Faith and Culture: The 'Ratzingerian Marxists' and the 'Anthropological Emergency'

11/25/2012

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appears to us to be the most serious manifestation and at the same time the deepest root of the crisis of democracy. It germinates challenges that demand a new alliance between men and women, believers and nonbelievers, religion and politics."

The manifesto calls for a new definition of secularism, one that is less hostile to religious values, recognizes the important public role of the Catholic Church and other religious bodies, and suggests for a greater balance of both faith and reason in the public arena.

It suggests that the Church's social doctrine, which is founded on authentic human values, ought to be an inspiration to political parties, and can help bring some sort of commonality between all political parties so that debates are less polarizing.

While the manifesto recognizes the autonomy of the political sphere vis-�-vis the Church, that autonomy should not be construed as hostile to religious values or amoral. The Church should be a partner in the development of society.

The manifesto proclaims the need to guard against the danger of the "radical culture" of an overemphasized individualism which appears heedless to the truths and the good of social institutions and relationships, and results in a sort of tyranny of uncontrolled desire and uncontrolled application of technology as the only good.

It stresses the need to reject ethical relativism and to recognize that there are some values that are simply non-negotiable.

The rejection of ethical relativism, the manifesto stresses, does not mean that the values of cultural pluralism need be rejected. What it does require, however, is the rejection of morally nihilistic visions of modernity espoused by a minority of radical intellectuals. Such moral nihilism can never be the basis for a democratic life.

Recognition of non-negotiable moral realities-one of which is the "freedom and dignity of the human person from the first moment of conception"-does not discriminate between believers and non-believers. The authors of the manifesto frankly concede that this is the most criticized passage of the letter, and yet they view it as among one of the most important.

"To this end," the manifesto concludes "we believe that the Democratic Party should promote a public dialogue with the Catholic Church and other religious denominations operating in Italy and which are "ethically sensible," to the end that it might attend more strictly to the actual risks of the Italian nation: the state of its unity, and the "ethical substance" of the democratic regime."

The manifesto, along with a fourteen separate essays commenting on the manifesto, has recently been published by the Italian publisher Guerini & Associates.

The authors of the manifesto have also announced a major conference that will include both Catholics and non-believers that will discuss the manifesto in 2013, and which will focus on the anthropological vision of Benedict XVI.

Perhaps Americans can learn from the "Anthropological Emergency" manifesto and the efforts of the "Ratzingerian Marxists" Barcellona and Paolo. God knows that our fractured society has lost the ability to communicate sensibly on those things which ought to guide our life in common and our political life. The right and the left seem to yell past each other.

Our society has become overly secularized and increasingly heedless to and even hostile to religious values. The government seems intent on limiting religious freedom to freedom of worship and seems hostile to a broader, traditional view of religious freedom as including not only worship, but also public works of mercy.

All too often, we have adopted relativistic view of life, where "whatever floats your boat" is to be allowed, and where there are no such things as non-negotiables. Our country would be better served if the Catholic Social Doctrine was better-known by our politicians, whether they be Catholic or not.

We have, moreover, trampled over some of those non-negotiables, most obviously that great non-negotiable that the "freedom and dignity of the human person from the first moment of conception" ought to be respected.

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Andrew M. Greenwell is an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, practicing in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is married with three children. He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum. You can contact Andrew at agreenwell@harris-greenwell.com.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Ratzingerian Marxists, Pietro Barcellona, Paolo Sorbi, Anthropological Emergency, Andrew M. Greenwell

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1 - 8 of 8 Comments

blacksheep09
6 months ago
Catholic Christian's should strive too ensure when given the chance to select government offical's the selected individual know's the differance between .GOV and .GOD; this model was shown to us in the Sinai and we should this model.
judy claar
6 months ago
Andrew Greenwell, Another superb article! Fascinating! ....And then on the other side of the coin, again I say, fascinating, simply fascinating! The first side of the coin represents your article. Facts. And all of that that is good and true. The second side of the coin, echoes the voices of Thomas, our Lord's disciple, Bill Sr., Stephen Volk, myself and others, with these resounding words running through out their brain: "Beware of men in sheep's clothing."

