George Weigel on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church

George Weigel teaches us Vatican II set the Church free from the Babylonian Captivity that started with Constantine and continued with popes like Boniface VIII, Innocent III, and Pius IX. The papacy was a negative obstacle to the freedom movements in Europe (French Revolution, Italian Unification, Spanish Peoples War against Franco, etc) and Vatican II removed the threat of Church interference in state power, so that political actions can be guided by more capable hands. George Weigel correctly called this tumultuous 1700 year period of the Church: the Babylonian Captivity. Now the Church can turn her attention to more important matters: freedom for all humanity, including religious liberty - the freedom to believe in whatever God you choose.