What do we consider to be the ideal civic authority?

The answer

The Church Fathers often spoke of the blessings of having a state. If both the leaders and the people walk in the spirit of justice with love and holiness, both parties are content. Everyone works joyfully when authority is exercised by holy leaders in the spirit of fatherhood and compassion; for the leaders can find their happiness, wealth, and dignity in the happiness, wealth, and dignity of every member of the community. A community of the holy vie with each other to sacrifice and give to others, and delight in such faithful works.

St. Ambrose believes that in early human societies, responsibilities were allotted in rotation, leaving no room for arrogance among them. But when the lust for power entered them, they began to contend over who would occupy positions of power. St. Ambrose says, “From the beginning men began in this manner to establish a political system based on nature, with the birds as models. Thus there was equal participation in both labor and office. Each individual in his turn learned to set up a division of responsibilities, to take his share in doing service and in supervising it. Thus no one was devoid of office and no one was without his allotment of work. Here was an ideal state where no one became accustomed to unbroken power. Again, no one was intimidated by a long period of servitude, because advancement, due to interchange of office and to the fitting measure of its duration … But when the lust for domination began to arrogate to itself powers that were acquired, and when this same lust encouraged unwillingness to relinquish powers that were assumed.”⁷⁸³

He also says, “No virtue produces more abundant benefits than Equity or Justice, which is more concerned with others than with itself, neglecting its own advantages, and preferring the common good … Justice, on the other hand, is the most important as it represents the concord of all the other virtues.”⁷⁸⁴

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty