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Up until not too long ago, the Catholic Church did not have a brilliant track record in regard to religious freedom—except in reference to itself! Based on the ideas that the Church has received the fullness of truth through revelation and that error has no right to exist, the Church often took a rather awkward if pragmatic stance. Only the Catholic Church had the right to full religious freedom. If the Catholics were in a minority position in a country, it defended its right to full religious freedom in the face of opposition. If the Church found itself in the majority and able to control policy, it favored restricting the freedom of other religions on the grounds that only truth, not error, has rights. Reflecting on this position today, we are more than a little red-faced. This approach was formally set aside in the groundbreaking Declaration on Religious Freedom adopted by the Second Vatican Council just before the closing session in 1965. The Catholic Church charted a new course in the history of religious freedom based on the dignity of the human person. The declaration affirms:
“The human person has a right to freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals and of social groups and of any human power in such wise that in matters religious no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs. Nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.” No. 2 There are two primary elements to religious freedom as defined by the council: No one and no group is to be forced to act contrary to their beliefs, nor are they to be prevented from acting in accordance with their beliefs. These freedoms from coercion are derived from the inalienable dignity of the human person. We are entitled to act on our own judgment and to assume responsibility for our actions. In many ways this affirmation of the dignity and rights of the individual is presented in a stark contrast to the totalitarian state’s denial of the individual and the insistence that only the rights of the state have value. The memories of the sad wounds inflicted by totalitarian governments were still raw and fresh in 1965. Nevertheless, this debate had been quite heated and the theme was controversial. Aware of the negative stance taken in regard to religious freedom as late as the Nineteenth Century, many bishops, especially from countries where the Catholic Church was the state religion, feared that it constituted a change in Church teaching. Hmmm, yes, someone might have thought that! As recently as the 1950s, American Jesuit John Courtney Murray had been silenced by the Vatican for defending the concept of separation of church and state as contained in the U. S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights and practiced in this country. Now Fr. Murray’s thought was being vindicated and embraced by the majority of world’s bishops. Among the more prominent proponents were the bishops from the then Soviet bloc countries and our own American bishops. Some may be wondering about the words at the end of the text quoted above: “within due limits.” This is not a step to the rear. It simply asserts that we must respect what is objectively true and morally good. Freedom of religion does not countenance human sacrifice or the abuse of women and children. It is not an excuse to set aside the rights of others. The declaration does not do away with the concept and validity of objective truth or the mission of the Church. The council did not intend to say that all religions are equal, that no one can know the truth about God, or that we do not have an obligation as Church to fulfill the mission of Christ to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Mt 28:19-20 But the council did place the Catholic Church in the forefront of religious freedom and opened a new perspective in Catholic commitment to the ecumenical movement. Earlier the council had endorsed the Decree on Ecumenism, which opened the door to genuine dialog with other Churches (such as the Orthodox) and Ecclesial Communities (the churches coming from the Protestant Reformation). The decree presents the image of the Catholic Church more as a pilgrim people, walking forward toward an ever-fuller realization of union with Jesus Christ. This image sets aside the concept of an immutable church calling for the “return” of the others to Roman Catholicism. The council recognizes that these Churches and Communities have not “been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation.” (Decree on Ecumenism, no. 3) Christ, through the Spirit, is at work in the Churches and Ecclesial Communities. “Where two or three are gathered” applies even there. In the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to the Non-Christian Religions, the council, mentioning by name the major non-Christian religions of the world, states that the Church recognizes what is true and holy in these religions. Presumably, then, we do not see them as having their roots in Satan! Here again there is a foundation for dialog. Consistent with the theme of religious freedom, in the section talking about the Jewish religion the council repudiates all persecution against any person. This would be made dramatically clearer in Pope John Paul’s asking forgiveness at the beginning of the Millennium of those who had been hurt by the Church and in later papal encounters with the Jewish community. The Second Vatican Council opened the way for dialog with the other Christian and non Christian religions of the world. Dialog is not polite argument or masked apologetics. Dialog is based on the mutual recognition of the dignity of the participants. Dialog begins with the recognition of common ground and shared values. The partners in dialog first listen and then try to understand what the other is saying. Almost always there is some surprise at just how much binds the two in common understanding and belief. It often requires setting aside long-held assumptions of what the others were thought to be saying. We go beyond semantics to discover the underlying facts and meaning. Once the common ground has been established and the mutual respect firmly acknowledged, the parties are ready to take up the examination of the issues which still divide. Both should be prepared to state clearly what they believe and hold, even knowing that this is not what the other affirms. This is honesty, and honesty is a quality of respect for another. The differences should be examined without rancor and hostility. Perhaps they will discover a way to come closer or to set aside some elements which are not substantive to the fundamental position. Perhaps they will discover a genuine difference of conviction which must simply be respected. It is in the area of dialog that a commitment to recognizing religious freedom begins to bear fruit. Far from abandoning the mission to proclaim the Good News to all, the Church remains committed to the vision that the Church is missionary. But the mission of the Church is also carried out with the kind of respect that the Second Vatican Council recognized as the basis for religious freedom. There can be no attempt at coercion based on concepts of political, economical, technological, military, racial, or religious superiority. These unfortunately are the negative elements sometimes unwittingly mixed into missionary endeavors in the past. Having at times failed to respect the full teaching of the Gospel and the dignity of all persons, we must be willing to acknowledge our failures, ask forgiveness, and commit ourselves to being better missionaries of the love of Christ. But we continue to express by the witness of our living of the Gospel the values of Christ in and through the languages and cultures of the world. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, based on the spiritual legacy and charism of Fr. Jules Chevalier, our founder, have been committed to making the Heart of Christ known and loved everywhere. We try to share Christ’s love through our own human love in ministry and service whether it be in distant lands, among immigrants coming to seek refuge and renewed dignity, in hospitals and prisons, or among the people who come to our healing retreats, schools or parish families. The point of religious freedom is to respect the beliefs and practices of others because we recognize their fundamental human dignity. As missionaries we do not see our mission limited to any one group for it is a call to reach out to every person. We are formed in the Spirituality of the Heart, and the Spirituality of the Heart is the basis of dialog with every person, regardless of their personal religious convictions. It is an understanding of God’s love, made human in the person of Jesus Christ, that transcends language and culture. In itself, the Spirituality of the Heart does not require a certain theological or religious vocabulary. It need only be personal and come from the heart. In the Gospels we see the unseen love of God become visible and present in the human words and actions of Christ. In the deepest sense, it does not really require words. God’s love is revealed in the healing touch, the comfort to the widowed mother, the respect and forgiveness shown to the woman at the well or the woman about to be executed. God’s love is also manifested in the assurance that faith has brought healing and in the promise to the dying thief that he would that day be with Christ in Paradise. The Spirituality of the Heart is realized when we listen to the person whose life has become darkness or who has lost a loved one. Or the Heart is present when we share someone’s relief, accomplishment, or discovery of their own value and dignity. They may be Catholic or we may have no idea of their faith or lack of faith background. We listen, we are present, we offer what we have. The Spirituality of the Heart speaks all languages. It is not limited by doctrine or adherence to a belief system. It is the humanity of Christ reaching out to touch a human being who needs his love. Perhaps someday, even today, he will discover who is the source of that love. Perhaps one day he or she will be filled with the light of Jesus Christ. And even if not, we know that through our weak and very human reaching out, Christ has touched that person. The Spirituality of the Heart is the greatest realization of dialog. It always finds the common ground, the shared value, what binds us together and binds us to God. It respects differences and acknowledges the other’s right to find their way and act on what they believe. It opens new doors and lets light overcome the dark.
Fr. David Foxen, MSC
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