If he makes statements like this, he should expect criticism. That is not disrespect. I have said on this board that I don't care for the Catholic church because of some of its liberal positions, and this is one more example of why I don't. The Pope made a very liberal statement with this. He deserves criticism.
I believe in freedom. If people want materialism, that is their choice. I fight it every day in my own life (try not to get sucked into buying bigger and more than I need). But I am not going to use the government to do it, and I do not think it is a good idea for a religious leader to be supporting the Marxist position.
You just stated that Pope Benedict supports a Marxist position. You should retract that. Pope Benedict is not calling for the end of freedom. He is encouraging the world to not buy into rampant materialism.