Freedom, Law and the Good

Humanity has always yearned to be free. The concept of being able to determine our own destiny, to control matters of life, and to decide our own fate has at times been the source of great celebration, but has also been the source of great suffering, especially when the result of human decisions do not bear out the expected outcomes.

True freedom is only found when we recognize and accept the responsibilties that are consequently imposed. In it's purest form, freedom can never be sought for the sake of oneself.

In Chapter 3 of his book Values in a Time of Upheaval, Benedict XVI explains that one cannot desire freedom for oneself alone; freedom is indivisible and must always be seen as a task to be achieved on behalf of mankind as a whole. This means that one cannot have freedom without paying the price of sacrifices and renunciation. Freedom demands that we undertake to understand morality as a public and communal obligation. Morality in itself has no power, but we must recognize that only the moral dimension possesses the true power to promote man. Freedom demands that governments and all those who bear responsibility bow down before a reality that is defenseless and incapable of exercising any coercion: morality.

In the gospels, Jesus understood his mission (and that of his disciples) as that of establishing freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18) and performed miracles as the proof that in God, he has the power to free us from sin (Luke 13:12, 16) in order to establish unity between all people, thus fulfilling the original dream of God for all creation.

We live in a multi-cultural society, but in order for various cultures and societies to exist in harmony with one another, they must at the very least share ethical-moral convictions. This indeed is the challenge which must be faced by anyone who proposes to establish common ground between warring factions or opposing forces.

Even majority decisions (as in a democratic society) become truly human and rational only when they presuppose a basic human element that they respect as the real common good that is the presupposition of all other good things.

What then is the task of Christian churches in our multi-cultural society? The Holy Father explains: It accords with the nature of the Church that it is separated from the state and that its faith may not be imposed by the state but is based on convictions that are freely arrived at. Indeed it is an essential aspect of the Church that it is neither the state not a part of the state but a fellowship based on conviction. (The Church) is also essentially aware of its responsibility for the totality ... On the basis of its own freedom, it must address the freedom of all human beings so that the moral forces of history may remain forces in the present. This will permit people, in continually changing circumstances, to grasp the evidential character of those values without which a shared freedom is impossible.

Thus the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with various states throughout the world. In fact the episcopal see of Rome has been a sovereign entity since midieval times and maintains formal diplomatic relations with more than 175 countries around the world. Through the Pontifical Representations which exist in these countries, the Vatican is actively involved in addressing the inherent freedom of all God's people.