From Peter’s Desk: On Christian Democracy
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak in a panel discussion on faith in the public sector. The session was hosted by Kuyper College in Grand Rapids Michigan, named in honor of the 19th-century Reformed Christian pastor and statesman. Kuyper was an advocate for Christian engagement with culture and was a contributor to the Christian Democracy political movement, to which the American Solidarity Party owes its foundation. I’m grateful to the Kuyper faculty, administration and students for their invitation.
When we talk about Christian Democracy, people often think of Christian Nationalism. Although the latter is a common term these days, the two outlooks are different- and essentially opposed. Christian Democracy is centered on the common good. It seeks unity and solidarity in communities, countries, and the world at large. Although it views society and its overall welfare through Christianity, the political approach is pluralistic and inclusionary. Christian Nationalism has an extreme and exclusionary cultural view. The American Solidarity Party rejects it.
On a recent trip to Cincinnati I encountered, in addition to one of the biggest Oktoberfests I’ve ever witnessed, an encouraging outreach of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I am an admirer of the organization’s longevity and the breadth of its charitable outreach. It was founded in the 19th century by Frederic Ozanam, a lawyer and scholar moved by the plight of the impoverished to provide them tangible aid. Ozanam developed a social-political doctrine that foreshadowed Rerum Novarum, the 1891 document by Pope Leo XIII that is regarded as the foundation of Catholic social teaching.
In selecting St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1680), as the patron of his humanitarian society, Ozanam recognized the great contributions of a man dedicated to serving the poor. Not only did Vincent minister among the galley slaves, but he founded a large network of religious and charitable service known as the Vincentians. He is regarded for his ability to inspire and organize people for effective outreach, which is evident still.
In a church I frequent there is an archway mural of St. Vincent, surrounded by a host of street children in his care. In a vault below the arch is an image of a pelican. The pelican, a common Christian symbol of charity and self-sacrifice, is an image used throughout Christian Democracy – and the American Solidarity Party in particular. Orange is its official color too!
On a more sorrowful note, this has been unprecedented in recent American history. Since my last weekly message, five people were executed. Particularly troubling was a case in which prosecutors admitted misconduct and sought to have the death sentence overturned, only to have the governor and Supreme Court deny requests for a stay. As a country, we cannot say that citizens have no right to take a human life while defending the government’s actions in suing so. As a society we can protect public safety and punish convicted offenders while avoiding protracted appeals proceedings and still allowing for the potential of new information in cases. It’s time to end capital punishment in America.
These musings are a bit scattershot, but they remind me that the needs Vincent de Paul encountered in 17th-century society are still real and that there are still organic ways in which to address them. The American Solidarity Party begins with the social premise that all human life has dignity and the political premise that it be respected and safeguarded – in the womb, in a hospice center, in a soup kitchen, in an immigrant shelter, on death row, or in our backyard.
