Saint John Paul II believed that sanctity wasn’t as rare as we might think. He sought to emphasize this by canonizing a wide variety of people. During his 27-year pontificate he made 483 saints. He also beatified over 1300 people. JP II believed we are all called to holiness.
St. Francis DeSales was one of the first spiritual figures to emphasis this. St. Francis DeSales lived in the 17th century. Up until that time it was felt that the only way to true holiness was to become a priest or religious. St. Francis DeSales was a bishop who saw a path to holiness for everyone in his diocese.
He said once:
To be perfect in our calling is nothing else than to fulfill the duties and offices which our condition and state of life oblige us to perform; and to accomplish them well, and only for the honor and love of God, referring them all to the Lord’s glory. He who acts thus could be said to be perfect in his state of life, and a person according to the heart and will of God.
Do we believe that every occupation can be a holy occupation? It would seem not. What is the least admired occupation in the U.S? Lobbyists. Ranking right above them, telemarketers. Car salesmen rank a little higher. Right above those occupations come members of Congress. In some surveys, congress people are at the very bottom of the list.
Is it any wonder they are? Right now, we can’t turn on our televisions without being bombarded by ads concerning those running for congress. We have all heard the statistics. More advertising money is being spent on this election than any previous elections. Somehow, it is interesting that people who design advertising are also part of the least admired occupations. We would think advertising for politicians would be touting their virtues. But every ad seems to be an attack ad. Politicians are portrayed cast in the shadows, unshaven, hair eschew, no make-up. If any candidate has any sin in their past, even if it happened years ago, the sin is described in detail. If the truth isn’t bad enough, then lies are told. We would have to think that if St. Ignatius Loyola was running for office, he wouldn’t be able to win because the hedonistic lifestyle he led as a young man, before his conversion, would be broadcast so all would know his scandalous past.
Would St. Francis DeSales say that a politician could be saintly? Yes, probably so, because there have been saintly politicians. One example among many in history was Alcide DeGasperi. He lived in Italy in the 20th century. De Gasperi was a staunch Catholic. He was influenced by the Catholic Social teaching of the early 20th century. He was driven into internal exile at the Vatican with other political activists during the rise of Fascism in Italy in the 1930’s and 40’s. He had the courage to oppose Mussolini. Degasperi opposed Fascist ideology. But it cost him his freedom. He was sequestered away as a librarian in the Vatican until the war was over.
He then began to run for political office. He believed that democracy could only flourish through a sense of fraternity inspired by Christianity and the dignity of the human person, the strength of the family, the virtue of supportive community.
DeGasperi was so respected that he was elected prime minister of Italy, holding office from 1945 to 1953. His leadership was essential in rebuilding Italy after the devastation of WWII. Pope Pius XII and Paul VI praised his spiritual legacy. The Catholic Church recognized him as a Servant of God. His beatification process is underway. De Gasperi’s life and work embody the union of faith and public service.
We could point to many other political figures who are admirable and courageous. We might hear at times that politicians are all corrupt. We might be told that we will never elect saints to public office. We must set the bar low. But that would be a lie. We should expect the best from public officials. Otherwise, we let despair rule in the world rather than hope.