I pray that they are not like the Biden's, Pelosi's, etc. I Hope and Pray that they continue their conversion and speak out for Catholic Social Justice. I am this way because I am still in mourning over Obama Catholics (all races) voting against their Faith. Forgive me Dear Lord. Blessings...
Bill Sr.
6 months ago
Having practicing Catholics as key members of a ruling political party is no guaranty of good government in a democracy. America has proven that beyond any doubt. Our own Biden, Pelosi, Sebelius, and a host of others who roam the hollowed halls in Washington along with socially corrupt governorships and big city mayors all over the country have driven us to bankruptcy and divided the people into secular camps of perverse but legal behavior against the founding values of our nation mocking the Church and her moral teaching. all of this under the guise of social justice or benevolent benefits and rights.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem
6 months ago
Thank you Andrew Greenwell for you wisdom and jurisprudence in presenting the interplay of Ratzingerian Marxism with Anthropological Emergency. Happy to hear the ' conversion of two great Italian Communists - their emerging from Communism only but " merge with Christ" and " Encounter Him" in their hearts. Truly, Pope Benedict as his predecessor is the plan of God for our time to merge and forge unity of faith and reason, matter and spirit, faith and science, even the very history to be attuned in to " anthro-theo- centrism" in the language of Raymund Panickar, an Indian theologian. The following is a little poem of mine presenting how satan in the life of man co-exists as if a benefactor, vitiating life, gradually realizes into two forces, leading to the true force that is Heaven ( Christ/ Church) . Rationalization is seen the " conflict between the " image of God" within with the satanic force, in the language of Communists, the conflict between thesis and anti- thesis, leading to the synthesis ie. heaven or hell, depending over the victorious force of either which in the theological jargon is put as "Original Sin".

"Twin Brothers
Satan, the father of death
My dearest friend
And thou no more foe
The one stronger and deeper
Than the other, excelling
To overtake with your
Trick overwhelming life
So fascinating, enchanting
Justifying every thought
Selflessly for me and me alone
So cozy you make me overnight
To follow your way
In a lighter vein, you reign
In the realm of mind and body
Leading to death, lethargy
Oozing away the Life within
The presence of God
The life force, love, energy
Here and now
And I don’t need another proof
Of the roof you promised
In your Father’s house
You, twin brothers
Ever together
Only but to depart
Either way to hell or heaven

Mathew Thankachen O.Praem.
.
Paul-Emile Leray
6 months ago
Christ is the zero point of his-story. That, to me, was perhaps the most important theme of this article. And then? Surrender. (of the negative aspects of self will; what is most selfish) Then? When the glass is empty who fills it with fresh water? Once again, Christ. This article also does well, I sense, to illustrate how certain political ideologies fall under the 'ratio' of reason. Therefore, this helps to show how ideologies can not be superimposed upon God given free will since coercion does not align with God given free will. Brilliant article!
Paul-Emile Leray
Steve
6 months ago
Non-negotiables, what are these? In the US, everything is negotiable, how can this type of society agree to "go back" to any thing that is considered "non-negotiable?
Let me give some real examples:1) Abortion, specifically, in cases that are difficult. Anencephaly; genetically determined growing babies whose diagnosis is incompatible with life; pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. 2) IVF, when married couples are truely trying to live the married life and procreate. Maybe, some day one sperm could fertilize one egg, with assisted techniques. So, there would be no "frozen" embryos, the sperm could be obtained through minor surgery(no need for a man to masturbate to obtain it). The woman would not need to take medication to increase the number of eggs to be fertilized. The only assistance would be the fertilization of one sperm and one egg. 3) Care of the elderly. Absolutely no euthanasia, but why is it necessary to go to extraodinary measures to save terminally ill individuals. 4) Capital punishment. Can we all just say no to capital punishment, period. If we truely believe everyone is capable of salvation, there would be no arguement about capital punishment. But actions due have consequences, and that is prison, with the hope of rehabilitation. 5) Contraception: difficult to negotiate, even NFP can go against Catholic teaching if the couple never plan to procreate.
So, what is non-negotiable?
Stephen Volk
6 months ago
EX MARXISTS? Have we so soon forgotten AA-1025, Cardinal Bea's liberal left, Hans Kung and Schilibeeckx of the Dutch naturalist catechism? These were all Marxist infiltrators, not converts. Pietro Barcellona and Paolo Sorbi will continue the Gramsci incrementalism as "Catholics." Don't be fooled! Infiltrators into Catholicism are a growing problem.
Debbie
6 months ago
I love article like this, seeing the Mighty Hand of God at work.

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