The Popes and Democracy - Part III. On the Effects of Modern Ideas 23. Public Opinion and Political Parties

Being the triumph of private individual judgment as against the judgment of an elite, Modern Democracy is in politics what the Reformation was in religion. It has a complete faith in public opinion, and claims that public opinion is expressed by the press and the party, or parties. True, genuine public opinion must, to some extent, be able to make itself known; but no political party, any more than the press, is the tangible expression of it. At best, it is the opinion of a very few. At worst, it completely shapes and manipulates it. "The masses ... become an easy plaything in the hand of anyone who seeks to exploit their instincts and impressions." (Pius XII - Christmas 1944) When the party has managed to bring its candidates to power through such means, the Assembly is not at all the tangible expression of genuine public opinion; it is more concerned with the interests of the ruling party than with the welfare of the people. In an election, the choice must be spontaneous; every candidate should be personally known by the voters. Otherwise, the basic democratic principle as understood in the Bible and in the "Summa", is warped and vitiated. Genuine democracy is incompatible with the existence of Political parties. Dr. Rumble acknowledged this truth in a radio reply (Cf. "Catholic Weekly", 11-10-62), when he pointed out that even the best of political parties had to put forward a program, not according to Christian principles, but according to the appeal it may have on the multitude! This acknowledgment was probably not intentional, but whether Dr. Rumble intended it or not, this is an indictment of the party system. Pius XII said (Christmas 1944) that "those in power should be impartial". But how could men belonging to political parties possibly be impartial? Pius XI noted that representative regimes were dangerous. "It is patent that these led themselves more readily than any others to factional intrigues." (Pius XI "Urbi Arcano Dei") Once a party is in power, the State becomes only a means to further its ambitions and the masses become the instrument: "The masses ... can be used by the State to impose its whims on the better part of the real people." (Pius XII - Christmas 1944) Cardinal Pie noted that the first attempt at universal suffrage (in the Christian era), resulted in the release of Barabbas and the condemnation of Christ, a very striking observation which fully justifies the warning given 19 centuries later by Leo XIII, namely, not to confuse "the deceptive wishes of the multitude with truth and justice". As for St. Pius X, he was even more explicit when he said: "In these democratic practices ... you will recognise, Venerable Brethren, the hidden cause of the lack of discipline with which you have so often had to reproach the Sillon." (St. Pius X "Our Apostolic Mandate") "There is an error and a danger in binding down Catholicism) by principle, to any particular form of government. Such error and danger are all the greater when one associates religion with a kind of Democracy the doctrines of which are erroneous." (St. Pius X "Ibid.") (Note that St. Pius X was referring to the practice of Modern Democracy as exemplified by the Sillon in 1910, - one of the early movements to try to reconcile Christianity with Modern Democracy, but the Pope did not intend to condemn the practice of Traditional Democracy as understood by St. Thomas.)