Radio Catholica: The Big Issues Show
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Hello listeners this is Francesco Orsini reporting from Rome for Radio Catholica, speaking on the great issues of the age and broadcasting throughout Europe and Latin America, delving into the big issues of our age. This is The Big Issues Show!
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*musical intro scene*
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Today we interview the head of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to hear his insight on the real crucial issues facing the Church, and indeed the world today. Good to have you here Cardinal Canizares
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Its good to be here
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So Your Emminence, as head of Propaganda Fide , what would you say is the biggest issue facing the faith today.
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Well, really the biggest issue facing christendom today is an identity crisis within western civilisation, and a profound ideological error ontologically on the nature of freedom and mans relationship to the world, and these things are not unrelated. What Im saying here, is that many people in the west today, in many quarters have profoundly rejected the patrimony of the past in favour of a misguided progressivism, placing whatever is new and novel as good compared to some "big bad past" in really a mentality of rebellion, steeped in dangerous and radical individualism infused with a sense of entitlement and a rejection of anything superior to, authoritative, above the self.
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Could you describe this a bit more, I know our listeners Catholic or not will understand proletarianism, liberalism and all that in their particulars, their economic and political principles, but your talking about underlying principles behind all of these which really those who follow these ideologies should we aware of yes?
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Thats correct, all these ideologies fundamentally are radically individualistic, in that they reject, despite surface speech of say the proletarians about the workers rights say, the idea of the collective common good of society. So people who follow these ideologies really have this mentality of... infantilised child-like entitlement, lets call it. They reject any higher authority above the self, their own opinions. They believe they are entitled to do whatever they want, and so those who hold these ideologies will seek to implement their policies through activism, or when in government in policy so they can do that no matter what the effect is on society, good or bad. This is partly why we see the struggles between segments of society as people only look out for their own interests, indeed I would put down the recent struggles between rich and poor in Sardinia precisely due to this mentality, where the common good is not looked out for and thus the poor and marginalised suffer, thus unfortunately leading them into the same mentality and its associated problems.
Incidentally I would also add that this misguided sense of individualism, often dressed up as freedom, also has a consequences for genuine freedom, since when such ideologies come to power or become predominant in a society this individualism and rejection of any principle higher than the self, leads to those in power to caring only for themselves, and they then impose their views on the entire population. The consequence of this is that anyone who dissents is suppressed and marginalised and everyone no matter what they think is bound to submit to the "dictatorship of the majority" and to the opinions of the mighty. This fact is why the Church sees it as so important to evangelise and spread the faith in this age in particular, as the Church really stands as the only monolith against the tide, and the only sure protector against future tyranny in Europe and in South America since it alone defends the idea of objective truth standing as a superior authority over the vaccilating opinions of governments. Thus the Church really must spread its message to the flock and to all men of goodwill no matter their religious views, or we will see the advocates of liberalism and so forth ideologies, those who hold this mentality in general, bring the world into a very dark place. Indeed this is why in Uruguay the Church outright supports the moralists despite its general dissociation from politics, since the alternative is radically dangerous to the good of society.
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You say the Church stands with the moralists in Uruguay? Why and How would you describe the situation in Uruguay, and what would you say to the people there who are listening to this on Radio?
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Well, as I said the opponents of the moralists, and they are also opposed to the Church due to its teachings I might add and would be even if it didn't stand with the moralists publically as it does, have this mentality that "I want to do this that or another thing, the government should let me do this, the Church opposes me down with the Church". Thus these sort of people who have a radical individualist conception, and who reject an authority above themselves, which is to say an objective truth and ordering of nature seek to have their personal vices and opinions accomadated and put on a plinth no matter how that would effect society as a whole now or in the long run. Even if that, as it would, would lead to the downfall of the society itself.
I say that Francesco, because this entitlement mentality, this radical individualism erodes concern for the greater whole of society and for social responsibility in general, the common good, and simultaneously leads to people feeling the government needs to give them everything. Thus ultimately resulting, as it has in many countries in Europe to a statist mentality where freedom becomes an afterthought and where the social contract is obliterated and society as a principle becomes undermined. When the working class lets say is put above the totality of society, the proletarian opinion lets say, then everyone who disagrees with that position then becomes subjugated as soon as that opinion becomes dominant, and the same rule applies for all those other ideologies which rest on these same ontological errors, be it liberalism, libertarianism, socialism, communism and so on and so forth.
Thus to the people of Uruguay, perhaps those who would think of supporting some of the opposition groups who are anti-Church and hold to that mentality, and to those also who are thinking of voting against the moralists because of other issues. I would say that they really should objectively look at the underlying principles of what are being proposed by these people. They are basically saying there is nothing above their personal ideological opinions that matters to them, people should be able to do whatever they want and so on and so forth, but the real impact down the line is that if your opinion is in the minority, if you disagree with those who hold this ontological understanding and they are in power on whatever issue. Then since there is no higher authority, be it God or natural law, restraining their actions then your rights are not going to be respected and you are going to be marginalised, ridiculed and possibly if this trend develops further arrested and imprisoned for your beliefs.
In a dictatorship of relativism, without boundaries and reference to objective truth, and where the government as such has no authority above it to cause restraint, the powerful are left to do whatsoever they want and there would be nothing, to use the words of the Holy Pontiffs, so egregious, inhuman and monstrous that the people would not be bound to submit too. Indeed I think this is why the moralists, who are by no means perfect, put in the spiritual advisor position, since the Church as an independent force can remind the president of his humanity and that there are things more important than himself and his opinion to consider in the course of his duties, such as freedom in its genuine sense and the common good of ALL the society.
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One final thing before we go, what would you say to the moralists. As you are aware many equate moralism with the Church and I assume this is not the case..?
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The Church does not equate to the moralists, the Church supports the moralists at this point in history because the alternative is dangerous and would be disastrous for freedom and conscience principles for everyone. You do not need to be Catholic to support that because the alternative is dangerous to everyone. Indeed its a fact that many atheists, eastern christians and even protestants agree with the Church on the nature of this political problem.
But to the moralists, I would urge them, as I believe the Church over there does, to ensure due prudence in their actions and utilise restraint. Immorality is a bad thing, yes, but going the same way as their opponents in disrespect for people, the common good, and society as a whole and for freedom and genuine rights is simply going as low as their opponents. Now the moralists haven't I think gone that far despite what their opponents say, but they should always remember that they serve the people and the common good, and that there is an objective truth above them to which they ultimately must answer.
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Thankyou Cardinal Canizares for coming on this show
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No problem, good to be here
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Next on Radio Catholica, we have Catechetics 101, explaining the teachings of the Church to the world and informing the faithful of the truth of the faith. Next week we will be interviewing the Grand Rabbi of Rome and hearing his support for the Church against the errors of modernism. Its been nice having you, Blessings of Christ be upon you, Francesco Orsini out.
![[pissed]](/images/smilies/pissed.gif "Pissed [pissed]")
At least my fighter was designed, finally. (It's in the stats, if not in the update.)
