Church and State

Oftentimes people get angry when religious leaders, particularly Catholic leaders, attempt to comment on public issues. Citing the principle of Separation of Church and State, some people declare that religion has no right or place to assert itself in political and social matters. What these people do not understand, however, is that, as Mother and Teacher of man, the Church has not only the right, but also the duty to instruct Her children in matters which concern not just their spiritual, but also their physical well-being. “[The] Church is an "expert in humanity", and this leads her necessarily to extend her religious mission to the various fields in which men and women expend their efforts…" --John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis.