In the west, democracy has become an idol. The west teaches that democracy is the ultimate bastion of liberty. Perhaps from a political standpoint it is, or at least has the greatest potential to be. But true liberty does not come from democracy. It comes from the greatest act of love human history has ever experienced: the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and his victory over death.
That is not to say that democracy is bad, as it is not. What I am suggesting is that democracy is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end. Democracy is not inherently good or bad. It just is. But the west, along with its international organizations, such as the United Nations, treats it as something intrinsically legitimate. It is not.
In its article on participation in social life, the Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses political regimes and the legitimacy of State authority.
Legitimacy is not derived from the adoption of a specific political structure. Rather “authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself…authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it” (CCC 1902, 1903).
Accordingly, the Catechism also says: “The diversity of political regimes is morally acceptable, provided they serve the legitimate good of the communities that adopt them” (CCC, 1901).
If democracy is used as a means to promoting the common good of society, by all means, let us embrace it: “it is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies” (CCC, 1910). But let us not confuse its purpose. Christian communities are given more opportunities to live their faith in the public square in democratic systems than in any other, and for those of us who have grown up in systems such as these, we have been given a beautiful gift. But it is Christ who sets us free, and virtue that makes us truly good, not the mere adoption of democracy.
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