The constitutional text under debate refers to the spiritual nature of the human being: “The State recognizes spirituality as an essential element of the human being” (art. 67, 3). Also in other paragraphs alludes to the topic (1, 2, 4). Likewise, it values the diverse cosmovisions (arts. 11, 34, 65, 67). Such an important affirmation asks to say something about this recognition, about its public representation and, in the case of Christianity, about the theological innovation that this means.
The text innovates. It goes far beyond the constitutions of 25 and 80. In these, religions were recognized respect and places to develop their activities. Was it required of these constitutions to recognize the spiritual nature of the original peoples? No, because historical awareness is progressive. In Chile this awareness has grown with the struggle of the Mapuche people and the discovery of human rights. At present, a demand for justice is being raised by peoples who are victims of a type of colonizing Christianity that saw nothing more than paganism in indigenous spirituality. The 2022 Constitution endorses this demand. The political recognition of the spirituality of all peoples constitutes perhaps the greatest cultural achievement in five hundred years of history.
The eventual new Constitution also uncovers the issue of the social and political representation of spiritual pluralism. The text recognizes various spaces for Chilean men and women, and peoples, to express what is surely the most valuable thing in their lives. The most visible representation, until today, has been the Catholic Church and, in recent decades, the Pentecostal Methodist Church. We have the case of the President or the President who attends the respective Te Deum. The Te Deum Catholic has made great progress in becoming a factor of communion of the various religions and spiritualities. In the celebration of September 18, the indigenous peoples shine. Still, the question is raised by the host. Should it be done in the cathedral of Santiago? The State is secular. No belief can claim for itself the representation of all Chileans (art. 9: “The State is secular. In Chile, freedom of religion and spiritual beliefs is respected and guaranteed. No religion or belief is the official one…”).
Even more, the Chilean Christian churches, especially the Catholic one, should make a mea culpa historical. They are in debt. They would have to publicly declare that in the country there have been ways of evangelization that constitute a shame. Pope Francis has apologized to Canada’s original peoples for “cultural destruction and forced assimilation.” In Chile the name of Christ has been used for exactly the same thing.
This centennial outrage should prompt the creation of new ways of representing spiritual pluralism. The Christian theological developments of the 20th century favor something like this. Let’s go back to the case of Te Deum, although other examples can be given, such as chaplains. The ecumenical, interreligious and intercultural celebration of the origin of the Republic in recent years points in the right direction, but it is not enough. You can go further. The Catholic Church long ago abandoned the error of thinking that “outside the Church there is no salvation” (extra Ecclesiam null salus). In the Second Vatican Council, the same Church concluded that God leads all peoples to their fulfillment by paths that she may be unaware of (Gaudium et spes 22).
For this reason, Christians must see in the Abrahamic religions (Islam and Judaism), in the other religions and philosophical spiritualities, in the worldviews of the original peoples and even in the atheists (to the extent that they practice charity and seek justice) the action of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the risen Christ, from the day of Pentecost onwards, promotes diversity and communion. It should not be surprising that theology today emphasizes this way of understanding human spirituality. When the constitutional text affirms that the human being is essentially spiritual, Christians, from their point of view, must understand that they should abandon the idea of their religious superiority, celebrate the diversity of ways of encountering God and dialogue with others in favor of the unity of the country.
Before and after the plebiscite, spiritualities have and will have a mission of primary importance.
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