Pope Leo XIV on August 28 encouraged Catholic politicians to live coherently as Christians and follow the Gospel, even when performing their public duties in a secular polity.
“There is no split in the personality of a public figure: There is not, on one side, the politician and, on the other, the Christian. Rather, there is a politician who, under God’s gaze and before his conscience, lives his commitments and responsibilities as a Christian!” he added.
To achieve such coherence of life, the pope recalled the call for Catholic politicians “to strengthen themselves in faith, to deepen their knowledge of doctrine – especially social doctrine – that Jesus taught the world, and to put it into practice in carrying out their duties and in drafting laws.”
He also affirmed the enduring validity of natural law, a norm “that all can recognize, even non-Christians. Therefore, we should not fear proposing it and defending it with conviction: It is a doctrine of salvation that seeks the good of every human being, the building of peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and reconciled societies.”
