Believers and Citizens

The rights and duties of religious belonging often parallel those of citizenship in as much as the believer and the citizen are one and the same person. Obedience to God arises from the unfettered conscience, while obedience to the earthly magistrate stems from the will and consent of citizens. Whether as believers or as citizens we are enjoined to use our freedom to honor and to serve one another. The believer and the citizen are bound together in the freedom that respects human rights and fosters the common good.