CHURCH AND STATE

Monasticism was the church’s base
Its austere living had no room for wealth.

The anchorite and the king have ever been hostile;
One has humility; the other an exalted power.

Church and state were separated at last;
The revered priest was rendered powerless.

When church and state parted the ways for ever,
It set in the rule of avarice and greed.

This split is a disaster both for country and faith,
And shows the culture’s blind lack of vision.

Mankind’s deliverance lies in the unity
Of those who rule the body and those who rule the soul.