Page |1

Sem. Romeo M. Macali Jr.

Political Philosophy
March 29, 2023
SILENCE CHURCH
Church and state today in the Philippines are in constant turmoil, especially during the
current election, where the church always gives its view. Also, during that time when the son of a
past dictatorial president has run to be President of the country. Even saying that his father had
never committed a heinous act against the citizens of the country, they even fabricated the truth of
his reign, saying that he is a good and just president. Fake news spread like wildfire regarding this,
and everybody began to believe it. Where the church rightly condemned this thing, even to the
point where the church issued a pastoral letter, and where some of the people would always say
that there is a separation of church and state, they would even say, "Magpakumpisal nalang po
kayo Father." History has shown us the continued conflicts between church and state. These
conflicts have been documented throughout world history and have mostly been power struggles
between the two. Man can even date it back to the medieval period, when the church and state
were in constant harmony. Later on, they will be in constant turmoil, and there will be one
philosopher who will say that there must be a separation of church and state. Now one might ask,
who is this philosopher?
He is William of Ockham, ‘lived in deeply troubled times. In an age which the papacy had
become embroiled in the growing tensions between the rulers of France and the holy Roman
Empire, he involved himself in heated theological disputes that led to his excommunication,
although he avoided the even greater danger of being labeled a heretic. It is because he was
embroiled in another controversy, siding with Pope John XII about the morality of owning
property (which the Franciscans eschewed).’1
This problem boils down from the Franciscan order the dispute between the two parties
within the order namely, conventuals and spirituals. The conventuals believed that the Franciscan
friars and the Franciscan order have the right to own property, while the spirituals, to whom
William of Ockham belongs, believe that the Franciscan order has no right to own property and
that they must live according to what Jesus taught his disciple, and they do it through begging. The
poverty that everyone must embrace in order for the world to be at peace through this belief of
Ockham, ‘who is convinced that wealth is an inappropriate source of power for the Catholic
Church as a whole, extends his commitment to poverty beyond the Franciscan order. He believed
that the Catholic Church had a spiritual force that distinguished it from the outside world. This
conviction leads Ockham to propose the doctrine of separation of church and state, where each has

1
Cf. Simon Blackburn, Philosphers Their Lives and Works (New York: DK Publishing, 2019) 95.
 Page |2

supreme power in its respective domain.'2 By this, the church must not interfere with the state,
even to the point of affecting a person's morality. Which is one of the jobs of the church, which is
to be a defender of morality. Simply because William of Ockham believed that the Church must
only focus on the spiritual needs of man and the secular needs must only be governed by the State.
Which is a wrong point of view and a flawed in his political philosophy, simply because the
church’s head is a member of statehood, that gives them the right to give their own view in
politics, and most especially when it violates the morality of every individual. That William of
Ockham must know as a member of it but still tend to forget it which is also the flawed in his
thinking. That his politics is only an idea and can never applied, it is because man will never be
perfect. The Church will not remain silent when it involves issues in regarding morality and
ethics, and if it is being violated and distorted. It is because the Church often seen as the way to
hold on to traditions and maintain a moral value amongst people, simply because morality and
ethics does not change. The State is more likely to progress and change along with society or even
try to change it depending on the leaders at the time. Therefore, it is the job of the church to
remind the leaders when they violate morality.
Just take as an example the recent election, where it is also stated on the first page that the
concept of truth is being distorted in regards to the heinous act done by Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who
is a dictator, where in his term many were killed and were being silenced. But now he is being
praised as a good and benevolent president, whereas before he was not. Which is one of his son's
tactics to win the election. Because of this, the Church did not remain silent; its members and
leaders fought for what was truly right, even to the point where the Church issued a pastoral letter.
On February 25, 2022, in commemoration of the EDSA Revolution, the CBCP released a pastoral
letter entitled "The Truth Will Set You Free" (John 8:32).
The separation of church and state This is one of the things that the politicians are always
telling the church. But now is not the time for the church to remain silent. Especially when it
concerns the truth, morality, and future of the country. The members and leaders of the church are
also members of the state. That’s why the church needs to participate in it. It is their right to make
suggestions as a citizen. Therefore, it is the right of the church, simply because the church is
composed of people, and these people are also members of the state.
To conclude, the separation of the church and the state is a way for each group to perform its
authority, but it does not limit the church from giving its own view, especially when it violates the

2
Cf. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “William of Ockham.” Ockham (Occam), William of | Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu). Retrieved March 28, 2023.
 Page |3

morality of man, and also the political view of a member of the church must not be concluded as
an intervention by the church.