Świeckość państwa w nauczaniu Josepha Ratzingera-Benedykta XVI
State secularity in the teaching of Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI

Summary/Abstract: This article attempts to offer several keys to understand the relation and reference between religiousvalues and temporal social order and its political dimension. The Pope, on the basis of the autonomyof temporary realities, recognizes a positive role of religion in public life. In a secular state presence ofreligion in the public sphere becomes not only necessary for the state to remain secular (not laic), butit is an invaluable resource in civil society. Catholicism accepts the secularism of the state and politics,but it does not agree with the reduction of Christianity to the private sphere, since there is no connectionbetween the two. The principle of secularism may thus mean that the state is secular, but one should notattempt to make it laic, that is try to exclude the public role of religion in a democratic state.

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