Catholic Integralism and the Separation Between Church and State

Catholic integralism is a pre-Vatican II political theology that holds that the Catholic Church should exercise direct authority over governments and the state should be subordinate to the Church, among other notions. Neo-integralism is fairly modern, though it has roots that are much older. To be clear, integralism is not part of traditional Catholic doctrine, and most Catholics are probably not even aware of it. However, it was specifically denounced by Pope Pius XI for using the Church as a political tool of politics rather than being the bearer of divine truth.

The reason this has become relevant is because it has been creeping into the political far right, though it remains hidden in the background and has not been fully articulated to its audience. Part of its appeal is that it has a moral framework that places Christian values at the center. It also plays into legitimate grievances over the moral degradation of the West that has largely been facilitated by Leftism and Liberal secularism.

However, the way it goes about instituting that moral framework and addressing those legitimate grievances is authoritarian in nature. It seeks to impose morality through coercion at the expense of individual and religious liberties, especially for non-Catholics. The end result is something akin to the Holy Roman Empire, where the Church wielded significant political influence and persecuted non-Catholics to the point of death. That is the end result of Catholic integralism.

At the core of the issue is just how involved the church should be in political affairs, and by church, I'm including all Christian denominations and organizations. Secular liberalism believes in the complete separation between the church and state. Ironically, there are some Christians who hold this position, though for different reasons. Then there are the Catholic Integralists who believe that there should be no separation between church and state and the government should be run like a Catholic theocracy. These are polar extreme positions.

There is, however, a healthy middle ground. One that doesn't try to sanitize religion from government and one that doesn't seek to compel virtue and curtail individual and religious freedoms. The model is found in the Old Testament. When God structured Israel, He placed Moses over the civil affairs and Aaron over the spiritual affairs. It was a healthy separation between the civil (political) and religious spheres of influence. They interacted with one another, but they didn't exert control over one another. It was a symbiotic relationship that benefited everyone involved.