The Pope is a Keynesian. :-)
On Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 9:46 AM, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote: > Pope Francis Calls Unfettered Capitalism 'A New Tyranny' > Naomi O'Leary, Reuters Nov. 26, 2013, 6:56 AM 2,371 19 > > REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi > > Pope Francis presides over the Holy Mass for the Assumption of Mary from > the papal summer residence in Castelgandolfo south of Rome, August 15, 2013. > > VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for renewal of the Roman > Catholic Church and attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny", > urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the > first major work he has authored alone as pontiff. > > The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an > official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in > sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in > 1,300 years in March. > > In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the > global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching > politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and > healthcare". > > He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the > commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to > safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt > not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," > Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday. > > "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless > person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 > points?" > > The pope said renewal of the Church could not be put off and said the > Vatican and its entrenched hierarchy "also need to hear the call to > pastoral conversion". > > "I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has > been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from > being confined and from clinging to its own security," he wrote. > > In July, Francis finished an encyclical begun by Pope Benedict but he > made clear that it was largely the work of his predecessor, who resigned > in February. > > Called "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel), the exhortation is > presented in Francis' simple and warm preaching style, distinct from the > more academic writings of former popes, and stresses the Church's > central mission of preaching "the beauty of the saving love of God made > manifest in Jesus Christ". > > In it, he reiterated earlier statements that the Church cannot ordain > women or accept abortion. The male-only priesthood, he said, "is not a > question open to discussion" but women must have more influence in > Church leadership. > > POVERTY > > A meditation on how to revitalize a Church suffering from encroaching > secularization in Western countries, the exhortation echoed the > missionary zeal more often heard from the evangelical Protestants who > have won over many disaffected Catholics in the pope's native Latin America. > > In it, economic inequality features as one of the issues Francis is most > concerned about, and the 76-year-old pontiff calls for an overhaul of > the financial system and warns that unequal distribution of wealth > inevitably leads to violence. > > "As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by > rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and > by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be > found for the world's problems or, for that matter, to any problems," he > wrote. > > Denying this was simple populism, he called for action "beyond a simple > welfare mentality" and added: "I beg the Lord to grant us more > politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the > people, the lives of the poor." > > Since his election, Francis has set an example for austerity in the > Church, living in a Vatican guest house rather than the ornate Apostolic > Palace, travelling in a Ford Focus, and last month suspending a bishop > who spent millions of euros on his luxurious residence. > > He chose to be called "Francis" after the medieval Italian saint of the > same name famed for choosing a life of poverty. > > Stressing cooperation among religions, Francis quoted the late Pope John > Paul II's idea that the papacy might be reshaped to promote closer ties > with other Christian churches and noted lessons Rome could learn from > the Orthodox such as "synodality" or decentralized leadership. > > He praised cooperation with Jews and Muslims and urged Islamic countries > to guarantee their Christian minorities the same religious freedom as > Muslims enjoy in the West. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
