HEALTHY SECULARITY. JOSEPH RATZINGER ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE STATE.

In the interpretation of Joseph Ratzinger, the identity of Jesus Christ is important in determining the relationship between the Church and the state. Tempted at the beginning of his public activity, he does not reduce his mission to social or political activity. During the trial before Pilate, he confesses that His kingdom is not of this world, and is based on the power of truth. In accordance with the principle of religious-political dualism, religious and political authority must be distinguished. Nonetheless, the secular state needs the Church as a reservoir of values relevant to the public order, which for centuries matured on the basis of the Christian faith. Thus, healthy secularity manifests itself in the separation of the state and the Church, and at the same time within religious freedom and the presence of the Church in the public sphere of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]