By Lavoisier Fernandes
2024 is the biggest global election year in history. More than 64 countries are holding, national elections which accounts for more than half of the world’s population and include three of the largest democracies that is India, US, and Indonesia, and including the European Union (EU), Taiwan, Mexico, Venezuela, and the possibility of early elections in the United Kingdom.
It is also said that 2024 will be “a year of ballots and bullets”—the elections held in all these countries will serve as a stress test both for the democratic system and for the multiple conflicts stoking global instability. With the ongoing standoff of wars in Ukraine and Russia with the West, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as the historical conflicts between Israel and Palestine, the world is still chaotic, unstable, and divided. The integrity of the voting process is now threatened by artificial intelligence (AI) and highly skilled manipulation, and more elections do not necessarily equate to greater democracy. The increasing popularity of hybrid systems begs the question of whether the 2024 election cycle will be a turning point away from democracy or towards resistance.
Divisive Kin of Ideological labels have given rise to Polarisation.
I do not wish to sound all “doom and gloom” and undoubtedly believe in the ‘supernatural’ (or ‘theological’) virtue of “hope” with the other two being faith and charity. But the reality is that we do live in a fragmented world of political ideological labels of left, right, centre, progressive, moderate, liberal, conservative, libertarian, and the many more that exist. These political ideological labels, amplified by highly opinionated social media and its surrogate of false promises made by politicians and their divisive agenda of “divide and rule,” fuelled with triumphalism of nationalism, nativism, and populism, have unfortunately given rise to polarisation.
Pope Francis envisages about the rise in hyperbole, extremism, and polarization in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti on “fraternity” and “social friendship,” saying (FT 11)
“Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful, and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of social sense under the guise of defending national interests.”
Ideology can be compared to Idolatry.
Politics serves as a religion for many people in our society, and since politics is so politicised, even Catholics who are devout often harbour small ideological pieces-small idols or fetishes-that they conceal, guard, and occasionally revisit in private. The past failings and scandals within the Church have not helped this cause either, thus breaking trust and her credibility. We sometimes also protect our children from the messages that the Church and the pope are trying to impart.
In a homily Pope Francis compared ideology to idolatry:
“When you insist on doing things your own way in the face the Lord’s will, you are an idolater, because you prefer what you think, that idol, to the will of the Lord. And for Saul, this disobedience cost him the kingdom: “Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you as king.” This should make us think a little bit about our own docility. We often prefer our own interpretation of the Gospel […] for example, when we fall into casuistry, into moral casuistry… This is not the will of the Lord. The will of the Lord is clear; He makes it known with the commandments in the Bible, and makes it known with the Holy Spirit within your heart. But when I am obstinate and turn the Word of the Lord into an ideology, I am an idolater, I am not docile.”
Polarization is Not Catholic
The Catholic Church has not been spared from polarisation with its divisive wars. On one side many Catholic “liberals” long for a nonauthoritarian Church. They feel that today the Church must down play so called “outdated” teachings on sexual morality, and join the great moral political battles of our time like poverty, global warming, racism, women ordination, human trafficking etc. On the other side of the spectrum there are the Catholic “conservatives” sticking to the particular emphasis on the teachings that have been undermined by the sexual revolution (abortion, marriage, contraception, etc.).
In a homily commemorating the beginning of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, Pope Francis regretted the “polarisation” of some Catholics in the wake of the Council and said:
“How many times did they prefer to cheer on their own party rather than being servants of all?” he asked. “To be progressive or conservative rather than brothers and sisters? To be on the ‘right’ or ‘left,’ rather than with Jesus?”
Polarization has been a painful wound in the Church which has greatly hampered the mission of Evangelization. In an interview Pope Francis said:
“Polarisation is not Catholic and the more polarisation there is, the more one loses the Catholic spirit and falls into a sectarian spirit. A Catholic cannot think either-or (aut-aut) and reduce everything to polarisation. The essence of what is Catholic is both-and (et-et).” He recalled that Jesus went beyond the divisions among the Jews of the time between the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Zealots. proposing the Beatitudes, “which are also something different”.
The Church is the Antidote to Political Polarization.
Polarisation is not something that can be erradicated within the Church and will continue whilst we wrestle with our external political climate in our respective countries as well as the failings and scandals of a few “bad apples” within the Church. But for the same reason as Catholics, we have a responsibility to examine our consciences in light of what the Church and what the pope teaches us through the living Magisterium (Ordinary, Conciliar and Pontifical Magisterium).
The Church is a great gift, the Church is the antidote to political polarisation and the culture war, and not a mere combatant that pledges permanent allegiance to one side or the other.
Genuine Charitable Dialogue
Today, the temptation of quick fame through the comfort of sitting behind phone screens in a heavily opinionated social media world has eliminated a need of genuine conversations or debates that move past our blinded preconceived prejudices and the temporary dopamine rush created by the social media rewards of “likes” on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and others.
Genuine dialogue is the way forward, but not what we find common today on social media where people do not criticise ideas, they attack the whole person. One bad idea, and it gets cancelled. If we learned to focus our critique on the bad (or what we think is bad) idea without dismissing the whole person we would be doing ourselves a favour. If we learned this act of being more charitable, we would have a far greater possibility of turning people from their errors, which is ultimately what we want.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis lays the road map for dialogue as:
“Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground” (FT 198). Authentic dialogue presumes that “Each of us can learn something from others” (FT 215) and seeks to “grasp the significance of what others say and do, even if we cannot accept it as our own conviction” (FT 203).
Dialogue is Hard Work but is Always Rooted in Hope and Lasting Peace
The Holy Father recognises that dialogue is never easy and is hard work. The challenging work of dialogue, the pope says, will help create a “culture of encounter.” It will lead to a society where we are “passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, and planning a project that includes everyone” (FT 216). Creating this culture is a “difficult and slow process,” yet only it “is the guarantee of a genuine and lasting peace” (FT 217).
The pope’s confidence in the fruitfulness of dialogue is rooted in hope—specifically hope “in the reserves of goodness present in human hearts” (FT 196).
Lavoisier Fernandes, born and raised in Goa, is currently based in West London. His faith is “work in progress” — a lifelong journey. He has always been fascinated by the Catholic faith, thanks to his Salesian schooling. His passions are podcasting, theology, the papacy, and volunteering. He has hosted the ‘Talking Faith’ series for Heavens Road FM Catholic Radio, connecting with ordinary men and women within the Catholic faith and other faiths and examining issues affecting both the Church and society. He has also hosted the ‘Heart Talk’ series for Shalom World Catholic TV. He presently contributes for the Goa Diocesan magazine Renovação and the Faith Companion Magazine in England.