Pope Leo praises ‘healthy secularism’

The Pope made this point during a September 29 meeting with a “Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue” sponsored by the European Parliament.

“European institutions need people who know how to live a healthy secularism, that is, a style of thinking and acting that affirms the value of religion while preserving the distinction – not separation or confusion – from the political sphere,” Pope Leo told the group.

Vatican commentator John L. Allen said the reference to “healthy secularism” echoed the key theme of a sana laicità, first laid out by Benedict XVI in an address to Italian jurists in December 2006, and further developed thereafter.

“The core of the idea is that a ‘healthy’ secularism is one in which Church and state are separate, but in which religious institutions and believers are encouraged to play important roles in public life, bringing their values to bear on political choices.

“That’s as opposed to an ‘unhealthy’ secularism, in which religion is regarded as a threat to peaceful coexistence and religious institutions and leaders are pressured to limit their activities to strictly spiritual and liturgical matters,” Mr Allen wrote.

“To put the point into a soundbite, healthy secularism, as Benedict XVI understood it, meant freedom for, not freedom from, religion.”

In his talk to the European politicians, Pope Leo promoted healthy religion as an element of cohesion in a diverse society, not of division.

“When authentic and well cultivated, the religious dimension can greatly enhance interpersonal relationships and help people to live in community and society,” Pope Leo said. “And how important it is today to emphasise the value and the importance of human relationships!”

Also echoing Benedict, Leo insisted on the public contribution of religion, Mr Allen added.

The Pope also told the European politicians that “participation in interreligious dialogue, by its nature, recognises that religion is of value both on a personal level and in the social sphere”.

As examples of healthy secularism, Pope Leo cited three of the fathers of a united Europe – Robert Schuman of France, Konrad Adenauer of Germany and Alcide De Gasperi of Italy – who were all Catholic.

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Pope Leo channels his inner Benedict XVI by extolling ‘healthy secularism’ (By John L. Allen/CruxNow)