Abstract
Why do populist groups attract religion as a partner or foe? Responses to this question often remain on the functional level and primarily stress the material content of populist and religious doctrines. Thus, they generate heated partisan polemics rather than enlightening insight. This multidisciplinary study focuses on the structural parallels in gathering people and discovering their authoritative will in the body politic and religious. First, it notes the family resemblance in their composition. Given the populist association of ‘the people’ with the nation, the authoritative will of the people serves as its ground and goal. The Christian ekklesia or gathered people of God rely on the sensus fidei as orientation, process, and content in gathering the faithful. Second, both populism and religion aim to articulate the authoritative will of their constituents. Populist groups seek to discover the vox populi in the socio-historical processes that constitute them. Christian ecclesial communities discern vox Dei, also within and not apart from their socio-historical processes. With these structural parallels between the populist body politic and the religious ekklesia, intersections between populism and religion are likely to occur.
Recommended Citation
Francisco, Jose Mario C.
(2026)
"Structural Parallels Between Populism and Catholicism: Vox Populi, Vox Dei,"
Landas: Vol. 38:
No.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/landas/vol38/iss1/7