The Roman Catholic Church - A Vehicle for Global Democratization?

It may seem strange or even counterintuitive to suppose that the Roman Catholic Church is a force for global democratic progress. Historically, it has been its offshoot, the Protestant Church, that has enjoyed the political limelight as it has neatly fit into democratic modes of thinking due its emphasis on the individual believer, universalization of access to scripture and its egalitarian approach to church leadership. However, since the 1960s there has been a radical shift in the thinking of the Catholic Church particularly with regards to its treatment of anti-democratic authoritarian regimes. A contemporary example of this change is highlighted by the work of Catholic Bishops in Zimbabwe. Since January 2019, as part of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ), Catholic Bishops have been recording injustices and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Zimbabwean government against civilians and writing impassioned pastoral letters to the government calling for political reform. Indeed, we must ask, how did the Catholic Church come to act as such a champion of democracy?

The period between the 1970s and the 1990s saw an intense wave of global democratization: over 30 different countries transformed into functioning democracies. Remarkably, of the 30 countries, around 75% were Catholic. This was primarily because of the institutional and doctrinal changes that occurred within the Catholic Church as a result of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). These teachings included an enhanced concern for human rights, the promotion of equal political participation of individuals and an emphasized importance on the issue social justice. The application the Second Vatican’s teachings manifested themselves in many ways. In particular, through a renewed understanding of authority within the Catholic Church. Authority had previously been understood to be about appointing Church leaders from within an overarching power structure organized and lead by other Bishops. However, during the 1960s church authority came to be based more on the ability of the individual church leader rather than being based on the preferences of particular Catholic leaders. This new understanding of authority was hugely significant because it severed the ties between the Catholic Church and authoritarian regimes. One of the primary reasons for why the Catholic Church has a history of affirming authoritarian governments is because of its internal authoritarian structure which ignored the opinions of the congregation and relied upon the preferences of Church elites. In this respect, Authoritarian regimes were the external reflection of an internal reality within the Catholic Church. However, with a transformed understanding of authority, this was no longer the case, the Catholic Church could no longer fit neatly into an authoritarian power structure. The Catholic Church focused more on the individual and the people rather than the agendas of elite leaders. The people were more heavily considered, not the traditional or institutional agenda of the Church.

Why then, did so many Catholic countries transition to democracy? Granted the Church experienced a number of important doctrinal and institutional changes, but this doesn’t fully explain why such a large number of countries in different political contexts fought so vehemently against communist and other authoritarian regimes.

One possible explanation is that democratization was a simple power grab. The Church only really supported democracy because it benefited its position in society, giving it more power and influence over the people. Promoting a democratic agenda helped to topple authoritarian governments that were holding the Church back from maintain a position of dominance.  However, in the case of Africa, this is simply false. Prior to the 1960s the Catholic Church enjoyed a significant level of political influence and power in Africa. Yet, almost out of nowhere, prominent Catholic leaders began to criticize dictatorial African regimes calling for reforms to be made and for elections to be made fair in countries such as Togo, Niger and Mali. This makes little sense if the goal of the Catholic Church was to maintain power and ascendancy. If the Church was already enjoying a dominant position before hand, why introduce a democratic agenda that compromises this position?

Another possible explanation is that democratisation was all about competition. In places were the Catholic Church needed more members, its policies were shaped to appeal to the desires of its constituency. In many cases, what people wanted was a democratic system which would bring respite from the policies of an overbearing authoritarian dictatorship. Not unlike a large corporation or transnational business, the Church acted in a way that was directed primarily towards meeting the needs of its customers (in this case the congregation) and maximizing profit margins (supporting a political system which maximizes new church membership). However, in our African case study, we again see that this hypothesis doesn’t add up. At present, it is estimated that around 16% of the population of the Catholic Church live in Africa, with the African Catholic population increasing by 21% between the years 2005 – 2010 alone. The Catholic is and was one of the few self-financing transnational organizations in Africa, and it carries with it a tremendous amount of prestige and influence. Therefore, it is clear that while the Catholic Church has historically faced and continues to face little religious competition, it is not starved of members. We cannot attribute the Catholic Church’s democratic turn to competition between other religious groups or ideologies.

Overall, it seems that we should observe this extraordinary phenomenon for what it really is - a genuine doctrinal change. The Catholic Church is one of the world’s oldest and most established religious institutions. Because of this fact, we should not be tempted to rule out the possibility for progress or adaptation. Since the 1960s we have seen a noticeable change in the international outlook and approach of the Catholic Church with regards to democracy, human rights and social justice. Regardless of any preconceptions we may or may not have about legislative measures to do with abortion, homosexuality or even the concept of God, we cannot overlook that the Catholic Church has undergone a massive shift in its thinking. The Catholic Church is on a trajectory in which seeks to empower and transform marginalized communities throughout the world at the most fundamental political level.