Positive secularism finding building stones for a theory in the writings of Joseph Ratzinger

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Summary

In this article the Author brings together two apparent opposites – religion and secular society. This seeming impossibility is achieved by identifying insights in Joseph Ratzinger’s writings which provide a theory of a new kind of secularism. Asserting a principle of “non-rigorism”, the Author paints a picture of how a highly vigorous religious tradition can exist within and contribute to a robust secular society. He argues that in Ratzinger’s views on Church and State we find the idea of a positive secularism in which both religion and society need a reciprocal dependency on each other to bring about a healthy culture.