I agree that the Pope condemns consumerism. But he also condemns capitalism. Check out paragraph 54.
The Pope has made his choice. The poor, he makes clear, are morally superior. He chooses to associate with them and condemn those who attain a degree of wealth, as how could anyone justify having any wealth when there are starving people in the world?
As for me, I have made by choice. I will follow Jesus.
Here is what Jesus said regarding the moral superiority of the poor. After saying it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle, his disciples said, who then can be saved. They said this because the Jews of that time generally thought wealth was a sign of the elect. Jesus did not respond, you Jews have it wrong. It’s not the rich who are going to heaven, it is the poor. No, he responded, by man this is impossible; but, by God, it is possible.
He never condemns capitalism. He says that it will not work on its own. He disagreed that ‘trickle down’ economics would INEVITABLY benefit the poor. It’s not INEVITABLE. It still requires virtue of the individual. It requires someone to be as conscientious about helping those less fortunate than himself as he is about getting in line to buy the next gadget.
He never ‘makes clear’ that the poor are morally superior. He says they are crying out. How does the Pope condemn those with wealth, when it’s the people with wealth he’s appealing to in order to help the poor? He doesn’t tell those with wealth to put themselves in the poor house. You’re making a false dichotomy.
I agree with you, Jesus did not say that only the poor are going to heaven, but he did say the poor in spirit would. He wants us to be more selfless, that is not the same thing as saying he wants to feel guilty about our wealth. He wants us to do good things with it. This message has been consistent in the history of the Church.