Basic questions of democratic legitimacy in the light of the social teaching of the Catholic Church

Abstract

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church places human dignity at the forefront of its teaching, since human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Man is therefore the basis of social processes. It also follows, however, that it is the individual who is responsible for the society in which he or she lives. Society is made up of people, and people are responsible for what they build. It is therefore not only people's right but also his os her duty to shape democratic power. On this basis, it is essential to examine the question of democratic legitimacy when examining the functioning of a democratic state, based on the requirement of a dialogue between "faith and reason". In a democracy, public power can only be exercised by a person or body whose power can be traced back to the people through an unbroken chain. The study analyses the question of democratic legitimacy, in the light of the above, and in the context of this, the constitutional definition of the concept of the people, through the right to vote derived from human dignity. The main conclusion of the study is that through freedom of choice, the people (as a community of citizens) exercise their right to human dignity when they exercise their rights under the principle of people's sovereignty through the principle of democratic legitimacy. The right to decide on the basis of human dignity is also consistent with, and necessarily follows from, the Catholic Church's vision of man.