen as the rightful and even exclusive province of secular authorities, what role is left for the Catholic magisterium to play?
