Understanding the Church's relationship to itself and to the modern world using the Filipino concept of kapwa: an exposition of Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes (original) (raw)

Religious indifference is a real phenomenon in the world. Despite of this, research shows that people who do not identify themselves with religion are not automatically secular (Pew research center, 2012; Woodhead, 2016), still believes in God (Pontifical council for culture, 2006; Cornelio, 2014), found in the youth (Pew research center, 2012; Woodhead, 2016), regards the importance of religion in the cohesion of society (Pew research center, 2012), respects religious authorities (Woohead, 2016), and believes that the world is a universal family (Cornelio, 2014). In this regard this research paper aimed at addressing such phenomenon in its positive aspects by presenting a new way of appreciating religion particularly Catholicism through Vatican II, using Virgilio Enriquez’s (1978) theory of kapwa. To attain this, the researcher used thematic analysis with literature review. The researcher indentified that through Vatican II the Catholic Church’s pakikipagkapwa (treating the other as equal (Enriquez, 1978)) within itself and to the world as found in Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes portrayed a movement of attitude starting from the emphasis of equality in dignity, to specifying its familial bond gearing towards being in solidarity as a universal family. Additionally, all this are done by the Church in response to the promptings of Holy Spirit and in accordance to the example of Christ. Thus, this implies that there is still hope for the Catholic Church to respond to the phenomenon of religious indifference by applying the kapwa value; for the very fact that people who are indifferent to religion still believes in God and are not secular means they regard equality in dignity important; for the reason that they are young, sees the importance of religion in the cohesion of society and respects religious leaders, may imply that they just need a brotherly familial care; for the reality that the Church embraces universality implies that it can lead people who are indifferent to religion understand religion not only in the bounds of institutionalism but universality.