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Among the things that concern the good of the Church and indeed
the welfare of society here on earth-things therefore that are always
and everywhere to be kept secure and defended against all injury-this
certainly is preeminent, namely, that the Church should enjoy that
full measure of freedom which her care for the salvation of men
requires.[31] This is a sacred freedom, because the
only-begotten Son endowed with it the Church which He purchased with
His blood. Indeed it is so much the property of the Church that to
act against it is to act against the will of God. The freedom of the
Church is the fundamental principle in what concerns the relations
between the Church and governments and the whole civil order.
In human society and in the face of government the Church claims
freedom for herself in her character as a spiritual authority,
established by Christ the Lord, upon which there rests, by divine
mandate, the duty of going out into the whole world and preaching the
Gospel to every creature.[32] The Church also claims freedom for
herself in her character as a society of men who have the right to live
in society in accordance with the precepts of the Christian
faith.[33]
In turn, where the principle of religious freedom is not only
proclaimed in words or simply incorporated in law but also given sincere
and practical application, there the Church succeeds in achieving a
stable situation of right as well as of fact and the independence which
is necessary for the fulfillment of her divine mission.
This independence is precisely what the authorities of the Church
claim in society.[34] At the same time, the Christian faithful,
in common with all other men, possess the civil right not to be
hindered in leading their lives in accordance with their consciences.
Therefore, a harmony exists between the freedom of the Church and the
religious freedom which is to be recognized as the right of all men and
communities and sanctioned by constitutional law.
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