{"id":15919,"date":"2026-07-26T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T23:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/?p=15919"},"modified":"2026-07-25T21:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T20:15:32","slug":"15919","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/?p=15919","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s get political for the first time in my career! You might have heard that we have a new Prime Minister, appointed only last Monday. Political commentators and journalists had a great time in the run-up, analysing the man in question, speculating about his future agenda, and predicting who would form his government. One aspect of those ponderings that caught my attention was that the new Prime Minister is a Catholic and that the Church and its social teaching have had a significant influence on his political beliefs and convictions. That struck a nerve. \u201cAll<\/em> political<\/em> careers<\/em> end<\/em> in<\/em> failure\u201d<\/em> is the modern \u201cproverb\u201d based on the historical observations of Enoch Powell. It means that time, ageing, changing public moods, and unresolved problems will always catch up with leaders; even the most powerful politicians eventually lose power, face rejection, or leave behind an unfulfilled legacy. Nobody has ever pleased everyone; Jesus himself couldn\u2019t do it. So, when inevitably the new Prime Minister and his government make mistakes or take a wrong turn, there will likely be many critical voices blaming the social teaching of the Catholic Church, as it has admittedly played an important role in shaping the Prime Minister\u2019s worldview. Such blame can be attributed to two main reasons: an overall suspicion of religion in British public life and a common misunderstanding of the Catholic Church\u2019s social teaching as a prescriptive, \u201coven-ready\u201d political system.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s first reading, we heard the story of young King Solomon on the cusp of taking the throne after his father, King David. He had nearly been outwitted by Adonijah, the king\u2019s older son. His coup had been halted only because of the cunning political skills of the prophet Nathan, a key religious advisor in David\u2019s royal court. The task before the newly crowned King Solomon was daunting: \u201cO<\/em> Lord<\/em> my<\/em> God,<\/em> you<\/em> have<\/em> made<\/em> your<\/em> servant<\/em> king<\/em> in<\/em> place<\/em> of<\/em> David<\/em> my<\/em> father,<\/em> although<\/em> I<\/em> am<\/em> but<\/em> a<\/em> little<\/em> child.<\/em> I<\/em> do<\/em> not<\/em> know<\/em> how<\/em> to<\/em> go<\/em> out<\/em> or<\/em> come<\/em> in.<\/em> And<\/em> your<\/em> servant<\/em> is<\/em> in<\/em> the<\/em> midst<\/em> of<\/em> your<\/em> people<\/em> whom<\/em> you<\/em> have<\/em> chosen,<\/em> a<\/em> great<\/em> people,<\/em> too<\/em> many<\/em> to<\/em> be<\/em> numbered<\/em> or<\/em> counted<\/em> for<\/em> multitude.<\/em> […]<\/em> Who<\/em> is<\/em> able<\/em> to<\/em> govern<\/em> this<\/em> your<\/em> great<\/em> people?\u201d<\/em> However, Solomon wasn\u2019t moaning about his fate for its own sake, but presenting the enormity of the challenge he faced as a reason to request a specific gift from God: \u201cGive<\/em> your<\/em> servant,<\/em> therefore,<\/em> an<\/em> understanding<\/em> mind<\/em> to<\/em> govern<\/em> your<\/em> people,<\/em> that<\/em> I<\/em> may<\/em> discern<\/em> between<\/em> good<\/em> and<\/em> evil.\u201d<\/em> In other words, he wanted to be a fair and just sovereign, exercising his power for the benefit of his subjects rather than his own interests. It pleased God: \u201cyou<\/em> have<\/em> […]<\/em> not<\/em> asked<\/em> for<\/em> yourself<\/em> long<\/em> life,<\/em> or<\/em> riches,<\/em> or<\/em> the<\/em> life<\/em> of<\/em> your<\/em> enemies,<\/em> but<\/em> have<\/em> asked<\/em> for<\/em> yourself<\/em> understanding<\/em> to<\/em> discern<\/em> what<\/em> is<\/em> right,<\/em> behold,<\/em> I<\/em> now<\/em> do<\/em> according<\/em> to<\/em> your<\/em> word.\u201d<\/em> But why did Solomon ask for \u201cwisdom\u201d to govern? Theoretically, he could do whatever he liked, as there were no limitations to his power. By choice, he had the law of Moses providing a legal framework for running this particular kingdom. The challenge is that life is always more complicated than even the most prescriptive law. Solomon needed wisdom to know how to apply rules and regulations to specific situations. The law of Moses had effectively set the principles, but their implementation was a matter of Solomon\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n

His forty-year rule brought a period of great peace, wealth, and trade, and was considered the most prosperous era in the history of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, symbolised by the magnificently opulent Temple he built in Jerusalem. But the end of his reign was marred by personal failings, and the prosperity proved to be built at an enormous social cost, as testified to by a plea made by the representatives of the people to Solomon\u2019s successor, Rehoboam: \u201cYour<\/em> father<\/em> forced<\/em> us<\/em> to<\/em> work<\/em> very<\/em> hard.<\/em> Now,<\/em> make<\/em> it<\/em> easier<\/em> for<\/em> us.<\/em> Stop<\/em> the<\/em> heavy<\/em> work<\/em> that<\/em> your<\/em> father<\/em> forced<\/em> us<\/em> to<\/em> do<\/em> and<\/em> we<\/em> will<\/em> serve<\/em> you.\u201d<\/em> (Chronicles<\/em> 10:4)<\/em> He rejected advice given by experienced courtiers and instead followed the advice of his sycophantic friends, and as a result, lost ten of the twelve tribes of Israel, who rebelled and created an independent and hostile Northern Kingdom, a division that would never heal. The story shows that even autocratic political systems have their limitations – the people.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why citizens must be seriously considered by any government. The great diversity of individual needs, expectations, desires, and dreams, as well as the interests of various groups of influence, creates an enormous challenge. So, every government uses a set of principles that inform its policies and decisions to accommodate those often-contradictory societal needs and expectations. Modern European democracies seem allergic to anything that hints at Christian influence, forgetting that the rights and culture we take for granted are the result of centuries of the implementation of Christian values against stubbornly resistant human greed, power, and selfishness. Derived directly from the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, there are four fundamental principles in Catholic social teaching:<\/p>\n