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IdeologyReligious family

Integralism

Also called: Catholic integralism · Integrism · Confessional state Catholicism

Integralism is a Catholic political theory that says the state should serve the common good, including salvation, and defer to the Church on spiritual matters.

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Integralism on 12 axes-100 to +100
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where it stands

Integralism, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership0
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets-35
    PlannedFree

    Most reject liberal capitalism in the name of the common good, but few set out a detailed economic plan.

  3. 03Welfare-30
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority+60
    DemocraticStrong leader

    Integralists say the form of rule is secondary, so they disagree over how much power a single leader should hold.

  5. 05Security+60
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure+50
    LocalCentral
  7. 07Morality+95
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08Religion+100
    SecularReligious
  9. 09Technology+55
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10Culture+35
    MulticulturalNational identity
  11. 11Trade+30
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy+15
    CooperationStrength

What is Integralism?

Integralism is a Catholic theory about how politics and religion should fit together. Its starting point is that human life has two goals: a good life on earth and eternal salvation. The second goal is higher, so integralists say the state must not ignore it. In their view, the political order should recognize the Catholic faith and listen to the Church on matters of the soul. They reject the liberal idea that the state should be neutral between religions. Do not confuse it with Portuguese or Brazilian Integralism, which were separate nationalist movements of the twentieth century.

Core beliefs

  • Politics should aim at the common good, and that includes spiritual good.
  • Worldly power ranks below spiritual power, as the body ranks below the soul.
  • The state should openly honor the Catholic religion.
  • A state that claims to be neutral still favors some view of the good life.
  • Law should support marriage, family and traditional morals.

History

Integralists look back to a long line of papal teaching. Pope Gelasius I wrote about the two powers, priestly and royal, in 494. Boniface VIII claimed supreme authority for the pope in Unam Sanctam (1302). In the 1800s popes condemned liberal ideas of church-state separation, and Pius IX's Syllabus of Errors (1864) did so in sharp terms. Leo XIII's encyclical Immortale Dei (1885) described the right ties between the two powers. The word integrisme was first used in France and Spain for Catholics who would not accept any deal with liberal politics. In 1965 the Second Vatican Council issued Dignitatis Humanae, which defended a right to religious freedom. Most Catholics read it as the end of the confessional state. A few scholars and writers revived integralism in the 2010s, and it now has an online and academic following.

Variants

Classical integralism supports a formal union between a Catholic state and the Church. Some modern writers treat this as a distant ideal and settle for postliberal reforms in the meantime. Others use the word loosely for any politics that puts the common good over personal choice. Writers disagree on whether the teaching of Vatican II can be fitted with integralist claims. They also differ on whether the best ruler is a king, a republic or some other form.

Criticisms

Many Catholic theologians say integralism clashes with Dignitatis Humanae, and with the Church's own call for religious freedom. Liberal and secular critics say it would make non-Catholics second-class citizens and bring back religious coercion. Some conservative Catholics say it is unrealistic in mixed societies and damages the Church's good name. Integralists reply that every political system, liberalism included, imposes a view of the good, and that they are simply restating older Catholic teaching.

In practice

Catholic confessional states existed for centuries in Europe, and in the twentieth century Franco's Spain and Salazar's Portugal gave the Church a special legal place. Today integralism is mainly a school of thought, not a party program. It has fed debate among Catholic conservatives about postliberalism, the courts and religious liberty. On the 12 axes it scores at the top of Religion and Morality, and well toward Strong leader and Order, with a mixed economic profile.

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Integralism: questions

Is integralism left or right?

It does not fit one side. Its views on religion and morality are far right, but it also criticizes unrestrained capitalism and favors some state action for the common good. Many see it as a religious position more than a standard left-right one.

Integralism vs theocracy: are they the same thing?

Under theocracy, clergy or religious law rule directly. Integralists say the state keeps its own rulers and its own sphere, but must serve ends set by the Church. Critics think the difference is small in practice.

What do integralists believe about religious freedom?

Most hold that the state may tolerate other faiths but should not treat all religions as equal. They say the Church has a duty to guide public life. Many other Catholics disagree and point to Vatican II.

Further reading