| Zusammenfassung: | The essay discusses the shifts in the relations between church and politics through history. It argues that there is no single pattern that can characterize the Church-state relations as various societies have their own distinct cultural and historical circumstances. The essay recognizes that by aggressively promoting certain values the Church can block the realization of genuine values and create further divisiveness in society and prevent the development of arguments developed by theologians on church, state and society relations. It suggests that the Catholic Church, since Second Vatican Council, can see itself as a key element in civil society, indirectly influencing it by offering its vision of the human person, society and its values. The decision of the Philippine bishops to "draw a line in the sand" on the issue of a reproductive health bill may have backed the Church into a no-win situation. The passage of the bill can be taken as the loss of the Church's moral ascendancy while its defeat can incite a rise in anti-clericalism. Thus, the issue of government population policy has been the Philippines' own "rock beneath the surface."
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