ABSTRACT
The Catholic Church's relationship to democracy was determined by the developments on the European continent after the Great French Revolution. The postconciliar conflicts raise the question of which theological reorientation the Second Vatican Council represented with regard to the principle conceptualization and evaluation of the Church's stance toward modern culture. Development of the British state and society – over the course of several hundred years – was an important precondition for modern democracy's breakthrough in the United States and France toward the end of the 18th century. The Church's efforts to reconcile itself to modern democracy also entailed a distinct critique of democracy. In a Catholic context, it is reasonably clear what it is that expresses authoritatively and representatively the philosophy and theological teaching of the Church. Democracy's unsolved problem is how to synthesize the ideals of equality and freedom.
