Rediscovering the first intuition

Between the political quagmire that followed the dissolution of the National Assembly and the revelations about Abbé Pierre adding to the long list of sexual abuses, our institutions are struggling.

Democracy, like the Church, ultimately suffers from the same evil: an appetite for power, which leads to the hijacking of governance without further seeking the common good, or even, in extreme cases, to exercising sexual control. As a consequence of this human failing, the gap is widening between the authorities perceived as “governing” and the rest of the population. We, citizens and members of the people of God, derive from this the painful feeling of being subjected to systems of governance that do not take much account of our persons. Yet they were both designed on the basis of equality – and the primary intuition of democracy remains profoundly biblical, founded on the absolute value of each human existence.

Two future events come to reassure us, showing that this original vision has not been completely lost sight of. In a month, the second part of the Synod on Synodality will open in Rome. This will be an opportunity to continue a reflection on the way of being Church, in a more participatory spirit. And in November, the 12th World Forum for Democracy will be held in Strasbourg. It will focus on the question of diversity: how to build a society that respects the particularities of each person? A theme that resonates singularly with the challenges of ecclesial life, where it is a question of living in Christ a unity in which each person can find their place.

Of course, these two bodies will mainly be attended by bishops and political scientists. But it is possible to take hold of these reflections and pursue them on the ground. Not by seeing them as an opportunity to “take back power”, but rather to “put ourselves at the service”. In our municipalities, in our parishes, there is no shortage of situations where we can commit ourselves to preserving the interests of our neighbour-next-door. Everyone will come out of it stronger, perhaps even our leaders?