Posted on 03/14/2013 6:19:02 AM PDT by LucianOfSamasota
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has called for an ethical response to solve the problem of social debt, saying that, not only do terrorism, repression and murder violate human rights, but also extreme poverty and the “unjust economic structures that give rise to great inequalities.”
Social debt is “immoral, unjust and illegitimate,” the cardinal said, emphasizing that this is especially true when it occurs “in a nation that has the objective conditions for avoiding or correcting such harm.” “Unfortunately,” he noted, it seems that those same countries “opt for exacerbating inequalities even more.”
Argentineans have the duty “to work to change the structural causes and personal or corporate attitudes that give rise to this situation (of poverty), and through dialogue reach agreements that allow us to transform this painful reality we refer to when we speak about social debt,” the prelate said.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
The true social justice mission of the church is inextricably tied to the concept of subsidiarity.
Subsidiarity insists that the smallest or most local organization that can address a problem should address a problem.
Therefore, an individual is obligated to help himself, his family, his neighbor. The church is organized throughout the world on a local level to serve the poor, educate children, build hospitals and provide ministry programs for all.
There is very little in terms of helping the poor that required a large federal government. That is Catholic teaching, although the concept is not properly promoted by many in the media and more unfortunately by many in the church.
Right. Even private contributions to the needy (like tsunami victims) finds its way into the wrong hands.
In any case, America and Americans are and have ALWAYS been more than generous.
No other nation on earth has voluntarily given such a bounty of aid to the sick, needy, oppressed, etc. It never ends.
At the same time (and moreso lately), these same people, AND their leadership never miss an opportunity to bash the US.
Some of the countries most exceedingly Anti-American, would not even appear on a MAP if not for the assistance and continuing support of the US... they constantly receive material, political and financial assistance from the US...often times with NO expectation of repayment !!
They don’t need to LOVE us but some basic respect for who we are and what we do for them would be nice.
The economist Hernando de Soto wrote about this. I have his book "The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else" at home.
Thanks for posting. I was about to do the same, to answer Lucian’s question in post 1, but you beat me to it.
“Social justice”, is a requirement of all Catholics (all human beings I’d say) but it is sadly perverted by the leftists in both the US media and the US Church.
Subsidiarity is the true way Catholics (and humans in general) should promote social justice, as rwilson99 explained in post 41.
And I’d dare to say its how the good Cardinal then, now Pope Francis, approaches the problem.
Well we'll see if that's how he interprets it. If you read the material on the ACCB web site on "social justice" it appears interchangeable with the liberal Democrat platform. Maybe that will change. I'm not holding my breath.
The Catjolic church owns over 1/4 of the worlds fine art or so we were (proudly) told on a tour of St. Peters. Yet they have some of the most crushingly poor congregations that send THEM money I suggest the new pope do something about the log in his own eye before lecturing the rest of the world how to care for the poor. I’m not Catholic bashing, but I have often wondered how the Catholic church reconciles it’s great wealth and opulence with the poverty of some of it’s people, particularly when Chridt said “the Som of Man has nowhere to lay His head”. And now the new pope wants to lecture us how to care for the poor?
Great! A world communist pope to go hand in hand with the communist US President!
I thought there was an economist who either won a Nobel Prize, or was nominated for one, who wrote a paper or book on the relationship between property rights and the economic prosperity, or lack thereof, of a country. However, I can’t seem to find the article.
There are criminals whose crimes are so horrible, redemption is not possible for them.
But pastoral ministry includes reaching to lost souls who want to change their ways. Christian teaching after all says, hate the sin but forgive he who sins.
The Church saved my life. I was treated in a Catholic hospital.
So yes, the Church is the world’s largest non-profit education and health care provider.
Oh Please. Pointing out that there are poor people in the world and their situation should improve does not make one a Communist.....he doesn’t get into the “how”.
In fact, one of the most damning aspects of Communism, or big government in general, is that it relieves the individual from taking responsibility for the poverty around them. If I am paying 50% of my wages in taxes, it sure doesn’t leave much left to help the poor, and in fact, big government tends to discourage private charity, because they want to have the monopoly on charity, to enhance their power over the individual.
Make your own way in this world or lie down and die!!!
“Social debt is “immoral, unjust and illegitimate,”
Send my check so y’all can feel good about yourselves again and make it a big check so the feeling lasts.
I don't disagree with the way your post reads, nor the points you make. But wouldn't you agree that the poor need to meet us halfway? Certainly in this country, the key elements that separate those in poverty from becoming financially independent: a solid education, a healthy lifestyle, hard work, thriftiness, perserverance, and a general avoidance of bad choices--drugs, gangs, crime. Promiscuity that leads to unwed motherhood. Fatherless children.
My kids were born in Catholic hospitals and my husband works in one. That is still not the point. The question is when the Catholic church owns an incredible amount of the worlds wealth yet continues to accept $ from the poorest areas in the world, how does the pope lecture us how to care for the poor? Does he not see the hypocrisy in his position? I personally don’t care how much wealth the Vatican owns - they have to answer only to Christ for what they do with it. I just find the contradictions stunning.
Hear hear! Short, to the point, outstanding post.
Agreed and unbridled at that.
But many on the Right act as if we should punish the poor....
&&&
Yes, that is true. But I think it is a knee-jerk reaction to what often gets defined as poor in our country and to the wrong methods our government uses in what it claims is a way to solve poverty.
The issue in the Third World is that the oligarchies work to prevent "outsiders" from making money, by making successful business creation a monopoly of the "insiders".
Corruption plays an important role. If you are not an insider, you will have an endless stream of bureaucrats, regulators, and inspectors harassing you for bribes, which drains funds from a start-up, and hampers success. You can also forget about government contracts (or you may get the contract, but have difficulty getting paid).
Conversely, if you are a well-connected insider, the bureaucrats know better than to demand bribes, you are promptly paid, and you are likely to be successful even if you're not that bright.
The central objective of the oligarchy is preventing smart and energetic outsiders from rising. They don't want a middle-class to compete with them. They want a mass of poor people to supply them with servants and mistresses.
If he repents
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