In the weeks and months before this fateful vote, unlike at
General Elections, there was no collective guidance from the Catholic Bishops
on the issues at stake in terms of Catholic social teaching, or indeed the
interests of the Holy See and the Catholic Church in this country. This is doubtless
because there was an honest case from the point of various Catholic Christians’
faith for either choice. The Church stands above the political fray, since its
wisdom applies to this world from the Kingdom of heaven. But, after the result
was known, it was clear that great bitterness and resentment was unleashed,
with some terrible mutual recriminations – young versus old, north versus
south, Scot versus English, British verse foreigners, even white versus those
of other colours. Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President
of the Bishops’ Conference, immediately called for calm, “respect and civility”,
appealing to our better nature as a country, and to its implicitly Christian
civilisation when it comes to a generous “welcome for the stranger and shelter
for the needy”.
Let us now set the referendum decision and its aftermath
explicitly in the context of Christian faith and discipleship. Since we as
Catholics strive for the communion of all in Christ in the Catholic faith, and
by leading truly a spiritual life in union with Him, it is important that we
look forward to the next year, with its undoubted upheavals ahead, with our eyes
fixed firmly on Jesus Christ our pioneer on the life we pass through in this
world (Hebrews 12.2).
This last week, I have heard of a Spanish restaurant in
south London vandalised with offensive graffiti, and we all know of the similar
attack on a Polish centre in north London. I also learned of a British charity for
the needy, which has built up considerable work in other European countries,
now considering a new office in Germany to protect its work across borders; and
a Belgian colleague speaking Flemish to relatives on the phone on a bus, was confronted
in public with a threat that her job was shortly to come to an end. Among us we
know of numerous other incidents of physical and verbal assault, ranging from
the xenophobic to the unvarnished racist.
To this we say that the Kingdoms of the World have become
the Kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ (Apocalypse
11.15), and that the Kingdom of God transcends all our ideas of patriotism,
nationality, nationalism, state-interest. “Here,” says St Paul, “we have no
abiding city... for our true homeland is in heaven”. (Hebrews 13.14 & Philippians 3.20) And the Lord Himself says to
"seek first the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 6.34).
At Vatican II, the Church taught that the authority of the Church and of civil
society are not subject one to the other, but are free to achieve their highest
aims as they operate in their respective spheres. This does not mean that the
Gospel and the authority of the Church to proclaim it fail to apply to the
world, and that the Church must refrain from interfering in the affairs of
society. On the contrary, it is the teaching of the Church that the objective of
both Church and State, Religion and Society, is to serve the realisation of God’s
Kingdom on earth. It is thus the Church’s prophetic duty to call the world, its
leaders, its governments, its cultures, its societies and each individual member
to constant repentance, to return again and again to the principles of the
Beatitudes, to strain repeatedly to ‘hear the Angels sing’ of glory to God on
high and peace on earth to those of good will, and thus to orient the entire
world toward the blessed state that is ours by virtue of our creation in God’s
own image.
Secondly, it is vital to recall that, in the beginning, what
has now become the European Union (whatever you think of it) was established
largely by Catholic Christians intent on realising this Kingdom of God in the
hands of the remaining people of good will, transcending states and languages
and divisions, so that the resources of Europe could never again be used for
making war, or for oppressing the free dignity of human beings to live to the full
before God, in faith and hope and love. No more Fascism and Nazism; no more
atheist materialist communism. Everywhere confidence in truth, in goodness and
justice.
What has emerged in the last few weeks has clearly been
lying under the surface for years and now feels unbound and empowered to assert
itself. Perhaps it is a catharsis that will soon be over as the poison is
dissipated. Perhaps we face a more lasting darker outlook, recalling that such
attitudes were once commonly assumed and potently pursued before the Second
World War in this country as elsewhere. So we must remember that the Lord Who said, “Seek first the Kingdom
of God,” went on to say, “and His righteousness.” It must therefore be the
heartfelt duty of every Christian, who believes above all else in the Universal
Reign of Jesus Christ over all peoples and nations, to withstand all thoughts,
words and deeds that contradict His design for humanity’s perfect liberty in
Him, and that contradict the dignity of all human beings, regardless of colour,
race, religion, age, sex, or language, or outlook. It must be that Christians
who “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” declare unrighteous, unChristian,
all that stands against Christ’s will for us all, both to be one in His own single
humanity and to thrive as He has appointed us in His single creation with all
our differences and backgrounds and origins. For we see that by the Holy Spirit
He has both been penetrating our societies so that they may providentially become
more like His Kingdom, and is even now redeeming from them all their ills,
oppressions, cruelties and acts of spiteful pride and wickedness, by the power
of His holy Cross.
I fear that this will require of us great strengths in the
time ahead as we make a new history. Perhaps we are in an unreal calm before a
coming storm, or perhaps, as we hope with the Cardinal, we will prove after all
to be good neighbours. Perhaps, though, when we insist as we must upon Christ’s
bearing on the world, it will involve the further vilification of the Church.
Perhaps to exalt the Kingdom of God and righteousness will involve profound sacrifices
for the sake of the truth, of justice and the love of God. But the evil at work
will not prevail. It must bow. For “the earth is the Lord’s with all that is in
it” (Psalm 23.1) and “the Lord alone …
will be King” (Zechariah 14.9); and “He
will reign for ever” (Apocalypse 11.15).
Him alone do we serve (cf. Matthew 4.8
& 10).
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