It is the duty of citizens to work with civil authority for building up society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2255
In Sunday’s gospel Jesus says that we should “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” At first, Jesus’ saying seems to separate religion from politics but in fact it tells us to keep up both relationships — to God and to country. Catholics have an obligation to be responsible citizens.
Most of us know that the fourth commandment teaches, “Honor your mother and father.” This means we must respect our parents and teachers and the authority and wisdom they have in our lives. This commandment also implies respecting all authority.
We give authority as citizens to those we elect. In turn, we must follow the laws and rules that they make for us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “God’s fourth commandment also enjoins us to honor all who for our good have received authority in society from God” (#2234).
This does not mean we just follow or honor whoever has power in our lives. The people in our government have duties to provide a society that treats each person with dignity.
The Catechism explains that “political authorities are obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person” (#2237). “A government worthy of respect welcomes all citizens to contribute toward the good of society and take part in the political process” (#2239).
Most teens want a say in what they obey. Many parent/teen conflicts arise over differences in how late is late when staying out with friends. We present our case, argue the advantages, and convince our parents of our wisdom and trustworthiness.
Similarly, citizens don’t blindly obey the government. We participate in making and keeping laws. We lobby Congress to promote our interests; we sign petitions and write letters to convince our senators to vote the way we want them to; we organize campaigns and march to the capitol when we believe an unheard cause needs attention. Catholic citizens must help shape the government into an organization that helps to uphold the dignity and basic human rights of each person.
However, the Catholic citizen also must act when the government is not just. The Catechism states, “The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the gospel.
“Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community” (#2242).
Citizens and their legislators must work both to serve the poorest and to serve the common good of all. Catholic social teaching calls us as citizens to measure our society by how the poorest people fare. This principle of Catholic social teaching is called the option for the poor and vulnerable. Our U.S. Bishops wrote in their pastoral letter Economic Justice for All, “In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.”
Catholic social teaching also calls us as citizens to work for the common good. In The Church in the Modern World, the Second Vatican Council defined the common good as “the sum of conditions of social life which allows social groups and their individual members thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment” (#26). This means all people not only have rights but duties to one another. The food, clothing, shelter, school, and health care most of us have are basics others’ need to thrive, too, both in the U.S. and in other countries.
Poverty can trap people. Malnutrition can stunt brain development. Too little schooling keeps people without ways to earn a livelihood. Sometimes government policies hurt the poorest who have little political voice. Catholic social teaching insists the poorest and most vulnerable are our brothers and sisters who may be insignificant in society but not before God.