James Gibbons (1824-1921) was a Roman Catholic priest who served respectively as an apostolic vicar of North Carolina, a bishop of Richmond, Virginia, and as the archbishop of Baltimore. He became only the second American to be named a cardinal.
Gibbons was known for his support of labor unions and for the Knights of Columbus. In his popular book, “The Faith of Our Fathers,” published in 1876, he offered a defense of Roman Catholicism in a largely Protestant nation with heavily reliance on Scripture (Noll 2013).
Gibbons lauded separation of church and state
Gibbons’ greatest contribution to thinking about the First Amendment was that of lauding the American doctrine of separation of church and state at a time when the Roman Catholic Church prided itself on being the established church in many European nations.
He outlined his views in a speech on March 25, 1887, upon being inaugurated as a cardinal at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome. Pointing to the progress that Roman Catholicism had made in the United States, he attributed much of it “to the civil liberty we enjoy in our enlightened republic” (Will 1922, 309).
Gibbons observed that Pope Leo XIII had noted that “the Church is not committed to any form of civil government. She adapts herself to all” (319). Without attempting to decide what arrangements other nations should adopt, Gibbons observed that in America “in the genial atmosphere of liberty she [the church] blossoms like a rose” (309).
Expressing his own pride in being an American, Gibbons observed:
“I belong to a country where the civil government holds over us the aegis of its protection, without interfering with us in the legitimate exercise of our sublime mission as ministers of the Gospel of Christ. Our country has liberty without license, and authority without despotism” (309).
The American government was “free,” but it was also “strong” (310).
Noting how church and state had been unified under both Catholic and Protestant rulers in Europe, Gibbons recognized that many individuals, influenced by the example of France after its revolution, associated separation of church and state with hostility by the government to the church. By contrast, Gibbons pointed that that free from state sponsorship, the church was able to focus on its duty “to preach the Gospel and save souls” (311).
In 1909, Gibbons further observed:
“American Catholics rejoice in our separation of Church and State, and I can conceive no combination of circumstances likely to arise which would make a union desirable to either Church and State” (314).
On this occasion he further cited President Theodore Roosevelt’s belief that in America “religion and liberty are natural allies” (314).
Gibbons noted how U.S. leaders paid homage to religion
In a sermon entitled “Will the American Republic Endure?” that he gave in the Baltimore Cathedral on Nov. 3, 1912, Gibbons observed that American statesmen had “paid homage to the moral governor of the world” (315). He cited the manner in which U.S. presidents evoked God at their inaugurations, how they issued Thanksgiving proclamations each November, and how “God’s supremacy is also recognized by the observance of the Christian Sabbath throughout the land” (315). Elsewhere, he observed that “There is a union that is inimical to the interests of religion and consequently to the State; and there is a separation that is inimical to the interests of religion and consequently to the State; and there is a separation that is for the best interests of both. In our country separation is a necessity; and it is a separation that works best for the interests of religion” (317).
Gibbons’ views on patriotism included defense of press freedom
In an article on “Patriotism and Politics” that he published in 1892, Gibbons argued that patriotism was a natural sentiment consistent with humans’ social nature. Although he opposed “the deification of the State,” Gibbons believed that “It is a sacred duty for every American to do all in his power to perpetuate our civil institutions and to avert the dangers that threaten them” (392).
Gibbons lauded the ballot-box as “the oracle” that proclaims the people’s choice (393). He feared that America could degenerate into “most odious tyranny” if balloting were subject to “bribery and corruption” (393). He went so far as to compare the ballot-box to the biblical Ark of the Covenant: “God commands us to obey our rulers. It is through the ballot-box that our rulers are proclaimed to us; therefore, its voice should be accepted as the voice of God” (395).
In addition to urging for the adoption of laws to protect the ballot box, an independent judiciary, better civic education, the celebration of national holidays, and the perpetuation of political parties that keep one another on guard, Gibbons lauded “a vigilant and fearless press that will reflect and create a healthy public opinion” (398).
He observed that:
“Such a press, guided by the laws of justice and the spirit of American institutions, is the organ and the reflection of national thought, the outer bulwark of the rights and liberties of the citizen against the usurpations of authority and the injustice of parties, the speediest and most direct castigator of vice and dishonesty” (398).
…“It is a duty of the citizens of a free country not only to encourage the press, but to cooperate with it; and it is a misfortune for any land when its leading men neglect to instruct their country and act on public opinion through this powerful instrument for good” (398).
Catholic church later adopted position of church and state separation
At the Second Vatican Council, which took place from 1962 to 1965, largely due to the influence of another Catholic priest John Courtney Murray, the church adopted a position on separate roles for church and state similar to the view that Cardinal Gibbons had espoused.
In a report entitled “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops favorably cited Gibbons while noting that:
“To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary” (2012).
John R. Vile is a political science professor and dean of the Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University.