There are finally many people who repeat “keep religion out of politics” without any understanding whatsoever of what it is all about.

What the Church can and must do?

I wish here to clarify for you this question of what the Church can and must do in relation with politics, and what is outside of her domain. Also you must understand what the State can and must do in relation to the Church. God Almighty has appointed the charge of the human race to two powers: the Church and the State.

The two powers are distinct, each in its kind is supreme. In other words, neither the Church nor the State interfere with each other. Each has what it needs to attain its end. Each one is a domain of its own, whose limits are defined by the nature and special object of the province of each. (Leo XIII, Immortale Dei).

What are the Powers of the Church and those of the State

Whatever is consecrated to God, all matters concerning souls, religious and moral matters, are governed by the Church who judges them. On the other hand, whatever concerns the government of people in temporal matters belongs to the realm of the state. (Immortale Dei).

What the State must do for the Church The State must recognise that it is also bound by the laws of God. Civil rulers have a duty to remember that God is the Authority above them, that He rules over everybody on earth and in heaven. They must relate all their activities to Him and in the exercise of their governmental duties, God is the rule which they have the obligation to follow.

(Immortale Dei). Therefore if a ruler, even when engaged in State duties, neglects to concern himself with religion, he would be openly violating God’s law and would thus refuse to achieve the end for which God created him as well as that for which He created the country that the ruler is governing.

This Applies to all Rulers Indiscriminately

As I said above, religion and State are distinct powers, the difference lies in the power itself and not in the person in whom it is vested. All people — the ruler as well as those he governs — have the obligation to abide by the sound principles given by the Church, the ruler being the head since he has to lead the others: as our own proverb goes, “The road is opened by the elder”.

Therefore if civil authorities behave as if God is not their ruler, they incur the very serious guilt of being a scandal to their country and such people do not deserve to be elected as rulers. This is not all; a ruler who is concerned with religion only at home and in church where he i seen worshipping but who, when he is engaged in his political activities tries to give the impression that he does not worship God is in grave error. It would be a great shame in a country like Buganda if we put at the head of the government people who do not understand that Buganda or Uganda cannot keep going properly, even politically, if they are not strongly grounded in religion. In fact, it is religion that strengthens good morals among men. Then here would’ be rulers who give no thought to it.

How then will they keep peace in the country if the citizens are disobedient, unjust and untrustworthy,’ having no respect for their rulers, and other such habits. Those rulers might say that they have the power to put people into prison and to punish them in many ways. But understand that those sanctions are not enough to make people law-abiding. What helps most to make people law-abiding is the fear of God and therefore religion.

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