Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 8

Catholic Liberalism: An Anti-Populist Proposal Prof. Dr. Maciej Bazela Abstract- This paper explores the axiological convergence between classical li beralism and Cat holic Social Thought (CST). The paper argues that CST and classical liberals should build on their complementary values to strengthen public support for liberal democracy and a free-market economy among Catholic voters and in society at large. Although populist regimes, in particular far-right conservative nationalists, portray liberalism as an antithesis of Catholicism, this paper shows that there is a broad consensus between the two traditions. Contrary to far-right populist positions, it is possible to maintain Catholic values in a liberal market democracy without denouncing one’s religious identity. The paper emphasizes the importance of re-constructing a centrist tradition of Catholic liberal thought to mitigate populist assault on political, economic, andsocial freedoms. I ntroduction hen the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, liberalism seemed to be an uncontested winner of the Cold War (Fukuyama,1992). Liberal democracy spread in waves across Central Europe, Latin America, Asia, and parts of Africa. Structural market reforms - privatization, deregulation, liberalization – have transformed closed non-market systems into attractive emerging markets and ushered in a new phase of globalization. Migration barriers eased which has triggered a new era of mass tourism and international labor. The volume of global trade, as well as direct and indirect investment, havesoared. The world of the 1990s seemed to be the dawn of global economic, political and social convergence. And yet, no sooner did the 21 st century begin, the appeal of liberal market democracy came under question. The invasion of Iraq was a hard blow to the liberal world order. The 2007-2009 financial- cum- economic crisis dented public trust in capitalism. The importance of human rights seemed doubtful in the face of the 2015 refugee crisis, and gruesome wars in Syria and Yemen. Protest movements such as Occupy Wall Street, Black Live Matter, Yellow Vests, and Primera Linea exposed deep pockets of anger and social frustration within mature and emerging democracies alike. Russia's aggression in Ukraine has shown the weakness of mere economic globalization as an anchor of peace and stability regardless of geo-political factors. In response to these structural problems, several populist leaders and parties have emerged over the last 20 years. Most of them - both on the right and on the left - see liberalism as the main reason for social polarization, political discontent, and economic woes. Right-wing populists tend to see liberalism as a threat to national identities, and religious conservative values. They associate it with moral decadence and foreign control of national economic interests. Left-wing populists perceive liberalism as a synonym for corruption, greed, elitism, and neo-colonialism. Populists tend to agree about a new development model called “illiberal democracy” to replace theliberal market democracy (Zakaria,1997). In a nutshell, this new model limits the space for political, social, and economic freedoms while maintaining elements of electoral and representative democracy. Nevertheless, international rankings show a profound decline in the standards and quality of democratic institutions and the decline of social and economic freedoms under “illiberaldemocracy” (EIU, 2022). This paper will argue that classical liberalism and Catholic Social Thought (CST) should build on their complementary values to rebuild public trust in democracy, and free-market economy amongCatholics and in society at large. While populist regimes, in particular far-right conservative nationalists, often paint liberalism as the antithesis of Catholicism, this paper aims to show that both traditions have several points of convergence that allow the construction of a social contract in favor of democracy, an open society and a market economy that unites both believers and non- believers. In this sense, this research seeks to provide arguments against the conviction of right- wing conservative populists that liberalism is incompatible with Catholicism. The first section offers a brief review of the basic principles of classical liberalism to discard stereotapes and misinterpretations. The second section outlines the main points of divergence between classical liberalism and the CST. The third section reviews the main points of convergence between the two traditions. The fourth section presents the political toolkit used by contemporary populist regimes to "correct" the failures of liberalism. The final section emphasizes the importance of re-constructing a centrist tradition of conservative- liberal thought to strengthenpublic trust in liberal market democracy and to mitigate populist assault on the political, economic,and social institutions of freedom. I. C lassical L iberalism: A n O verview Classical liberalism is a political philosophy that develops gradually from the 17th century onwards in the context of the religious wars between Catholic and Protestant kingdoms in Europe. Following the English W © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VIII Version I 1 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A Author: Chair, Department of Social & Political Environment IPADE Business School. e-mail: mbazela@ipade.mx