Are Catholics socialists?
No. At least, we’re not supposed to be. Officially speaking, the Catholic Church does not prescribe or recommend any particular economic system, but rather sits in judgement of them all, based on the teachings of the gospel. While the Church has been critical of capitalism, it has never condemned the capitalist system outright. However, in regards to the economic philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (Marxism, socialism and communism), the Church has made outright condemnations of that (Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum 4, 5, 14, 15, 17; Pope John XXIII, Mater et Magistra 34; Pope Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens 31; Pope St John Paul II, Centesimus Annus 12). Catholics cannot be Marxists, socialists or communists. Not even so-called “democratic socialism” is permitted for Catholics.
The problem centers around private property, and the right of every human being to own it, which the Catholic Church fully recognizes. Marxism condemns this right. Socialism restricts it. While communism forbids it.
The Catholic Church recognizes that every person has the right to acquire private property (house, land, cattle, tools, business, etc.) and use it as a means to provide for one’s self and family. Marxism, on the other hand, encourages the sin of covetousness (“class envy” or “class warfare”), violating the Tenth Commandment (“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”), condemning the ownership of private property. Socialism is Marxism-in-action, working to restrict the ownership of private property, and is therefore unjust, legally validating theft, a violation of the Seventh Commandment (“You shall not steal.”). Communism, which is ultimate-socialism-in-action, forbids the ownership of all private property, making theft and covetousness the foundation of society, turning the whole Ten Commandments upside-down.
When we combine this with the bizarre sexual ideology of Marxism, a violation of the Sixth Commandment (“You shall not commit adultery.”), which seeks to abolish the traditional family (Communist Manifesto, chapter 2, page 24), and the Marxist notion that children should become wards of communities rather than parents, we have a socio-economic system that is antithetical to everything the Catholic Church teaches. This is why we have over a century of papal encyclicals and statements condemning the ideology of Marx and Engels. No Catholic can subscribe to it and still call himself a Catholic in good standing.
Are all Catholics the same?
No. While there are different types of Catholics, both liturgically and culturally, all Catholics are supposed to follow the same beliefs (doctrines) and moral code. Unlike other Christians, doctrinal beliefs do not change from parish to parish within the Catholic Church. All Catholics are supposed to follow the same beliefs and morals.
That being said, not all Catholics follow the same beliefs and morals equally. Some strive very hard to live as good and faithful Catholics, in accordance with Church teaching. Others may not strive nearly as hard. Those Catholics who consistently show a pattern of failing to adhere to the Church’s doctrinal teachings, and/or its moral code, are called Lapsed Catholics.
Most of the time, being a Lapsed Catholic is a private matter, usually known only by God, the sinner and the priest in the confessional. The Catholic Church takes great care to safeguard the privacy of personal sins, and generally does not make public statements about a particular Lapsed Catholic.
On rare occasions, however, Lapsed Catholics can be public figures, whose scandalous behavior becomes a source of public confusion. For example, sometimes a Lapsed Catholic may be a celebrity or politician, who might give the appearance that the Catholic Church condones certain heresies (false teachings) and/or sinful behavior. When this happens, said Lapsed Catholic is supposed to be corrected by his bishop, and he is supposed to be denied communion by the priests until he publicly repents of the publicly scandalous behavior. Sadly, however, it is possible for clergy to be lapsed as well. When a Lapsed Catholic, who is a celebrity or politician, is enabled by a lapsed bishop who refuses to perform the duties of his vocation, it becomes a source of great public scandal that besmirches the reputation of the entire Catholic Church.
It should be noted that when such situations occur, they are not the result of authentic Catholic teaching, but rather the failure of individual sinners. The failure of Judas Iscariot was not the result of Jesus’ teaching. It was, rather, in spite of it. Since the time of the Apostles, the Catholic Church has always had lapsed members. Jesus warned us this would always be so, until his Second Coming on the Last Day (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
In contrast, a Practicing Catholic is one who tries to faithfully follow the teachings and morals of the Church, in practice, in spite of personal failings that are confessed and repented of. Nobody’s perfect. All Catholics sin. All Catholics have misbeliefs from time to time. So long as Catholics are seeking to follow the teachings of the Church, and remain open to correction, confession and repentance, they remain Practicing Catholics. So in the end, while there are many different types of rites, forms and jurisdictions in the Catholic Church, giving the Church her rich diversity, there are only two types of Catholics in practical application: practicing and lapsed.
Was this short article helpful? If so, consider getting the book: Are Catholics Christian? by Shane Schaetzel. This short article is an excerpt from the book Are Catholics Christian? which has been used by clergy and catechists throughout North America in OCIA (RCIA) and other Catholic education programs. You can get the whole thing, in one short book, by clicking here.
Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and he is an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com
2 Comments
Comments are closed.