A Dictatorship by Any Other Name?

Having a religious background, I was naturally drawn to Rodrigo Guerra’s article “Dictatorships Are Useless and End Badly” in Catholic News. It’s not every day you see the Pope casually dunking on authoritarian regimes. And while I applaud Pope Francis for his diplomatic world tour, his remarks got me thinking about the nature of authority within the Church itself. You know, the one with the hierarchical structure, central figurehead, and centuries-old penchant for absolute obedience. Nothing too dictatorship-y about that, right?

Inspired, I decided to explore the notion that Catholicism, while offering plenty of spiritual guidance (and some very stylish vestments), might also share a few characteristics with, well, dictatorships. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying Pope Francis is about to start donning military fatigues and appearing on state TV. But we should be careful when it comes to organised religious groups, especially the more radical ones. Take Gloriavale in New Zealand, for example. If you’re not familiar, it’s like The Handmaid’s Tale, but with more sheep and fewer commercial breaks. It’s a community that demonstrates just how worrisome unchecked religious authority can become. When people can’t question their leaders, things tend to go sideways.

The title of Guerra’s article is a direct quote from Pope Francis following his recent return from Asia and Oceania. In his address, Francis underscored that dictatorships are doomed to fail—usually after restricting freedoms, repressing populations, and generally being a royal (or papal?) pain to human rights. It’s a poignant point. Dictatorships maintain the illusion of stability, but underneath all that propaganda is a pressure cooker of societal discontent waiting to explode. 

They also thrive on lies, corruption, and manipulation—recycling myths about sovereignty to keep the masses in line. Which, let’s be honest, sounds suspiciously familiar to anyone who’s ever read Church history. Myths? Check. Corruption? Check. Power concentrated at the top? Check. 

The Pope, in a similar fashion to dictators, is not elected by the laity and his decisions are binding on all Catholics. Once chosen, the Pope remains in his office for life, unless he resigns (as with Benedict XVI in 2013), and his authority within the church is nearly absolute. 

To make matters worse, there is a doctrine of papal infallibility, which is basically a get out of jail free card for the Pope, declaring him incapable of error when pronouncing dogma on matters of faith and morals. Once a matter of faith is declared by the pope, it is infallible and becomes unquestionable. Catholics are expected to adhere to these teachings without debate limiting individual freedom within the church - much like in Political dictatorships, the leader's word is law and dissent is not tolerated. 

The Catholic Church doesn’t exactly run on democratic principles. Sure, there are local councils and advisory bodies, but let’s be honest—the general faithful (laity) don’t get much of a say in who runs the show. The Pope isn’t elected by popular vote, nor do Catholics fill out ballots to decide who gets to wear the cardinal's hat. Instead, the cardinals, hand-picked by previous Popes, form an exclusive club that decides who takes the top spot. 

This top-down structure doesn’t leave a lot of room for input from the average parishioner. If you were to squint, it could start to look a tad...authoritarian. After all, power in the Church tends to concentrate at the top, where a select few elite figures call the shots, and everyone else is expected to fall in line.

Now, let’s talk about women in the Church—or rather, let’s not talk about them too much, because that’s a can of worms that might need its own council (and a few hundred years of reform). But suffice it to say, women in the Church tend to serve more as caretakers and supporters than decision-makers. They might run the bake sales, organize charity events, and staff the soup kitchens, but when it comes to getting a seat at the table of power? Well, that’s another story.

• Quick rundown: Women in the Church generally serve in roles like nuns, who are often expected to embody servitude and humility, quietly holding communities together without rocking the boat. When it comes to leadership, though, the glass ceiling isn’t just metaphorical—it’s reinforced by centuries of doctrine. No matter how devout or dedicated, women won’t be rising through the ranks to become cardinals or popes anytime soon.

In short, the Church’s structure doesn’t just resemble a dictatorship; it’s a well-oiled hierarchy with a power imbalance that often leaves women on the sidelines. But hey, at least they get to be saints, right?

Within the Church hierarchy, open criticism of the Pope or Church doctrines is often discouraged. While theological debate exists, the hierarchical nature of the Church limits the extent to which lower-ranking clergy can openly challenge the decisions of higher authorities. This lack of institutionalised avenues for dissent within the Church mirrors how dictatorships often suppress or tightly control opposition. Having said that, here I am able to dissent and poke fun, while still very welcome to attend church on Sunday. Provided my parish isn’t in this POLs course and hasn’t read this. 

Now, I think it’s important to touch on some of the key differences as well. At its core, religion is (or should be) voluntary. That’s why places like Gloriavale raise eyebrows and alarm bells—they take the idea of voluntary faith and twist it into something altogether different. 

Authoritarian regimes and dictatorships have the advantage of confined borders to control their subjects. The Church, unlike in the times of the Crusades, arguably their most dictatorial period, cannot reach everyone at once (though they do have an all-knowing all seeing God on their side).  In today’s interconnected world, censoring individuals is increasingly difficult, particularly with the pervasive influence of social media. While I critique religious authority, I remain aware of the importance of upholding freedom of belief. Faith should ultimately be a matter of choice rather than coercion, allowing individuals the space to explore their spirituality without fear of repression.

Guerra, Rodrigo. “Dictatorships Are Useless and End Badly.” Exaudi, September 13, 2023. https://www.exaudi.org/dictatorships-are-useless-and-end-badly/.